New England High School Football Top 25 Regional Rankings (Sept. 28, 2026)

The top of the New England high school football rankings has a new look this week, and it starts with a change at the top.

St. John's Prep jumps from No. 4 to No. 1 after the previous top-ranked Xaverian Brothers fell 21-14 to Springfield Central. The Eagles already owned a 29-14 win over Central themselves, and along with a 21-17 victory over this week's No. 15 Central Catholic, they had a résumé that was simply too strong to ignore.

To get to No. 1, St. John's Prep had to jump over Catholic Memorial, which remains at No. 2 after steamrolling Florida's Viera 42-12, and New Canaan which holds at No. 3 after cruising past McMahon 49-0. Central, meanwhile, moves up to No. 4 by virtue of that win over Xaverian, which drops to No. 5 to complete the reshuffling at the top.

The biggest mover of the week, however, was Rhode Island's Bishop Hendricken which makes a 10-jump move to No. 14 after taking Central Catholic which settles into the spot just behind the Hawks after holding down the No. 6 spot last week.

With undefeated teams colliding, traditional powers trying to rebound and several games carrying major ranking implications, the coming week will offer plenty of opportunities for the New England hierarchy to change once again.

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1. St. John's Prep (MA)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 4

Last Week: St. John's Prep 45, Needham 6

Loss(es): None

St. John's Prep makes a big jump from No. 4 to No. 1 after the previous top-ranked Xaverian Brothers fell 21-14 to Springfield Central. St. John's Prep had already beaten Central 29-14, and when you add a 21-17 win over Top 25 Central Catholic, it became clear that these high-flying Eagles suddenly had the strongest résumé in the New England region. That was enough to vault them over No. 2 Catholic Memorial and No. 3 New Canaan into Xaverian's old spot at No. 1.

Their first game with the target on their backs comes Saturday afternoon at home against No. 7 La Salle Academy of Rhode Island.

2. Catholic Memorial (MA)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 2

Last Week: Catholic Memorial 42, Viera (Fla.) 12

Loss(es): None

Catholic Memorial flexed its muscles on behalf of New England prep football last weekend, manhandling a solid Viera, Florida, squad 42-12. Now the Knights return to in-state action with a trip to Brockton on Friday to take on the Boxers.

3. New Canaan (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 3

Last Week: New Canaan 49, McMahon 0

Loss(es): None

New Canaan was never seriously tested in a 49-0 rout of McMahon, and the Rams are solid favorites again Friday on the road against New Britain.

4. Central (MA)

Record: 2-1

Previous Rank: 7

Last Week: Central 21, Xaverian Brothers 14

Loss(es): St. John's Prep, 29-14

Central shook up our top five by taking down the previous No. 1 Xaverian Brothers. That would suggest the Eagles' trip to Westfield on Friday to take on the Bombers should be a successful one.

5. Xaverian Brothers (MA)

Record: 2-1

Previous Rank: 1

Last Week: Central 21, Xaverian Brothers 14

Loss(es): Central, 21-14

Xaverian Brothers settles in here after the loss, but to be clear, this wasn't exactly a shocking result. The Hawks have now lost to Central five times in the past six regular seasons. In that same span, the two teams have also met four times in the playoffs, with each winning twice, so at least Xaverian has had a measure of success when it counts.

And that could very well be where this is all leading again. In the meantime, there's still a lot of football to be played, and the Hawks will need to recover quickly with a desperate two-loss Central Catholic team paying a visit Friday.

6. Greenwich (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 5

Last Week: Greenwich 17, Warde 0

Loss(es): None

Greenwich shut out Warde, but the Cardinals still slip a spot after Central jumped them following its big win over No. 1 Xaverian Brothers. The good news for Greenwich is that many of the teams ahead of it still have to play each other, and the Cardinals will have plenty of opportunities to move up as long as they take care of their own business — which includes a big matchup against No. 3 New Canaan later in October.

7. La Salle Academy (RI)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 8

Last Week: La Salle Academy 39, Central (R.I.) 0

Loss(es): None

The nor'easter that blew through New England this week pushed La Salle Academy's game against Central back to Sunday evening. Then it was the Rams blowing through Central's defense, rolling to a 39-0 victory to remain undefeated.

8. Scituate (MA)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 9

Last Week: Scituate 42, Marblehead 21

Loss(es): None

Scituate has won each of its first three games by exactly 21 points, and the Sailors will put that formula to the test Friday at home against top-50 Plymouth South.

9. Cheshire (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 10

Last Week: Cheshire 38, Notre Dame 6

Loss(es): None

Cheshire won its first two games by a combined three points before erupting for a 38-6 win over Notre Dame of West Haven last week. The Rams face an extremely challenging opponent Friday on the road at Staples in a game that could have a major impact on the Top 10 next week.

10. Tewksbury Memorial (MA)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 11

Last Week: Tewksbury Memorial 36, Lowell 14

Loss(es): None

Tewksbury Memorial has yet to be seriously tested through its first three games, and the Redmen should be able to extend their season-opening hot streak to four games Friday at home versus Chelmsford.

11. Southington (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 12

Last Week: Southington 35, Windsor 6

Loss(es): None

Southington has also faced little resistance so far in 2026, but the Blue Knights might have to step it up a level Friday at home against a top-30 Wilton squad.

12. St. Joseph (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 13

Last Week: St. Joseph 49, Danbury 18

Loss(es): None

St. Joseph hasn't faced any significant hurdles yet, winning each of its first three games by at least 21 points, but the Cadets will travel Friday to a top-30 Glastonbury team that could tell us more about just how good they really are.

13. Hand (CT)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 14

Last Week: Hand 35, North Haven 7

Loss(es): None

Hand started the season by defeating Top 25 Bishop Hendricken in a 28-0 rout, leading us to believe these Tigers might be better than where we have them ranked. That belief was further strengthened by Hendricken's subsequent win over a top-10 Central Catholic team from Massachusetts last week. Now Hand has two huge opportunities at home over the next two weeks to prove it, starting Friday against Fairfield Prep and followed by a game against No. 9 Cheshire.

14. Bishop Hendricken (RI)

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 24

Last Week: Bishop Hendricken 21, Central Catholic 12

Loss(es): Chaminade (N.Y.), 18-17; Hand (Conn.), 28-0

Bishop Hendricken has recovered from an 0-2 start with back-to-back wins over St. Raphael Academy and Central Catholic. The latter victory was particularly noteworthy and lifted the Hawks 10 spots in this week's rankings. Hendricken can't afford to look beyond Friday's potentially tricky trip to Connecticut to face Norwich Free Academy and risk getting bitten by the upset bug before next week's home date against undefeated No. 7 La Salle Academy.

15. Central Catholic (MA)

Record: 1-2

Previous Rank: 6

Last Week: Bishop Hendricken 21, Central Catholic 12

Loss(es): St. John's Prep, 21-17; Bishop Hendricken, 21-12

Three games into the 2026 season, Central Catholic finds itself under water at 1-2 after losses to two teams ranked on this list. St. John's Prep has since climbed to No. 1, while last week's loss to Bishop Hendricken boosted the Hawks 10 spots in these rankings. The bottom line is that beating these Raiders is still considered a significant win, but in turn, the losses have sent the Raiders tumbling nine spots here this week. It won't get any easier Friday on the road against No. 5 Xaverian Brothers.

16. Thornton Academy (ME)

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 16

Last Week: Thornton Academy 42, Westbrook 0

Loss(es): None

Maine's top-ranked Thornton Academy has won its past two games by 42-point margins, and the Trojans have been unbeatable so far. Their Saturday afternoon home game against undefeated Portland looms large, as both teams have their sights set on competing for a state title in Maine's top Class A ranks.

17. North Kingstown (RI)

Record: 2-1

Previous Rank: 17

Last Week: IDLE

Loss(es): La Salle Academy, 35-7

North Kingstown took last week off, but there's no rest this week as the Skippers prepare for Friday's road trip to face undefeated No. 18 Cranston West. It's the game of the week in Rhode Island.

18. Cranston West (RI)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 18

Last Week: Cranston West 39, Westfield 35

Loss(es): None

Cranston West survived last week's road trip to Massachusetts against Westfield, and now the Falcons face one of their toughest challenges yet back home against that well-rested No. 17 North Kingstown squad.

19. Foxborough (MA)

Record: 2-1

Previous Rank: 19

Last Week: Foxborough 43, Putnam Vo-Tech 6

Loss(es): Tewksbury Memorial, 41-14

Foxborough has rebounded nicely from a season-opening loss to current No. 10 Tewksbury Memorial with consecutive wins heading into Friday's road trip to Old Rochester Regional.

20. Concord (NH)

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 21

Last Week: Concord 40, Manchester Central 0

Loss(es): Windham, 31-28

It's been a complicated mess near the top of the Granite State rankings, but each week brings a little more clarity. Many of New Hampshire's top Division I teams are connected in a loop of losses, and that includes Concord, which lost to Windham. Windham, in turn, lost to Londonderry, which entered last week undefeated before falling to Pinkerton. But Pinkerton also suffered a lopsided season-opening loss to Salem, which lost to this Concord squad two weeks ago before falling again to Windham last weekend. Got all that?

That tangled web has opened the door for a quartet of undefeated teams that haven't been caught in the loop to emerge on the fringe of these rankings, and one of them, Bishop Guertin, makes its debut here this week at No. 22. In the meantime, Concord takes its turn as the top-ranked New Hampshire team in these rankings, but that could be short-lived with a Friday night visit to No. 2 Pinkerton.

21. Pinkerton (NH)

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 22

Last Week: Pinkerton 27, Londonderry 14

Loss(es): Salem, 28-7

We broke it all down above, and suffice it to say, Pinkerton could be the next team to take a turn as New Hampshire's No. 1 team in these rankings — but only if the Astros can hold off undefeated Bishop Guertin, which makes its debut this week. Pinkerton can strengthen its case Friday night at home by handing Concord its second loss.

22. Bishop Guertin (NH)

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Bishop Guertin 53, Merrimack 8

Loss(es): None

Finally, we get to a New Hampshire squad that isn't caught up in all that mess above. Bishop Guertin has stacked up four wins to bully its way into these rankings, but the Cardinals will finally give us a comparison point to the other Granite State teams Saturday evening when they host Bedford, our preseason No. 1 team from New Hampshire and the defending Division I champion. The Bulldogs have struggled to a 2-2 start, however, including a 40-7 loss to Pinkerton, which sits just one spot above Bishop Guertin in these rankings.

That finally gives us an opportunity to measure Bishop Guertin against the rest of the state's top teams. If Pinkerton beats Concord at home and Bishop Guertin handles Bedford in similar fashion to Pinkerton's earlier rout of the Bulldogs, it could be the Cardinals who find themselves ranked as New Hampshire's No. 1 team next Monday.

23. Bonny Eagle (ME)

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 23

Last Week: Bonny Eagle 42, Scarborough 6

Loss(es): None

Maine's No. 2 Bonny Eagle has kept pace with the state's top-ranked Thornton Academy so far, matching the Trojans' 4-0 start with four wins of its own. The Scots will visit Windham on Friday looking for a fifth win as their Oct. 24 showdown with those Trojans draws closer.

24. Burr & Burton (VT)

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 25

Last Week: Burr & Burton 55, Burlington/South Burlington 14

Loss(es): None

Nobody has been able to keep pace with Burr & Burton yet, and that doesn't figure to change Friday when the Bulldogs hit the road to face winless Brattleboro.

25. Shawsheen Valley Tech (MA)

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: Unranked

Last Week: Shawsheen Valley Tech 7, Bishop Feehan 0

Loss(es): None

Shawsheen Valley Tech joins this list after dominating Bishop Feehan defensively in a 7-0 shutout. This is the same Feehan squad that traded shots with then-No. 1 Xaverian Brothers in a 42-36 shootout to open the season, so SVT's position here is well-earned. The Rams will host St. Mary's on Friday in their first defense of their spot in the Top 25.

Final Analysis

If this week's rankings prove anything, it's that New England's high school football picture is still clear as mud. St. John's Prep has taken over the top spot, but Catholic Memorial, New Canaan, Central and Xaverian Brothers remain within striking distance, while teams such as Bishop Hendricken and Bishop Guertin are gaining ground. With several heavyweight matchups on the schedule and plenty of unbeaten teams still waiting for their biggest tests, the race for regional supremacy is only beginning to take shape.

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