Top 25 Missouri high school football rankings (12/24/2024)

Lots of movement in final rankings of Missouri's top high school football teams

Lutheran North safety Karvon Jefferson / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

Now that the Missouri high school football season has come to a close, it's time to release our final Missouri Top 25 high school football rankings.

There has been a lot of movement on this list since our last rankings were released at the end of the regular season.

A case could be made for any of the top five teams to have made the top spot this year. Deciding the rest of the list was no easier with so much parity across the state. Plenty of fantastic teams - including state champions - fell outside of the top 10.

Lutheran North, Kirkwood and Republic were the only teams to hold their position. Meanwhile, Class 2 champion Lamar stormed into the rankings with a hot playoff run and finished in the top 10.

Other Missouri high school football stories:

Top quarterbacks in Missouri high school football: Vote for best in 2024

Top running backs in Missouri high school football: Vote for the best in 2024

Which team should be crowned 2024 high school football national champion?

1.  Lutheran North [13-1]

Previous ranking: 1

The Crusaders (13-1) bested powerhouse Kearney in the Class 4 state semifinals before blowing out Festus to win the state title. They averaged 49 points per game this season while holding opponents to 13. Their only loss came in the season opener to national powerhouse Phoenix City (Ala.) Central.

2. De Smet [12-2]

Previous ranking: 5

The Spartans rolled to the Class 6 championship while handing one of the state's top teams - 13-1 Nixa - its only loss of the season in convincing fashion.

3. Platte County [14-0]

Previous ranking: 8

While teams beneath them had blemishes at various points in the season, the Pirates didn't. Instead, they simply rolled opponents 691-176 along the way to a 14-0 record and the Class 5 championship.

4. Cardinal Ritter [9-2]

Previous ranking: 2

One more win probably gets the Lions much higher on this list. Their talent is undeniable, but their season was a bit perplexing. On one hand, they smacked No. 3 De Smet 28-3. On the other, one of their losses was a 50-48 nailbiter to Lafayette in the Class 5 quarterfinals. If you had a third hand, you could consider that their only other loss was a nail-biting 50-48 decision to No. 1 Lutheran North.

5. Nixa [13-1]

Previous ranking: 3

One of the most talented rosters in the state, the Eagles rattled off 13 wins to open the season before falling to De Smet Jesuit in the Class 6 championship, 35-20.

6. Blair Oaks [13-1]

Previous ranking: 7

The Falcons bounced back from a 30-point loss to No. 1 Lutheran North in Week 2 with 12-straight wins before besting Seneca 38-28 for the Class 3 championship. They outscored opponents 706-165.

7. Lee's Summit North [12-1]

Previous ranking 4

The Broncos started the season 11-0 - including big wins over Mill Valley (Kan.), Blue Springs South and two wins over Lee's Summit - before a 21-20 loss to No. 5 Nixa in the Class 6 quarterfinals.

8. Kearney [12-1]

Previous ranking: 6

The Bulldogs stormed out with 12-straight wins before falling to No. 1 Lutheran North 24-21 in the Class 4 semifinals. They scored quality wins over Fort Osage, Smithville, Park Hill, Grain Valley, Van Horn, Savannah and Warrensburg.

9. Lamar [11-4]

Previous ranking: NR

Lamar's rollercoaster season certainly had some sketchy moments. The Tigers lost four of their final six games entering the state tournament - including a 57-7 drubbing to Class 3 runner-up Seneca entering the state tournament - and stared at a 5-4 record. But then something clicked. They followed the Seneca loss with a 62-0 win over Pleasant Hope - kickstarting a six-game winning streak. It was their second consecutive championship under Jared Beshore and 10th in school history.

10. Helias Catholic [12-2]

Previous ranking: 11

Despite a tough schedule, the Crusaders beat eight teams with winning records en route to a Class 6 runner-up finish to Platte County. An overtime loss to Rock Bridge was their only blemish in the regular season. They beat 10-win Republic and 12-win Lafayette (Wildwood) in the Missouri state playoffs.

11. Rock Bridge [10-2]

Previous ranking: 9

After losing to Park Hill in triple overtime in Week 1, the Bruins ripped off 10-consecutive wins and finished as the Class 6 runner-up. They were one of only two teams to beat Helias Catholic and handed Troy Buchanan (10-1) its only loss of the season.

12. CBC [9-2]

Previous ranking: 21

An early exit in the state playoffs keeps CBC out of a much higher landing spot. Make no mistake, however, the Cadets can beat just about anyone on this list. They proved that by blowing out Class 6 champion - and High School on SI No. 2 - De Smet, 38-14. But they got bounced by Kirkwood (9-3) in the second round of Class 6 tournament. Their only loss of the regular season was to undefeated Bryant (Ark.).

13. MICDS [11-3]

Previous ranking: 10

It's hard to knock the Rams for losing three games when you consider those losses were to De Smet, Lutheran North and Platte County. They scored quality wins over John Burroughs (29-0), Hazelwood East (38-14) and Fort Zumwalt West (49-3).

14. Lafayette Wildwood [12-2] 

Previous ranking: 13

Quality regular season wins over Parkway North, Kirkwood and Lindbergh sandwiched a 30-15 loss to Eureka (9-1). The Lancers went on to beat Parkway Central, Rockwood Summit, Washington and Cardinal Ritter in the Class 5 playoffs before finishing second to Helias Catholic.

15. Jackson [9-3]

Previous ranking: 14

After starting 1-2, Jackson won eight-straight - including blowouts over Cape Girardeau Central, Festus and Seckman.

16. Seneca [13-1]

Previous ranking: 12

A storied program, Seneca's return to prominence ended with a runner-up finish in 2024 that saw them win their first 14 games before letting a 14-point lead slip away to Blair Oaks in the Class 3 championship. Seneca's wins this year included a 57-7 blowout against Class 2 Champion Lamar.

17. Kirkwood [9-3]

Previous ranking: 17

Losing to Lafayette (Wildwood) and Eureka by a combined six points in the regular season, the Pioneers proved their mettle in the Class 6 tournament, beating No. 12 Christian Brothers and No. 15 Jackson before falling to Nixa in a semifinal.

18. Republic [10-3]

Previous ranking: 18

The Tigers handed Branson its only loss of the season in the Class 5 playoffs and scored another quality win over Joplin in 2024. Their only losses came to Nixa and Carthage before losing to Helias Catholic 24-22 in the semifinals.

19. Festus [11-3]

Previous ranking: NR

The 2023 Class 5 champions came up short in their bid to go back-to-back, settling for runner-up in 2024. Despite losing two of their last three games entering the Class 4 tournament - to De Smet and Jackson - the Tigers began the playoffs with wins over North County, Perryville, Gateway and Warrenton to reach the finals.

20. Fair Grove [14-1]

Previous ranking: NR

While their schedule wasn't grueling by any stretch, the Eagles never found themselves with too much adversity until they gutted out a 14-13 victory over Lafayette County (10-2) in the Class 2 quarterfinals. They beat South Shelby (11-2) 55-21 in the semifinals before falling to Lamar.

21. Warrenton [12-1]

Previous ranking: NR

Before falling to Festus, 21-16, in the Class 4 semifinals, the Warriors handled the likes of Washington, Liberty (Wentzville), Orchard Farm, Osage, Hannibal and West Plains.

22. Adrian [12-1]

Previous ranking: NR

The Class 1 champion faced a grueling path to the title, beating Ash Grove, Marionville, St. Vincent and Penney to claim their second title in school history.

23. Liberty [9-4]

Previous ranking: NR

The Blue Jays got better as the season went along. Sitting at 4-3 on Oct. 17, they won their next five games - capped by a 30-13 victory over Park Hill on Nov. 23 to send them to the Class 6 quarterfinals. That win avenged a 21-17 loss to that same Park Hill team in Week 6.

24. Eureka [9-1]

Previous ranking: 25

A team that got bounced in the first round of the playoffs might not get much consideration under normal circumstances. But the Wildcats reeled off consecutive victories over Kirkwood, Rockwood Summit and Lafayette (Wildwood) - no easy task - before falling to 8-4 Washington in the Class 5 tournament.

25. Troy-Buchanan [10-1]

Previous ranking: 23

The high-powered offense scored 70 on Francis Howell Central in the Class 6 tournament and scored quality victories over Hannibal and Fort Zumwalt West.

Other teams who were considered: Marionville, Penney, Park Hill, Seckman, St. Vincent