Top 10 Maine high school football preseason rankings (7/31/2024)

Thornton Academy begins 2024 as the No. 1 team in our 2024 Maine preseason high school football rankings

Kennebunk is one of Maine's top teams heading into 2024 /

It’s that time of the year, everyone. High school football practices are starting up and that means the gridiron is upon us.

Preseason high school football games kickoff throughout the state of Maine starting the week of Aug. 30, with the regular season kicking off on Sep. 5-7.

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The No. 1 team in the Pine Tree State is 37-time state champion Thornton Academy Trojans followed by the Portland Bulldogs.

Here’s the complete breakdown of Maine's elite high school football teams, heading into the 2024 season, as we see it.

2024 SBLive Preseason Football Top 10 Maine high school football rankings

1. Thornton Academy

The defending Class A champions are back after narrowly defeating Portland 24-14. Thornton Academy's offense is as good as any, bringing back senior quarterback Wyatt Benoit and fellow backfield mate Mauricio Sunderland. The Trojans are gunning for state championship No. 38 this fall.

2. Portland

Though the Bulldogs lost in the Class A state championship to Thornton Academy (see above), Portland returns plenty of talent to compete for a title this fall. Portland returns quarterback Louis Thurston and running back Aidan McGowan, all the makings for one of the state's best offenses in 2024.

3. Bonny Eagle

Having to replace a playmaker like Terrell Edwards is going to be tough for the Scots, but not impossible. Bonny Eagle finished 7-4 in 2023 and brings back enough talent to compete in Class A again, with returners like linebackers Colby McCormack (62 tackles) and Cole Cyr (64 tackles) back in the mix.

4. Windham

Whenever you can return your starting quarterback into the fray, you're off to a good start. The Eagles bring back Garrett Winslow under center after he started all of 2023 as a sophomore. Expect Adrian Moody to be Winslow's go-to-guy out at wide receiver this season.

5. Noble

The Knights have one of the more experienced teams returning this upcoming season and everything starts at quarterback. Senior Jamier Rose is back at the controls after throwing and rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring a total of 27 touchdowns. Expect Noble to be a serious contender for the Class A state crown.

6. Kennebunk

Last year's Class B state champions come in sixth in our rankings simply because they have so much to replace on both sides of the ball, but still can comepete for another state title. Losing a player like Jonah Barstow will not be easy to replace.

7. Oxford Hills

The Vikings were a snakebitten team last season, losing three games by a total of 20 points to Class C champion Leavitt and Class A runner-up Portland. With a roster ready to compete for another deep postseason run, keep an eye on Oxford Hills in these rankings.

8. Lawrence

Losing 40-20 to Kennebunk in the Class B state championship last year stung, but the Bulldogs return a good number of starters in order to make another run. Lawrence's only losses a season ago came up against Bangor, Leavitt and Kennebunk.

9. Cony

Coming off a 7-4 season the Rams got better as the 2023 season chugged along after a 1-3 start. Now Cony heads into 2024 with plenty of firepower back on offense, along with one of the better defenses in Class B.

10. Leavitt

The Class C state champions of 2023 made it look easy a year ago when they routed Oceanside 71-12, making it one of the most lopsided title wins in Maine high school state championship history. Now Leavitt aims to repeat as state champs, but will do so without do-everything Noah Carpenter.

This list was created with the contributions of Mainehighschoolfootball.com

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports