Top 25 Mississippi high school football rankings (9/2/2024)

No. 3 Madison Central at No. 1 Brandon highlights an exciting week of football in Mississippi

Madison Central's Glen Singleton (14) pushes past Clinton in Madison, Miss., Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

Here's a look at SBLive's Top 25 Mississippi high school football rankings for the week of Sept. 2, 2024. We'll update these rankings each week throughout the 2024 season.

SB Live's Mississippi high school football Top 25

1. Brandon Bulldogs (1-0)

• Last week: No. 1

They looked a little shaky on defense against that strong Picayune running game, but the Bulldogs had way too many weapons to let that slow them down in a 60-34 season opening romp over the Maroon Tide. There aren't enough seats in the stadium for this week's home game against No. 3 Madison Central.

2. Oak Grove Warriors (1-0)

• Last week: No. 2

The big question was how they would replace quarterback A.J. Maddox, and the Warriors have found them an answer in Kellen Hall. The sophomore was 16-of-26 for 278 yards and a touchdown in a 38-24 win over Grenada. This week, they'll host a surprisingly good Ocean Springs team coming off a 27-20 loss to Madison Central.

3. Madison Central Jaguars (1-0)

• Last week: No. 3

The Jaguars dug a 13-0 hole, but Glen Singleton rushed for touchdowns on four-straight possessions and the boys from Madison rallied for a 27-20 road win over Ocean Springs. The defense was as-advertised in the second half, but they'll have their work cut out for them against an explosive Brandon offense this Friday night.

4. Louisville Wildcats (1-0)

• Last week: No. 4

The Wildcats’ vaunted defense looked as good as ever in the season-opening 15-14 win over West Point. If the offense catches up, the Wildcats are going to be hard to beat. They'll take the show on the road again this weekend at Neshoba Central (0-1).

5. West Jones Mustangs (1-0)

• Last week: No. 5

The defending 6A champions looked elite on defense in a 34-6 win over Laurel, and the Mustang offense got it going after scoring just one touchdown in the first half.  It’s hard to find any potential losses on the schedule, but the next big test will come Sept. 20 against Wayne County.

6. Tupelo Golden Wave (1-0)

• Last week: No. 7

Tupelo has been on the bad side of too many razor-thin margins over the past two years, so it was nice to see the Golden Wave find a way to close out a good Whitehaven (TN) team in a 26-19 victory on the road. Tupelo will be favored to win back-to-back road games at Southaven and Hernando the next two weeks before a Sept. 20 showdown with Oxford on the blue turf.

7. Oxford Chargers (1-0)

• Last week: No. 8

If they play to the level they did in Friday’s 45-0 season-opening win over cross-town rival Lafayette County, the Chargers appear to be ready to contend for a 7A North title. The next four weeks present a brutal stretch, with home games against South Panola and Tupelo sandwiched around road trips to Grenada and Starkville.

8. Starkville Yellowjackets (1-0)

• Last week: No. 12

Quarterback Jaylen Ruffin looked great in his Starkville debut, tossing three touchdown passes en route to a 43-22 win over Noxubee County. The Jackets will need to make the most of their offensive possessions again in this week’s home game against West Point.

9. Hartfield Academy Hawks (3-0)

• Last week: No. 10

There haven’t been any signs of trouble from the Hawks after a 63-7 win over Brookhaven Academy last week and a 49-0 beat-down of Simpson Academy Friday night. But we won’t really find out how good the Hawks are until an Oct. 11 showdown at Madison-Ridgeland Academy.

10. West Point Green Wave (0-1)

• Last week: No. 11

There is no shame in losing by one point against a Louisville team that considers two opposing touchdowns two too many, but no matter how the season shakes out, the Green Wave are going to look back at Friday night's 15-14 loss to the Wildcats as the one that got away.

11. Picayune Maroon Tide (0-1)

• Last week: No. 14

The Maroon Tide moved up two post this week despite losing in their season opener 60-34 against Brandon. That final score is a bit of an illusion, as the Bulldogs scored 21 points on defense and special teams. The fact is, it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter, and Picayune is still going to be an extremely tough out for opposing 6A teams.

12. Grenada Chargers (0-1)

• Last week: No. 13

Grenada was surprisingly competitive against an absolutely loaded Oak Grove team in Hattiesburg, but ultimately couldn't slow down the Warriors' offense in a 38-24 loss. There's no reason to panic, however, as the Chargers just played the best team they'll play in the regular season and can get back on track this week at home against Winona.

13. Warren Central Vikings (0-1)

• Last week: No. 9

Turnovers will kill you every time, as the Vikings found out after three lost fumbles in a 27-20 loss to Clinton. The Vikings are still a great team, but they’ve got to find a way to minimize those mistakes going forward. They can start this week at home against a good Pearl Pirate team.

14. Hattiesburg Tigers (1-0)

• Last week: No. 15

It wasn't pretty, but Hattiesburg got over the hump and beat cross-town rival Petal 7-3 in the Leaf River Classic. The defense was as-advertised, but the Tiger offense shot itself in the foot repeatedly after a touchdown on its first drive Saturday night. They'll need to be more efficient at finishing drives this week against No. 18 Laurel.

15. Jackson Prep Patriots (2-0)

• Last week: No. 16

Parker Puckett tossed two touchdown passes and ran for two more as the Patriots cruised to a 37-7 win over Adams County Christian. This week's trip to Pillow Academy is the final tune-up before Prep hosts arch-rival Jackson Academy on Sept. 13.

16. Madison-Ridgeland Academy (3-0)

• Last week: No. 17

The Patriots looked good again in a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy (LA), but the schedule gets much tougher this week against a good Pulaski Academy (AR) team coming to town.

17. Laurel Golden Tornadoes (0-1) 

• Last week: No. 6

They played West Jones close for one half, but the defense wore down in the second half against a strong West Jones offensive line. We’ll know more about Laurel after this week’s Little Brown Jug game against Hattiesburg.

18. Holmes County Central Jaguars (1-0)

• Last week: No. 19

We knew Holmes County was going to be solid on offense with quarterback Garrison Davis returning for his senior year, but it was the defense that impressed us most in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg. The Jags will have their hands full when a good Jefferson County team rolls into Goodman this Friday.

19. Noxubee County Tigers (0-1)

• Last week: No. 18

The Tigers won't face many offenses that are as sophisticated as Starkville's was in the Tigers' 43-22 season-opening loss to the Yellowjackets, but there's only so much star quarterback Kamario Taylor can do when the defense gets shredded like that. A home game this week against Philadelphia should help the Tigers get back on track before another Golden Triangle showdown at West Point on Sept. 13.

20. Gulfport Admirals (1-0)

• Last week: No. 21

Gulfport rolled to a 41-6 romp over Greenville Christian, but this was not the Greenville Christian team that won a state title two years ago. The Saints offered little resistance to Cooper Crosby and the Admiral rushing attack, which accounted for four touchdowns. They'll get a better test out of Vancleave on the road this week before a huge road game at Madison Central on Sept. 13.

21. Ocean Springs Greyhounds (0-1)

• Last week: No. 20

The Greyhounds had No. 3 Madison Central on upset alert Friday night, but let a 13-0 lead slip away behind an impressive second-half performance from star tailback Glen Singleton and the Jaguar offense. Still, the tight game was an encouraging sign for a young Ocean Springs team breaking in new starters all over the place. The road doesn't get any easier this with a trip to No. 2 Oak Grove.

22. George County Rebels (1-0)

• Last week: No. 23

After a convincing 33-7 win over East Central, the Rebels look like a team that could give Picayune a run for their money in Region 4-6A. If they can keep quarterback Deuce Knight healthy, George County should be favored to win the Battle for the Bell this weekend against Greene County.

23. South Panola Tigers (0-1)

• Last week: No. 22

The Tigers played well after a lengthy lightning delay, but couldn't find the end zone in the final 10 minutes and ended up losing to Germantown (TN) 21-14. That defense is going to keep them in a lot of games, but the offense will have to step it up big time in this week's matchup against eighth-ranked Oxford.

24. Poplarville Hornets (1-0)

• Last week: unranked

Poplarville is no stranger to pulling out wins in tight games, but to do it on the road against a ranked opponent the way the Hornets did in their 17-16 win over Jeff Davis County is impressive. The Hornets will host Stone, Newton County and Pearl River Central the next three weeks, and those are all winnable games.

25. Charleston Tigers (1-0)

• Last week: unranked

The Tigers dominated then-No. 25 Ripley 28-6 in Friday's season opener, and looked a lot like the team that clinched the MHSAA's Class 2A State Championship a year ago. Tailback Marcus Flowers, Jr. is a star who will put up some big numbers this season if he can stay healthy.

Dropped out (previous rank): Jeff Davis County (24), Ripley (25)

MHSAA class by class rankings

Class 7A

1. Brandon Bulldogs (1-0)
2. Oak Grove Warriors (1-0)
3. Madison Central Jaguars (1-0)
4. Tupelo Golden Wave (1-0)
5. Oxford Chargers (1-0)

Class 6A

1. West Jones Mustangs (1-0)
2. Picayune Maroon Tide (0-1)
3. Grenada Chargers (0-1)
4. Warren Central Vikings (0-1)
5. Hattiesburg Tigers (1-0)

Class 5A

1. West Point Green Wave (0-1)
2. Laurel Golden Tornadoes (0-1)
3. Holmes County Central Jaguars (1-0)
4. Brookhaven Panthers (1-0)
5. Gautier Gators (1-0)

Class 4A

1. Louisville Wildcats (1-0)
2. Poplarville Hornets (1-0)
3. Columbia Wildcats (1-0)
4. Houston Hilltoppers (1-0)
5. Forrest County AHS Aggies (1-0)

Class 3A

1. Noxubee County Tigers (1-0)
2. Winona Tigers (1-0)
3. Heidelberg Oilers (1-0)
4. Jeff Davis County Jaguars (0-1)
5. St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws (0-1)

Class 2A

1. Charleston Tigers (1-0)
2. Union Yellowjackets (0-1)
3. Calhoun City Wildcats (0-0)
4. Sebastopol Bobcats (1-0)
5. Scott Central Rebels (0-1)

Class 1A

1. Velma Jackson Falcons (0-1)
2. Lumberton Panthers (1-0)
3. Biggersville Lions (0-1)
4. Simmons Blue Devils (0-0)
5. Sacred Heart Crusaders (1-0)