SBLive Texas Top 50: Westlake, North Shore top end-of-season football rankings 

After 17 weeks of competition culminating in the crowning of 12 new UIL state champions, the Texas high school football season wrapped up after a year defined by several of the state’s perennial powers and programs on the rise.

Below are SBLive’s Texas Top 50 statewide rankings for the end of the 2021 high school football season. The rankings are compiled by reporter Andrew McCulloch weekly throughout the regular season.

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SBLIVE TEXAS TOP 50 – 2021 END-OF-SEASON RANKINGS

Feb. 9, 2022

50. Franklin (16-0)

Previously ranked: NR

49. Edinburg Vela (12-1)

Previously ranked: 44

48. Dallas Parish Episcopal (12-1)

Previously ranked: NR

47. Garland (10-1)

Previously ranked: 25

46. Lubbock Cooper (13-2)

Previously ranked: NR

45. Manvel (10-3)

Previously ranked: 38

44. Alamo Heights (13-1)

Previously ranked: NR

43. Fort Bend Hightower (11-3)

Previously ranked: NR

42. China Spring (16-0)

Previously ranked: NR

41. Midland Legacy (9-3)

Previously ranked: 28

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China Spring and Franklin highlight a group of 12 teams that were previously unranked, but earned spots in the SBLive’s end-of-season Texas Top 50 after impressive postseason runs. Franklin and China Spring also represent two of four unbeaten state champions who earned spots in this version of the statewide rankings. China Spring, ranked 42nd, rumbled to the 4A DII state championship with notable playoff wins against Sealy, West Orange-Stark, Cuero, Gilmer and defending state champion Carthage, which snapped one of the state’s longest active winning streaks. Franklin, meanwhile, takes the final spot in our rankings and became the only sub-4A team to earn a spot in SBLive’s Texas Top 50 at any point this season after the Lions took the 3A DII state championship after scoring 60 or more points in four of six playoff wins. The Cougars and Lions were joined by Alamo Heights (42), Dallas Parish Episcopal (48), Fort Bend Hightower (43) and Lubbock Cooper (46) as previously unranked teams who fought their way into our end-of-season statewide rankings. Alamo Heights carried a perfect record into the Region IV championship game before a three-point loss to Liberty Hill ended its season during the fourth round of the 5A DII playoffs. Dallas Parish Episcopal, meanwhile, became the first and only private school team to earn a spot in SBLive’s Texas Top 50. The Panthers clock in at 48th after they outscored their opponents 160-54 en route to the TAPPS Division I state championship and lost only once, a two-point defeat to Austin LBJ. Hightower checks in at 43rd, two spots ahead of district rival Manvel, after the Hurricanes stormed to the Region III championship game before falling to district rival Katy Paetow for the second time this season in the 5A DI playoffs. Lubbock Cooper, which appears here ranked 46th, was one of two West Texas squads to earn spots in our end-of-season rankings. Cooper advanced to the 5A DII state semifinals and notched impressive wins against El Paso Parkland, Grapevine and Wichita Falls Rider before a season-ending loss to South Oak Cliff. Midland Legacy, the highest-ranked West Texas team in this edition of SBLive’s Texas Top 50 at 41st, went undefeated against West Texas squads with signature victories against El Paso Pebble Hills, Odessa Permian and Amarillo Tascosa. Legacy, however, lost to Arlington Martin in the regular season by a touchdown and was eliminated from the postseason in a blowout loss to Southlake Carroll during the second round of the 6A DI playoffs. A pair of one-loss 6A teams — Garland and Edinburg Vela — claim two of the final spots in our end-of-season rankings at 47th and 49th, respectively. Garland boasted one of the state’s most prolific offenses during a perfect regular season, but the Owls were eliminated by a one-point loss to Tyler Legacy in the bi-district round of the 6A DII playoffs. Vela, meanwhile, advanced to third round to become the Rio Grande Valley’s last team standing in the 6A DII playoffs.The SaberCats mauled most of their opposition during district play and earned significant non-district wins against Harlingen, McAllen Memorial, San Benito and San Antonio Taft before a season-ending loss to Austin Vandegrift.

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40. Alvin Shadow Creek (9-3)

Previously ranked: 32

39. Austin Vandegrift (12-2)

Previously ranked: 35

38. Arlington Martin (9-3)

Previously ranked: 26

37. Lewisville (11-2)

Previously ranked: 34

36. Katy Tompkins (11-2)

Previously ranked: 27

35. Humble Summer Creek (10-4)

Previously ranked: NR

34. Lucas Lovejoy (12-2)

Previously ranked: 36

33. Dickinson (9-3)

Previously ranked: 31

32. Fort Bend Ridge Point (11-2)

Previously ranked: 29

31. Houston C.E. King (10-3)

Previously ranked: 40

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Perhaps no teams in Texas high school football did more during than postseason to showcase the depth of their district than Houston C.E. King and Humble Summer Creek. C.E. King climbed nine spots to 31st in our final statewide rankings of the season, while Summer Creek clocked in at 34th in its first appearance of the year in SBLive’s Texas Top 50. C.E. King earned significant regular-season victories over Summer Creek andFort Bend Ridge Point, which appears in this edition of our statewide rankings at 32nd. The Panthers blew out both South Houston and Alvin Shadow Creek in the 6A DII playoffs before being eliminated by Katy. Summer Creek, meanwhile, rolled to three straight 20+ point playoff wins against Channelview, Pearland Dawson and Katy Cinco Ranch before also falling to Katy in the Region III-6A DII championship game. Ridge Point, Dickinson (33rd), Katy Tompkins (36th) and Shadow Creek (40th) join King and Summer Creek representing the six Houston-area teams headlining this part of the end-of-season Texas Top 50. Fort Bend Ridge Point, Dickinson and Alvin Shadow Creek all claimed district championships and nearly captured regional titles too. Ridge Point, which beat Dickinson but fell to C.E. King by one score each, topped Katy Seven Lakes and Cy-Fair in the 6A DI playoffs before being beaten by Humble Atascocita in the regional semifinals. Dickinson lost a pair of one-score games to Ridge Point and Katy, but also secured significant wins against Manvel, Pasadena Dobie and League City Clear Falls during the regular season. The Gators blew out Alief Taylor in the bi-district round of the 6A DI playoffs and then fell to Atascocita by one point during the second round. Katy Tompkins also advanced to the third round of the postseason after knocking off both Fort Bend Travis and Jersey Village in the 6A DI playoffs before a season-ending loss to North Shore in the regional semifinals. Shadow Creek seized its district championship after impressive regular season wins against Pearland and Pearland Dawson and topped League City Clear Creek during the bi-district round of the 6A DII playoffs but were overmatched by C.E. King during the second round. Lucas Lovejoy, the only 5A team in this portion of the end-of-season rankings, finished the regular season in a three-way tie for first place in its district, but became the last one still standing by advancing to the fourth round of the 5A DII state playoffs after beating Crandall, Burleson and Mansfield Timberview. Two more DFW teams in 6A, Lewisville and Arlington Martin, make appearances in this edition of SBLive’s Texas Top 50 at 37th and 38th, respectively. Lewisville split its district title and downed both McKinney Boyd and Arlington Martin in impressive postseason victories before being shut out by Southlake Carroll in the regional semifinals. Martin, meanwhile, secured wins over Midland Legacy and South Grand Prairie amidst one of the state’s toughest regular-season schedules before bi-district playoff victory against Irving Nimitz. Austin Vandegrift rounds out this part of the end-of-season rankings after advancing to the Region IV championship game. The Vipers shared their district championship, but turned heads with their performance in the 6A DII playoffs that included lopsided wins against San Marcos, Cibolo Steele and Edinburg Vela before being blown out by Westlake in a season-ending defeat.

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30. Colleyville Heritage (12-2)

Previously ranked: NR

29. Cypress Bridgeland (11-3)

Previously ranked: 19

28. Mansfield Summit (11-4)

Previously ranked: NR

27. Liberty Hill (13-3)

Previously ranked: NR

26. Cypress Park (9-2)

Previously ranked: 14

25. Austin LBJ (15-1)

Previously ranked: 43

24. San Antonio Brennan (13-1)

Previously ranked: 9

23. Lake Travis (12-3)

Previously ranked: 23

22. Euless Trinity (11-2)

Previously ranked: 13

21. Rockwall (9-3)

Previously ranked: 12

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Four Region IV squads highlight this portion of our end-of-season statewide rankings, led by Lake Travis and San Antonio Brennan at 23rd and 24th, respectively. Brennan, which finishes the season as the top-ranked San Antonio-area squad, crushed Laredo United, Los Fresnos and Austin Bowie in blowout playoff victories before being eliminated by Lake Travis in the 6A DI regional championship game. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, similarly stomped much of its opposition during the postseason and scored significant wins against Brennan, Laredo United South, San Antonio East Central and Round Rock Cedar Ridge before falling to North Shore in the state semifinals. They’re followed by another pair of Hill Country squads, Austin LBJ and Liberty Hill, at 25th and 27th, respectively. LBJ flexed its offensive muscle during a dominant playoff run that propelled the team to the 4A DI state championship game and up 18 spots in our Texas Top 50 rankings. The Jaguars were virtually unstoppable offensively during postseason wins against Boerne, La Vernia, Port Lavaca Calhoun and Fredericksburg and scrapped out a last-second victory over Tyler Chapel Hill in the 4A DI state semifinals. Liberty Hill, which lost to LBJ by a touchdown during the regular season, makes its first appearance of the season in our Texas Top 50. The Panthers also nearly hoisted a state championship trophy after reeling off wins against Boerne Champion, Leander Rouse, Alamo Heights and Crosby before losing a two-score game to South Oak Cliff in the 5A DII state championship. Rockwall and Euless Trinity, meanwhile, hold the 21st and 22nd spots in this edition of the statewide rankings after their promising postseason runs were cut short in the fourth and third rounds, respectively. Trinity, which gave top-ranked Westlake its toughest test of the regular season, earned impressive playoff victories against Keller and Odessa Permian before being knocked out by Allen in the regional semifinals. Meanwhile Rockwall, which claimed regular-season wins over Lake Travis, Dallas Jesuit and Cedar Hill, dropped out of the playoffs in the area round after a blowout bi-district win over North Garland and a second-round loss to DeSoto. Two 6A Cypress teams and two 5A DFW squads round out this part of our end-of-season Texas Top 50. Cypress Park and Cypress Bridgeland — ranked 26th and 29th, respectively — were each eliminated by Tomball during the bi-district and regional championship rounds of the 6A DII playoffs. Cy Park defeated Bridgeland during the regular season to claim their district championship, but the Bears enjoyed greater postseason success after beating Klein Collins, The Woodlands College Park and Cedar Hill. 

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20. Stephenville (16-0)

Previously ranked: NR

19. Rockwall Heath (11-2)

Previously ranked: 12

18. Tomball (11-4)

Previously ranked: NR

17. Spring (11-2)

Previously ranked: 21

16. Highland Park (10-2)

Previously ranked: 20

15. Aledo (12-1)

Previously ranked: 11

14. Denton Ryan (12-2)

Previously ranked: 8

13. Spring Westfield (12-1)

Previously ranked: 4

12. Allen (11-3)

Previously ranked: 22

11. Humble Atascocita (11-3)

Previously ranked: 15

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Tomball and Stephenville lead a contingent of 12 teams that entered our end-of-season Top 50 after entering the postseason unranked. Tomball holds the highest spot of those squads in this edition of the statewide rankings at 18th. The Cougars advanced to the 6A DII state semifinals, which represented the program’s deepest playoff run since a trip to the 1985 state championship. Stephenville, meanwhile, makes its first appearance of the season in SBLive’s Texas Top 50 after finishing the season as undefeated 4A DI state champions. The Yellow Jackets end the year as our highest-ranked sub-5A squad after winning one-score playoff games over Melissa, Wichita Falls Hirschi and defending state champion Argyle before topping Austin LBJ in the state title game. Humble Atascocita sits on the edge of the top 10, finishing the season at 11th after advancing to the Region III-6A DI championship game before falling to district rival North Shore. Two other Houston-area teams, Spring Westfield and Spring, wrap up the 2021 campaign ranked 13th and 17th, respectively. Westfield ran the table during an impressive regular season that included wins over ranked teams like North Shore, Fort Bend Hightower and rival Spring. The Mustangs muscled past Conroe and Klein Oak during the postseason before falling in the 6A DI regional semifinals to 10th-ranked DeSoto. Spring, meanwhile, topped 50 points in both of its playoff wins against The Woodlands and Klein Cain before also being toppled in the 6A DI regional semifinals by Duncanville. Five DFW area teams, two 6A squads and a trio of 5A teams, fill out the rest of our end-of-season top 20. Allen leads that group, clocking in at 12th after playing one of the state’s most difficult schedules. The Eagles earned signature wins over Euless Trinity, Denton Guyer, Cedar Hill and Tyler Legacy, but also lost to Southlake Carroll in the 6A DI regional semifinals. Rockwall Heath, which also advanced to the third round of the playoffs, claimed the 19th spot after a rollercoaster of a season that featured wild wins over Rockwall and Temple as well as dramatic defeats to Southlake Carroll and Tomball. Denton Ryan and Aledo appear at 14th and 15th, respectively, after both teams fell trying to defend their 5A DI and 5A DII state titles. Ryan boasted impressive playoff victories in tight games against Magnolia West and Longview while also nearly beating College Station and Denton Guyer, who each played in state championship games. Aledo meanwhile, dismantled Dallas Hillcrest and Frisco Liberty during the playoffs before falling to eventual state champion South Oak Cliff by a touchdown in the 5A DII regional semifinals. Highland Park staked its claim to the 16th spot in our end-of-season rankings with several significant wins over 6A teams. The Scots beat Rockwall, Coppell and Flower Mound in non-district play, but lost a lopsided season opener to Southlake Carroll and taken out by a one-point loss to Frisco Wakeland in the second round of the playoffs.

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10. DeSoto (11-3)

Previously ranked: 24

9. College Station (15-1)

Previously ranked: 16

8. Katy Paetow (15-1)

Previously ranked: 39

7. Katy (14-1)

Previously ranked: 2

6. Southlake Carroll (14-1)

Previously ranked: 3

5. Denton Guyer (14-2)

Previously ranked: 7

4. South Oak Cliff (15-1)

Previously ranked: 47

3. Duncanville (13-2)

Previously ranked: 6

2. Galena Park North Shore (15-1)

Previously ranked: 5

1. Austin Westlake (16-0)

Previously ranked: 1

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No two teams were more dominant throughout Texas high school football in 2021 than Austin Westlake and Galena Park North Shore. The Cen-Tex and Houston-area powerhouses hold the top two spots in our final statewide rankings of the season after capturing 6A state championships. Westlake, which also claimed the No. 2 spot in the final edition of SBLive’s Power 25 national rankings, cemented itself as the state’s top team after an incredible run to the 6A DII state title game. Led by one the most talented offensive lines in high school football and a bruising defense, The Chaparrals outscored their opponents 335-58 during a six-game blitz back to the state championship game. In its toughest test of the season, Westlake fended off a hard-charging Denton Guyer squad for its school-record 40th straight victory and became the first program in UIL history to win three consecutive 6A football state titles. North Shore also found itself in a familiar position at the end of the season claiming its third 6A DI state title after defeating Duncanville for the third time in four seasons. The Mustangs thrived during the postseason thanks to a top-tier defense loaded with DI talent and the play of freshman quarterback Kaleb Bailey, SBLive’s 2021 Texas High School Football Newcomer of the Year. Four DFW squads follow up Westlake and North Shore with 6A DI and 6A DII state runner-ups Duncanville and Denton Guyer checking in at third and fifth, respectively. South Oak Cliff, which climbed the farthest of any team in our end-of-season poll after winning the 5A DII state title, rounds out the top five at fourth overall after rising 43 spots. Led by senior quarterback and SMU signee Kevin Henry Jennings as well as star-studded secondary, the Bears turned heads during their playoff run which ended in the first football state championship win for a Dallas ISD school since 1958. Southlake Carroll and Katy claim the seventh and eighth spots after securing regional championships, but falling in 6A state semifinal games to Duncanville and Westlake, respectively. Katy Paetow, meanwhile, takes the eighth spot after defeating ninth-ranked College Station in overtime of the 5A DI state championship game. Paetow and College Station represent the second and third-highest ranked 5A teams after moving up 31 and seven spots, respectively. The Panthers dominated during the postseason by exceeding 50 points offensively four times and also holding opponents to two touchdowns or less in four of six playoff games. The Cougars, meanwhile, fought their way to state with impressive one-possession victories over Mansfield Summit and defending 5A DI state champion Denton Ryan. DeSoto claims the final spot in the end-of-season top 10, rising 14 spots after advancing to the Region II-6A DI championship game for the second straight season before falling to district rival Duncanville.

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Dropped Out: Frisco Lone Star (50); Texarkana Texas High (49); Smithson Valley (48); Montgomery (46); Jersey Village (45); Dripping Springs (42); Ennis (41); League City Clear Falls (37); San Antonio Johnson (33); Carthage (30); Cibolo Steele (18); Fort Bend Marshall (17).