Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams - September 16

Musical chairs would be an apt description of the top 25 of the Mississippi high school football rankings this week as teams from across the state have shuffled around after an eventful third week of games.

Clinton knocked off then-No. 1 Brandon in a 65-62 thriller. Hattiesburg upset No. 2 Oak Grove, and Madison Central won a top-10 battle with Gulfport.

Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 16.

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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1. Starkville

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+2)
After watching the top two teams in Mississippi fall over the weekend, Starkville bumped up to No. 1 in Mississippi with a 28-15 win over Meridian. The Yellowjackets lost in the state title to Oak Grove last season and are working to get back for another shot at the crown. Starkville will travel to No. 6 Louisville for a top-10 showdown Friday night.

2. Brandon

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-1)
Brandon fell to Clinton in a shootout for the ages last week, losing 65-62 to the Arrows. That dropped the Bulldogs to 2-1 on the season, but they remain No. 2 in Mississippi. Four-star junior cornerback Preston Ashley is the No. 6 junior in the state, per the On3 Industry Ranking, and leads the No. 12 defense in the Magnolia State.

3. Madison Central

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+1)
Madison Central moved up a spot after beating then-No. 9 Gulfport 31-21 last Friday. It has been tough matchup after tough matchup for the Jaguars this year. They entered the season with the state’s projected No. 2 strength of schedule and rose to No. 1 after beating Ocean Springs in week one. Central then fell slightly after losing to Brandon. The Jaguars have another ranked game on deck — No. 16 Northwest Rankin — but they are big favorites.

4. Tupelo

Previous Ranking: No. 5 (+1)
Tupelo remained perfect on the year with a 35-6 win over Hernando. The Golden Wave kick of a string of tough games this week when they take on Oxford — followed by games against No. 19 West Point, No. 4 Madison Central, No. 20 Germantown, No. 9 Clinton and No. 1 Starkville.

5. Oak Grove

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-3)
Oak Grove dropped its first game of the season when it fell 27-21 to Hattiesburg. The Warriors were the preseason No. 1 team in Mississippi despite losing championship-winning quarterback and now Ole Miss freshman AJ Maddox. Maddox’s brother, Ole Miss four-star commit Andrew Maddox, stars along the defensive line on a top-10 defense. Oak Grove will head on the road this week to No. 15 Madison-Ridgeland Academy.

6. Louisville

Previous Ranking: No. 6
Louisville handled Columbus with ease 50-13 last week to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Wildcats previously snuck by West Point and shut out Neshoba Central. Louisville made history last season by going a perfect 15-0, winning its 12th state championship, tying a state record for the most titles of any school. As the ‘Cats look for a repeat, that difficult road forward starts this week with No. 1 Starkville.

7. Hattiesburg

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+5)
Hattiesburg pulled off one of the upsets of the week by knocking off No. 2 Oak Grove 27-21. It beat Petal in week one and Laurel in week two before the Tigers met up with Oak Grove. Hattiesburg is led by top-50 junior wide receiver Tristen Keys and Arkansas defensive line commit Kevin Oatis. Next on the schedule is a road game against unranked Biloxi.

8. Grenada

Previous Ranking: No. 8
Grenada beat a previously ranked Oxford last week by a 41-22 score. The Chargers’ lone loss on the season came 38-24 to Oak Grove. Grenada now has the No. 16 offense and No. 8 defense in the state of Mississippi. The Chargers will play No. 9 Clinton this week in another top-10 clash.

9. Clinton

Previous Ranking: No. 17 (+8)
Clinton pulled off the biggest upset of the week, beating No. 1 Brandon 65-62. But the Arrows don’t get a moment of rest — this week, they are up against No. 8 Grenada. Clinton is 2-1 this season, its only loss coming 35-34 to Northwest Rankin.

10. Hartfield Academy

Previous Ranking: No. 14 (+4)
Hartfield splattered Presbyterian Christian School 71-0 last week in one of the largest point spreads in the country. The Hawks are undefeated this season and have won their last three games by a combined 169-0. They will look to continue that shutout streak this week as big favorites over Starkville Academy. Junior safety Bralan Womack is a top-30 player in the nation, while defensive linemen London Simmons and Reginald Vaughn are committed to Alabama and Arkansas, respectively.

Teams 11-25 in latest Mississippi High School Football Rankings

11. West Jones (-4)
12. Warren Central (+6)
13. Picayune Memorial (-3)
14. Jackson Prep (+5)
15. Madison-Ridgeland Academy

16. Northwest Rankin (+7)
17. South Panola (-4)
18. Gulfport (-9)
19. West Point (+5)
20. Germantown (-9)

21. Petal (NR)
22. Ocean Springs (-6)
23. D’Iberville (-3)
24. Brookhaven (NR)
25. DeSoto Central (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Pearl, Oxford, Poplarville