Missouri High School Football Top 25 State Rankings – Nov. 30, 2025

Big changes shake up the top 10 as teams prepare for battle in the MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl Championships

No. 1 Platte County (13-0) will try to win its second consecutive Class 5 Show-Me Bowl championship when it takes on Carthage (12-1) at 7 p.m. Friday on Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium on the campus of MIssouri Western State University in St. Joseph. / David Smith

It feels like a blur, but the 2025 Missouri high school football season is now in its final week as state champions will be crowned this weekend.

The annual MSHSAA Show-Me Bowl Championships are set to take place Thursday through Saturday in St. Joseph, with all games slated for Craig Field at Spratt Memorial Stadium on the campus of Missouri Western State University. 

The 8-man championship will be played on Thursday, Dec. 4, while Classes 1, 3 and 5 will play on Friday with 2, 4 and 6 taking place on Saturday.

The 8-man championship features Worth County/Northeast Nodaway vs. Rock Port at 7 p.m. Thursday. Seneca and Lift for Life Academy kick off the Class 3 championship at 11 a.m. Friday, followed by Putnam County and Tipton at 3 p.m. for the Class 1 crown. Platte County and Carthage play for the Class 5 championship at 7.

Saturday’s action features Kearney vs. Hannibal for the Class 4 championship at 11 a.m., St. Pius X (Festus) vs. Blair Oaks at 3 p.m. and Nixa vs. Lee’s Summit at 7. 

Several top 25 powers remain alive, including No. 1 Platte County, who is seeking its second straight Class 5 championship and a chance to run the table at No. 1 on the top 25 after beginning the preseason in that spot and never budging. No. 2 Nixa, which finished second in Class 6 a year ago, will be trying to claim its first state championship and the top spot on the top 25 after being No. 2 all season. 

This week’s top 25 features another shakeup inside the top 10 after No. 3 Jackson was upset by Lee’s Summit one week after the Indians knocked off No. 3 CBC.

Check out all of the updated rankings entering the season’s final week below as teams jockey for state titles and their final spot on our postseason rankings, which will be released next week.

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Missouri High School Football Top 25 State Rankings

Nov. 30, 2025

1. Platte County Pirates

Current Record: 13-0

Last Week’s Ranking: 1

Next game: Class 5 state championship vs. Carthage (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday

Dismantling opponents has been a theme for the Pirates all season, and they did it again in the state semifinals against Kirkwood. Though they allowed the most points they’d given up all season, it didn’t matter as the Pirates rolled No. 6 Kirkwood 64-35 on Friday afternoon. The reigning, defending Class 5 state champions will take on Carthage this week for a chance to repeat. 

2. Nixa Eagles

Current Record: 13-0

Last Week’s Ranking: 2

Next game: Class 6 state championship vs. Lee’s Summit (9-4), 7 p.m. Saturday

Putting an end to Pattonville’s Cinderella run in the Class 6 playoffs, the Eagles jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter and rolled to a 45-0 victory last week in the semifinals. Nixa only attempted five passes, as running backs Jayden McCaster (22 carries, 176 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Jax Adams (9 carries, 74 yards, 3 TDs) handled the bulk of the load behind the Eagles’ vaunted offensive line. Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell had 15 of Nixa’s 22 pancake blocks in the game.

3. Kearney Bulldogs

Current Record: 13-0

Last Week’s Ranking: 4

Next game: Class 4 state championship vs. Hannibal, 11 a.m. Saturday

Dogs were certainly better than cats in the Class 4 semifinals as the Bulldogs rolled the Festus Tigers 52-24 to advance to the state championship. Despite giving up the most points it had all season (Kearney hadn’t allowed more than 20 to any team), Festus still finished well below its 36.8 points per game average against Kearney’s stellar defense.

4. Blair Oaks Falcons

Current Record: 13-0

Last Week’s Ranking: 7

Next game: Class 2 state championship vs. St. Pius X (Festus) (9-5), 3 p.m. Saturday

Another year, another state championship appearance for the Blair Oaks Falcons. The most dominant team in Class 2 all season, the Falcons, who went 13-1 and won the Class 3 championship last season, dominated Liberty (Mountain View) in all facets and rolled to a 42-0 victory in the Class 2 semifinals. The Falcons, chasing their seventh state championship in program history, are averaging 52.1 points on offense while holding opponents to a measly 6.2. They will be heavy favorites on Saturday.

5. Lee’s Summit Tigers

Current Record: 9-4

Last Week’s Ranking: 11

Next game: Class 6 state championship vs. Nixa (13-0), 7 p.m. Saturday

Things looked bleak while trailing 28-14 in the third quarter against No. 3 Jackson in the Class 6 semifinals, but two touchdown runs by Preston Hatfield and another by Max Trillo helped the Tigers pull out a 35-28 victory. They will play Nixa in a bid to claim their first state championship in program history.

6. Carthage Tigers

Current Record: 12-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 9

Next game: Class 5 state championship vs. Platte County (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday

Guided by strong defense, Carthage held No. 10 Cardinal Ritter, who averaged 35.2 points per game, scoreless over the final three quarters in the semifinals and rolled to a 20-8 win. The Tigers will play for a state championship for the first time since 2019, a season in which they went 12-2 and beat Jackson 27-21 in overtime for the program’s only title.

7. Jackson Indians

Final Record: 12-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 3

Leading 28-14 midway through the third quarter, the Indians seemed poised to earn a berth in the Class 6 state championship before No. 11 Lee’s Summit scored 21 unanswered, including a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter, to knock off Jackson 35-28 in the state semifinals. 

8. CBC Cadets

Final Record: 11-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 5

The Cadets defense surrendered 143 total points in nine regular season games with 82 of those points coming against Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee), which finished 3-6, and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia), who went 5-4. Despite their prolific offense, they allowed 143 points in three Missouri postseason contests and got bounced by No. 4 Jackson in the Class 6 quarterfinals 45-42 after falling behind 31-7 in the first quarter.

9. Kirkwood Pioneers

Final Record: 10-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 6

The Pioneers scored more points against No. 1 Platte County than anyone had all season, but it didn’t matter as the Pirates rolled to a 64-35 victory Friday afternoon in the Class 5 semifinals. The Pioneers trailed 14-7 after one quarter, but surrendered 22 in the second and Platte County never looked back. The Pioneers finished the season averaging 39.4 points on offense while allowing 18.4.

10. Lafayette (Wildwood) Lancers

Final Record: 10-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 8

Lafayette’s season ended with a 77-62 loss to No. 3 CBC in the Class 6 District 2 championship game.

11. Seneca Indians

Current Record: 12-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 15

Next game: Class 3 state championship vs. Lift for Life Academy (10-4), 11 a.m. Friday

For the third season in a row and 10th time in program history the Seneca Indians will be playing for the Class 3 state championship. They’ve only gone 2-7 in those previous games, including a pair of runner-up finishes the last two seasons against Blair Oaks. Hoping the third time’s the charm, the Indians and their vaunted rushing attack made it back after smashing St. Clair on the road, 57-20, in the semifinals. The Indians have gone 49-5 the past four seasons.

12. Hannibal Pirates

Current Record: 11-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 16

Next game: Class 4 championship vs. Kearney (13-0), 11 a.m. Saturday

In a rare occurrence, bad weather on Saturday forced Hannibal’s Class 4 state semifinal against St. Mary’s South Side to be pushed back to Sunday. But the weather only served to delay the inevitable, as the Pirates went on to thump the Dragons 41-0. Hannibal will play in its first state final since taking second in 2021 and is seeking its first state title.

13. Cardinal Ritter Lions

Final Record: 9-4

Last Week’s Ranking: 10

The Lions saw their seven game winning streak, and season, come to an end in the Class 5 semifinals against Carthage. Despite averaging 35.2 points per game this season, the Lions were held scoreless in the last three quarters in a 20-8 loss to Carthage in the semifinals.

14. Helias Catholic Crusaders

Final Record: 11-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 12

A 45-28 loss to Nixa ended the Crusaders’ season in the state quarterfinals.

15. Liberty Blue Jays

Final Record: 10-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 13

Running into a healthy and hot Lee’s Summit squad, Liberty’s season came to a screeching halt in the Class 6 quarterfinals with a 24-14 loss to the Tigers.

16. Blue Springs South Jaguars

Final Record: 9-1

Last Week’s Ranking: 14

The Jaguars’ season ended with a loss to Blue Springs in the Class 6 District 6 semifinals on Nov. 7.

17. Rockhurst Hawklets

Final Record: 9-3

Last Week’s Ranking: 17

Rockhurst’s season ended with a 29-22 loss to No. 1 Platte County, who scored the winning touchdown with 2 seconds remaining, in the Class 5 District 8 championship.

18. Republic Tigers

Final Record: 9-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 18

Republic’s season ended in the Class 5 District 6 championship with a 31-14 loss to Carthage.

19. Ft. Zumwalt North Panthers

Final Record: 10-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 19

The Panthers saw their 2025 season end in the Class 6 quarterfinals with a 38-13 loss to Cardinal Ritter.  

20. Blue Springs Wildcats

Final Record: 8-4

Last Week’s Ranking: 20

The Wildcats’ season ended in the Class 6 District 6 final with a 26-21 loss to unbeaten Helias Catholic.

21. Festus Tigers

Final Record: 10-3

Last Week’s Ranking: 21

The Tigers’ season came to a close in the Class 4 state semifinals with a 52-24 loss to No. 4 Kearney. Festus averaged 36.8 points per game in 2025.

22. North Kansas City Hornets

Final Record: 8-3

Last Week’s Ranking: 22

North Kansas City’s season ended with a 42-21 loss to Lee’s Summit in the Class 6 District 7 championship.

23. SLUH Jr. Bills

Final Record: 7-3

Last Week’s Ranking: 23

SLUH’s season ended Nov. 7 with a 28-25 loss to Lafayette Wildwood in the Class 6 District 2 semifinals.

24. Eureka Wildcats

Final Record: 8-3

Last Week’s Ranking: 24

The Wildcats’ season ended at the hands of No. 7 Kirkwood, 21-10, in the Class 5 District 2 championship.

25. Savannah Savages

Final Record: 10-2

Last Week’s Ranking: 25

Savannah’s season came to an end with a 24-0 loss to No. 5 Kearney in the Class 4 District 8 championship.

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