Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams — Sept. 30

The Mississippi high school football rankings have updated as the month of September comes to a close.

Over the weekend, Madison Central, Brandon, Noxubee County, South Panola, Northwest Rankin, Germantown and Picayune Memorial each picked up ranked wins in a packed slate of games.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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Below are the updated top 25 teams in the Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings, as of Sept. 30.

1. Madison Central

Madison Central improved to 4-1 on the season with a 34-24 win over No. 15 Warren Central last Friday. The Jaguars boast the state’s No. 1 defense and have a pair of Power 4 commits on offense in Florida tight end pledge Micah Jones and Mississippi State offensive tackle commit Josiah Clemons. Central’s lone loss of the season came in week two to No. 2 Brandon by a 21-7 score. In addition to Warren Central, the Jags have collected wins against No. 23 Ocean Springs, No. 14 Gulfport and No. 19 Northwest Ranking. Madison Central is of this week ahead of a huge clash with No. 3 Tupelo.

2. Brandon

Brandon hammered top-15 Gulfport 42-0 last Friday to improve to 4-1. The blowout win was a reprieve from consecutive nailbiters — a 65-62 loss to No. 20 Clinton and a 29-28 win over No. 15 Warren Central. Brandon is off this week and will travel to No. 21 Petal on Oct. 11.

3. Tupelo

Tupelo is still perfect in 2024 after a 35-13 win over Houston (Tenn.) a week ago. The Golden Wave have the No. 2 defense in Mississippi, led by top-100 junior defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy and Ole Miss senior cornerback commit Maison Dunn. The Wave will head to No. 18 West Point this Friday.

4. Starkville (+1)

The Yellowjackets bounced back from their heartbreaking 42-41 loss to Louisville by beating No. 25 Oxford 14-9. Both Starkville and Oxford moved up in the rankings this week. Starkville will take the show on the road once again this week as a big favorite over Greenwood.

5. Grenada (+1)

Grenada picked up win No. 4 of the year against Bartlett last week with a 34-10 victory. The Chargers have now rattled off four straight after losing their season opener to No. 7 Oak Grove. Another ranked matchup is on deck as Grenada hosts No. 24 DeSoto Central on Friday.

6. Madison-Ridgeland Academy (+1)

Sitting idle over the weekend, Madison-Ridgeland previously improved to 5-1 two weeks ago after beating No. 7 Oak Grove 51-13 — bouncing back from a 60-36 loss to Pulaski Academy (Ark.) the week before. The blowout win over Oak Grove was the third time in six games that the Patriots have scored over 50 points this season. The On3 Massey Ratings project another big offensive performance this week as Madison-Ridgeland hosts East Rankin Academy.

7. Oak Grove (+4)

Oak Grove recovered from its disastrous loss to Madison-Ridgeland by smacking Laurel 45-7 over the weekend. The Warriors are 3-2 on the season with wins against Laurel, Grenada and Ocean Springs, but losses to Hattiesburg and Madison-Ridgeland. Oak Grove has a top-5 offense and top-10 defense — both of which will have a week to rest before taking on Meridian next week.

8. Hattiesburg (+1)

Undefeated this year, Hattiesburg has moved up another spot in the state rankings after beating Sumrall 40-7 last weekend. Elite junior receiver Tristen Keys headlines the offense, while Arkansas defensive line commit Kevin Oatis leads the No. 13 defense in Mississippi. The Tigers will host elite Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight and the George County Rebels this Friday.

9. Hartfield Academy (-1)

Following a bye week, Hartfield Academy dropped one spot in this week’s rankings. Still, the Hawks are 6-0 on the season. They have yet to play a ranked opponent, but that changes in two weeks when Hartfield will head to Madison-Ridgeland. But first, the Hawks will host Oak Forest Academy this Friday.

10. Jackson Prep

Jackson Prep, 6-0, stayed put in the latest rankings update after beating Evangelical Christian 35-0 last Friday. The Patriots’ best win came two weeks ago in a 35-10 win over Jackson Academy. They will get a chance to add a significant resume booster this week against No. 12 West Jones.

Teams 11-25 in latest Mississippi High School Football Rankings

11. Louisville (-7)
12. West Jones (+1)
13. South Panola (+2)
14. Gulfport (-2)
15. Warren Central (-1)

16. Germantown (+3)
17. Picayune Memorial (+3)
18. West Point (-1)
19. Northwest Rankin (-1)
20. Clinton (-4)

21. Petal (+1)
22. Noxubee County (NR)
23. Ocean Springs (-2)
24. DeSoto Central
25. Oxford (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Brookhaven, Pearl