Oakdale jumps to No. 7 in this week's Maryland Media State Poll

St. Frances remains No. 1 despite loss, and Fort Hill is the lone newcomer to the state rankings, checking in at No. 25

Fort Hill is back in the state rankings for the first time this season. The Sentinels are among the favorites in Class 1A after a runner-up finish in 2025. | Fort Hill Football Instagram

In what is quickly becoming one of Maryland's premier public-school football rivalries, Oakdale took down Linganore, 35-7, last week, reversing the outcome of the teams' 2025 state championship meeting.

The victory propelled Oakdale to No. 7 in this week's Maryland State Poll, the biggest jump among ranked teams. The game was one of several highlights in a week packed with matchups between state-ranked opponents. Interestingly, Oakdale's victory over Linganore was the only game in which the lower-ranked team came out on top. In every other ranked showdown, the higher-ranked team prevailed, including No. 2 DeMatha, No. 3 Archbishop Spalding, No. 5 Quince Orchard, No. 15 Calvert Hall, and No. 17 Loyola Blakefield.

Despite a loss to fellow national power St. James Performance (Va.), St. Frances Academy remains the unanimous No. 1 team in Maryland, ahead of DeMatha and Archbishop Spalding. McDonogh School, which fell to Spalding last week, holds at No. 4, with Quince Orchard rounding out the top five.

The only newcomer to this week’s rankings is Fort Hill, which enters at No. 25.

This is the 36th year of the Maryland Media State Poll, which is based on a statewide vote of sports reporters, including High School On SI’s Maryland rankings.

Maryland High School Football Media State Poll

Schools are ranked by points received. The number in parentheses reflects first-place votes. LW is last week’s ranking. Sheldon Shealer compiles the rankings.

Rank, School, Record, Points, LW

1. St. Frances Academy (10), 5-1, 250, 1

2. DeMatha, 6-1, 240, 2

3. Archbishop Spalding, 5-2, 230, 3

4. McDonogh School, 6-1, 217, 4

5. Quince Orchard, 6-0, 212, 5

6. Wise, 5-0, 195, 7

7. Oakdale, 6-0, 184, 12

8. Dunbar, 6-0, 176, 9

9. Sherwood, 5-1, 167, 10

10. Linganore, 5-1, 157, 6

11. Huntingtown, 6-0, 145, 11

12. Good Counsel, 3-4, 144, 8

13. Milford Mill Academy, 5-1, 131, 13

14. Broadneck, 5-1, 114, 14

15. Calvert Hall, 3-3, 111, 16

16. Mergenthaler Vo-Tech, 5-1, 106, 15

17. Loyola Blakefield, 5-1, 84, 20

18. Guilford Park, 6-0, 79, 19

19. St. Mary’s-AA, 3-3, 76, 17

20. St. Charles, 6-0, 61, 21

21. Easton, 6-0, 39, 23

22. Concordia Prep, 3-3, 35, 22

23. Mount St. Joseph, 4-3, 32, 24

24. Flowers, 4-1, 30, 25

Fort Hill, 6-0, 18, NR

Others Receiving Votes: Stephen Decatur (6-0, 13 points), Winston Churchill (5-1, 3), Bullis School (5-1, 1).