Indiana High School Football Preseason Top 25: Who Starts 2026 at No. 1?

Indiana high school football enters 2026 with familiar powers at the top, including back-to-back champions in the state's two largest classifications.

Brownsburg leads the way as the state's top-ranked team in Class 6A after winning back-to-back state championships, and the Bulldogs have plenty of senior leadership returning as they chase a third straight title. New Palestine is in a similar position in Class 5A, having captured consecutive championships and entering the season with several key contributors back on both sides of the ball.

Westfield, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the state’s biggest threats to Brownsburg after pushing the Bulldogs to the limit in four meetings over the past two seasons. The Rocks lost last year’s state championship game 38-31 but return enough talent to believe they can finish the job this fall.

Those teams headline a deep group of contenders that includes state finalists, perennial powers and programs looking to take the next step. Here are High School On SI’s Indiana preseason Top 25 rankings for the 2026 season.

1. Brownsburg

Record: 14-0

Indiana's two-time defending Class 6A champions have the look of a team capable of winning another state championship and cementing one of the state's most impressive recent championship runs. Several top senior leaders return, including quarterback Oscar Frye (Illinois State), wide receiver Branden Sharpe (Indiana), defensive lineman Dami Sowunmi (Missouri) and offensive lineman Nick Vecrumba (Kansas).

2. New Palestine

Record: 14-0

New Palestine is another two-time defending champion in the Hoosier State, having won the Class 4A title two years ago before capturing the Class 5A title a year ago. The Dragons still have senior tight end Mason Oglesby (Kansas) and junior defensive lineman Sam Hirschy, a couple of top-rated prospects who will provide leadership on both sides of the ball to make a run at a third straight trophy.

3. Westfield

Record: 11-3

If any team can dislodge Brownsburg from its perch atop the Class 6A ranks, it might be this Westfield squad that has played the Bulldogs four times over the past couple of seasons, never losing by more than a touchdown in any of those contests. The most recent meeting came in last year's state championship game, a 38-31 Brownsburg victory, but the Shamrocks will get another shot in 2026 with big senior offensive lineman Nicholas Schurman (Purdue) among the team's leaders.

4. Warren Central

Record: 8-5

Warren Central was no match for Brownsburg in last year's Class 6A semifinals, losing in a 31-0 rout. But senior returnees like linebacker Sean Fox (Kentucky), safety Kaleb Elkins (Purdue) and running back Keyon Thomas (Iowa) give the Warriors hope of writing a different ending in 2026.

5. Center Grove

Record: 10-2

Center Grove only lost twice last fall, and a 24-21 loss to Warren Central in the Class 6A quarterfinals still stings. Senior quarterback Oscar Sloan is one of the best at his position in the Hoosier State, and he'll direct the Trojans' efforts to make a deeper postseason run this fall.

6. Fishers

Record: 8-4

Fishers was ousted from the Class 6A playoffs in a 20-10 quarterfinal loss to state finalist Westfield for the second straight season, and the challenge for the Tigers is finding a way to overcome the graduation of last year’s starting quarterback, Gage Sturgill, along with their leading rusher (Ryan Thembulembu) and leading receiver (Vincent Rozzi).

7. Carmel

Record: 9-2

Carmel went toe-to-toe with state finalist Westfield in the second round of the playoffs, losing 23-20 in overtime. Junior safety Drake Coellner is back to help lead the Greyhounds.

8. Cathedral

Record: 7-4

Cathedral battled the eventual Class 5A state champions from New Palestine to the finish in a 20-15 second-round playoff loss. Senior speedster Xavier Dangerfield is still around after rushing for 604 yards as a junior despite missing three games.

9. Decatur Central

Record: 9-3

Decatur Central overcame an 0-2 start last season to make a run to the Class 6A quarterfinals where they were eliminated in a 47-23 loss to the eventual state champions from Brownsburg. They’ll have to overcome the loss of dual-threat quarterback Bo Polston to have any chance at making a similar run in 2026.

10. Carroll

Record: 9-4

Carroll’s 9-4 run to the Class 6A semifinals was the Chargers’ deepest run since losing 35-9 to Center Grove in the 2022 state championship game. Senior dual-threat quarterback Gabe Frisinger returns after piling up more than 3,800 yards of total offense and a combined 35 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.

11. Hamilton Southeastern

Record: 6-5

The 2025 season was a roller coaster ride for Hamilton Southeastern, with an early three-game winning streak followed by a three-game skid. The Royals rebounded to make the playoffs, losing 28-20 in the second round to Fishers, and developing more consistency will be key if they want to improve on their 6-5 finish.

12. Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger

Record: 13-2

The defending Class 4A champions from Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger started their season with a 3-0 loss to Roncalli. The Saints ended their 2025 campaign by avenging that loss in a 36-29 win in the state championship game, and those two programs figure to be in the mix again for the title. The champs must replace a lot of their top stars from a year ago, but junior running back Kolyn Campbell is back after rushing for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns.

13. Ben Davis

Record: 3-7

It’s been three years since Ben Davis last hoisted the championship trophy in Indiana’s highest classification in 2023, but the 10-time state champions have gone 8-13 since then. That includes a 3-7 finish a year ago for their second straight losing season. It’s the first time the Giants have posted consecutive losing seasons since 1982-83, and they’ll look to turn things around with senior safety Keontay Toomer (Louisville) still in the fold.

14. Roncalli

Record: 11-4

Roncalli was the Class 4A runner-up last year, and was one of only two teams to beat the champions from Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger in 2025. Unfortunately, their win came in the regular-season matchup before losing a rematch in the title game. They get a chance to set the tone again right out of the gate with yet another matchup against the Saints to start the 2026 season Friday night.

15. Merrillville

Record: 11-3

Merrillville has been inching closer to the top prize in Indiana’s Class 5A ranks, finishing 10-3, 11-2, and 11-3 the past three seasons. Last season, the Pirates, in fact, played for the state championship, coming up short in a 38-17 loss to the back-to-back champs from New Palestine. Their potential path to a title just might run through New Palestine again.

16. Indianapolis Bishop Chatard

Record: 9-3

A 26-6 loss to Roncalli ended Bishop Chatard’s season in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs, despite beating the Royals, 33-11, in the regular season. Considering Roncalli advanced all the way to the state championship game, it’s a measuring stick of sorts for the Trojans as they embark upon a new season. A week three meeting with Roncalli already looms large on the horizon.

17. Avon

Record: 6-5

Avon opens the season with eight straight games against teams ranked here in the preseason Top 25. It’s a schedule that gives the Orioles ample opportunities to prove they are one of the best teams in the Hoosier State this fall.

18. Bloomington South

Record: 11-2

Bloomington South’s only loss in the regular season last year came in a 33-12 setback to Center Grove in mid-October. The Panthers parlayed that into a run to the Class 5A semifinals where they were dispatched by the eventual champs from New Palestine in a 42-0 loss. That's considerable ground to make up in one offseason, but another deep postseason run would make this No. 18 ranking look conservative by season's end.

19. Lawrence Central

Record: 5-6

Lawrence Central checks in just one spot ahead of its rivals from Lawrence North, and the Indianapolis duo split their two meetings a year ago. Central won the game that mattered most, escaping 26-24 in the first round of the playoffs, and still has senior safety Errol Kerns III (Texas A&M) to build around.

20. Lawrence North

Record: 7-3

Running back Izayveon Moore (Purdue) is back for one last season in a Lawrence North uniform, and he’s among the team leaders who will try to help the Bears improve upon a 7-3 finish that ended in that playoff loss to Lawrence Central.

21. Heritage Hills

Record: 12-2

Entering last season, Heritage Hills had played in two straight Class 3A title games, winning it all in 2024. The Patriots almost made it three straight title game appearances in their move up to Class 4A a year ago, but Roncalli reminded them that there are dues to pay in a 42-14 thrashing in the semifinals. They've proven to be resilient in the past, and last year's experience could be just a stepping stone for a program that is hungry to prove they belong at this level.

22. Franklin Central

Record: 5-6

Franklin Central only lasted two rounds in the playoffs a year ago, but gave Center Grove all it could handle in a 30-27 loss. The Flashes still have senior edge defender Jayce Brewer (Michigan) and classmate and cornerback DJ Mitchell (Miami of Ohio) to launch another bid for postseason glory.

23. Penn

Record: 11-1

Penn rolled to an undefeated regular season before winning two playoff games for an 11-0 start before the season ended in a 41-30 loss to Carroll in the Class 6A playoffs. The Kingsmen will once again kick off the season as a dark horse in Indiana's top-heavy elite division.

24. Crown Point

Record: 10-1

Like Penn above them, Crown Point assembled an undefeated regular-season campaign before losing to that Kingsmen squad in a 28-24 second-round loss. And like their conquerors a year ago, they remain on the outside looking in the state's deep Class 6A ranks.

25. East Central

Record: 9-3

Two of East Central's three losses a year ago came against squads that played for state championships a year ago – a 28-16 loss to Class 4A runner-up Roncalli and a 20-6 defeat against eventual Class 5A champion New Palestine. The Trojans have a pretty good sense of where they stack up against some of the state's best teams, but they'll have to make up the gap without their star quarterback, Nolan Maples who graduated after accounting for 20 touchdowns last season.

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