Texas High School Football Final Top 25 State Rankings - Dec. 30, 2025

One last football ranking for 2025, looking back at the top teams in UIL and TAPPS headlined by Dallas South Oak Cliff winning 3rd title in 5 years

Dallas South Oak Cliff quarterback Jayden Williams, left, hands off to Levon Morton in a playoff game against Terrell. / Shane Kirkpatrick

The final ranking for the Texas high school football season is here.

Looking back at the final Top 25 poll of the season, there were a lot of changes. Some upsets happened. Some darkhorses made noise. Some favorites were only favorites on paper.

The top 10 was largely dismantled before the state championships were held in Arlington. Traditional powers found a way to get back to AT&T Stadium and there were a lot more championships handed out to teams again, rather than first-time champs. However, there were a few of those there, too.

Here’s a look at who we think were the Top 25 teams in the state this fall.

TOP 25

1. Dallas South Oak Cliff (15-1)

Previous ranking: 9

What to know: The Golden Bears' defense was lights out, with shutouts for 7 straight weeks and added another in the quarterfinals. They beat the Class 6A Division 1 champion in Week 1; lost to the Class 6A Division 1 runner-up by a touchdown and beat Richmond Randle in a title game rematch by allowing only two touchdowns.

2. DeSoto (13-3)

Previous ranking: NR

What to know: A rough start meant they fell out of the rankings early and every team in the regular season final poll had 2 losses or less. However, the Eagles were the best team regardless of classification at the end. They knocked off No. 1 Southlake Carroll in the semifinals and then Houston C.E. King in the Class 6A Division 2 finals.

3. Galena Park North Shore (14-2)

Previous ranking: 21

What to know: For the first time since 2017, the Mustangs have lost more than 1 game in a season. It didn’t really matter at the end of the season when they beat Duncanville for the fourth time in the state finals.  

4. Duncanville (12-2)

Previous ranking: 8

What to know: The Panthers returned to the Class 6A Division 1 finals, but the offense that got them there was stopped by North Shore’s defense. Along the way, though, the Panthers knocked off an Allen team that was No. 2 in the state in the semifinals.

5. Southlake Carroll (14-1)

Previous ranking: 1

What to know: The Dragons were the No. 1 team for the final nine weeks of the regular season and in the top 5 all year. A fourth-quarter stumble kept them from reaching the Class 6A Division 2 title game. A new coach will have to try to continue the tradition for the Dragons, with Riley Dodge going to SMU as an assistant coach.

6. Richmond Dr. Thomas E. Randle (15-1)

Previous ranking: 3

What to know: The Lions came up short in a repeat title berth, something not many programs can say in only four years of varsity football. They lost in the Class 5A Division 2 finals, but will return one of the best players in the state next year in Landen Williams-Callis, the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.

7. Allen (14-1)

Previous ranking: 2

What to know: The Eagles reached the Class 6A Division 1 semifinals, falling to Duncanville. The week prior, they knocked off defending state champion Fort Worth North Crowley. The 14 wins were the most since 2018.

8. Spring Branch Smithson Valley (15-1)

Previous ranking: 14

What to know: The Rangers closed out the regular season with an 8-game winning streak that grew to 14 in a row after winning the Class 5A Division 1 title. The Rangers’ defense gave up 2 touchdowns or more only twice this year.

9. Carthage (16-0)

Previous ranking: 13

What to know: The Bulldogs were already second all-time in UIL titles and added another Class 4A Division 2 crown. Carthage will lose a handful of Division 1 players, but the cupboard isn’t bare for the East Texas power.

10. Austin Lake Travis (14-1)

Previous ranking: 4

What to know: The Cavaliers reached the Class 6A Division 1 finals, falling to Galena Park North Shore. Along the road there, Lake Travis beat rival Austin Westlake in the regular season and dispatched two good San Antonio teams in the postseason: Brennan and Johnson.

11. Frisco Lone Star (15-1)

Previous ranking: NR

The Rangers were always on the cusp of the Top 25 all season. They made the Class 5A Division 1 finals but lost to Smithson Valley. The offense will need to replace Davian Groce, but Trey Wright is one of the best QB1 set to return.

12. Fort Worth North Crowley (12-2)

Previous ranking: 7

What to know: The Panthers came up short of matching last year’s successful run that ended in a state title. The offense struggled at times with nearly an entirely new cast of skill position players and ultimately lost in the quarterfinals to Allen in the Class 6A Division 1 playoffs.

13. Houston C.E. King (14-2)

Previous ranking: NR

What to know: The Panthers reached the state semifinals for the first time in school history and then followed that by reaching the state finals for the first time. The magical season ended with a loss to DeSoto, but the Panthers emerged from a tough district to make a deep playoff run after falling out of the Top 25 after the penultimate week of the regular season.

14. Prosper (11-2)

Previous ranking: 10

What to know: Prosper was one of the best teams in 6A throughout the regular season and lost a district title by a point to Allen. In the postseason, with Plano making the playoffs, Prosper got pushed down to Class 6A Division 2. In the path early was Southlake Carroll, who beat them in a game that ended 6 hours after it was supposed to have started, thanks to weather issues.

15.  Stephenville (16-0)

Previous ranking: NR

The Yellow Jackets knocked off Celina in the semifinals and then blanked Kilgore to win the Class 4A Division I finals. In eight of the final 10 games, Stephenville gave up a touchdown or less.

16. Celina (14-1)

Previous ranking: 5

What to know: The Bobcats were aiming to repeat as Class 4A Division 1 champions, but lost on a last-second field goal against Stephenville in the semifinals. Celina had an unusual season late in the year, with head coach Bill Elliott placed on leave and assistant coaches guiding the squad during the playoff run.

17. Port Arthur Memorial (14-1)

Previous ranking: 22

What to know: The Titans won more games this year than any other team in the program’s history, besting the previous mark of 13 wins. Smithson Valley won by a field goal to keep the Titans from making the state finals for the first time.

18. Aledo (14-1)

Previous ranking: 6

What to know: The Bearcats came up short of returning to AT&T Stadium, but they were close. Lone Star had a late rally and won by four in the semifinals. The Bearcats will have some key pieces to replace next year.

19. Humble Summer Creek (12-2)

Previous ranking: 11

What to know: The Bulldogs were 12-0 against teams not named C.E. King. The Bulldogs took a step forward this year by beating Humble Atascocita and Galena Park North Shore — soundly at that 27-0 — but never could solve King, a District 23-6A foe.

20. Fort Worth All Saints (14-0)

Previous ranking: NR

What to know: The Saints won a second straight TAPPS Division II title. They beat a team from Vancouver, Washington, this year on the road; beat both TAPPS Division 1 finalist and will carry a 28-game winning streak into 2026. 

21. Iowa Colony (12-2)

Previous ranking: 19

What to know: They are another team like Summer Creek, with a good record, but one team that caused issues. The 4th year program has saw the last two seasons end against Richmond Randle. The Pioneers are 24-4 the past two years, with all 4 losses against Randle.

22. Parish Episcopal (12-1)

Previous ranking: NR

The Panthers won 12 in a row after a Week 1 loss to a fellow TAPPS champion, Fort Worth All Saints. They beat Plano Prestonwood Christian in the finals and won state title No. 6 in the past 7 years in TAPPS Division 1.

23. Wall (16-0)

Previous ranking: NR

The only other undefeated UIL 11-man champion, the Hawks allowed 7 or less points in 10 games. The Hawks knocked off defending champion Gunter in the semifinals and then held on for a 1-point win over Newton in the Class 3A Division 2 finals.

24. Dickinson (13-1)

Previous ranking: 16

What to know: They made a big jump with a 13-win season after winning only 7 games in 2024. For a while, the Gators were one of the best teams in the Houston area, beating Katy, C.E. King, Pearland and Strake Jesuit before losing to North Shore in the quarterfinals. 

25. Melissa (11-3)

Previous ranking: NR

After missing the playoffs last year, the Cardinals reached the Class 5A Division 2 semifinals against Dallas South Oak Cliff. Quarterback Brett Holloway made a big impact in his only year at Melissa, but who will step up to continue the upward trajectory?

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Dropped out

No. 12 Dripping Springs (12-2) — 2 losses by 1 score each

No. 17 Fort Bend Ridge Point (11-1) — Lost to North Shore in the playoffs for the second year in a row

No. 18 Pearland (11-1) — Lost undefeated clash in 2nd round of the playoffs to Dickinson.

No. 20 Denton Billy Ryan (12-2) — 12-0 against teams not named Aledo

No. 22 Prosper Walnut Grove (12-1) — District champs lost to Argyle

No. 23 Brenham (11-2) — Lost to Iowa Colony by a point in the playoffs

No. 24 Angleton (9-2) — A strong season ended with losses in 2 of the final 3 games

No. 25 The Woodlands College Park (11-2) — A forfeit loss and a loss to DeSoto were the blemishes this year.

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Also in the mix (in alphabetical order):

Argyle (12-2)

Bastrop (11-2)

Boerne (13-2)

Dallas Highland Park (11-2)

Hamilton (14-2)

Kilgore (14-2)

Muenster (14-2)

Newton (14-2)

North Forney (10-2)

Port Neches-Groves (13-1)

San Antonio Johnson (13-1)

Shiner (15-1)

Spring Klein Collins (11-2)

Terrell (12-1)

Waxahachie (11-2)

Yoakum (14-2)