The Eugene D. Franklin Foundation Top 50 ranks the premier high school football programs across Arkansas and Maryland, while highlighting the 13 Arkansas programs covered by the Foundation.

Rankings will be updated weekly throughout the season to reflect team performance, strength of schedule, key wins, and overall results. 

TOP 50 DISCLAIMER
The Eugene D. Franklin Foundation Top 50 Rankings are independent and unbiased, based on team performance, strength of schedule, program success, and available data. Rankings are for recognition purposes only and are not affiliated with any school or athletic association.

Greenwood Bulldogs — 5A

Northside Grizzlie s— 7A

Southside Mavericks — 7A

Van Buren Pointers — 6A

Alma Airedales — 5A

Ozark Hillbillie s— 4A

Booneville Bearcats — 3A

Charleston Tigers — 3A

Mansfield Tigers— 3A

Cedarville Pirates — 3A

Mountainburg Dragons — 2A

Hackett Hornets — 2A

Lavaca Golden Arrows — 2A

Follow the Eugene D. Franklin Foundation throughout the 2026 season for updated Arkansas & Maryland Top 50 rankings, team results, player performances, and Foundation football coverage.

Washington County;

• Boonsboro High School — Warriors 1A
• *Brunswick High School — Railroaders 1A
• Clear Spring High School — Blazers 1A
• Hancock Middle-Senior High School — Panthers 1A
• North Hagerstown High School — Hubs 3A
• Smithsburg High School — Leopards 1A
• South Hagerstown High School — Rebels 3A/4A
• Williamsport High School — Wildcats 1A/2A
• Saint James School — Saints (private)

**Brunswick High School Alma mater of the Founder Frederick County

Allegheny County:

• Allegany High School — Campers 1A
• Fort Hill High School — Sentinels 1A
• Mountain Ridge High School — Miners 1A

Garret County:

• Northern Garrett High School — Huskies 1A
• Southern Garrett High School — Rams 1A

High school football classifications in Arkansas and Maryland are not numbered the same way. Both states generally use school enrollment to group programs of similar size, but Arkansas has more classification levels than Maryland.High school football classifications in Arkansas and Maryland are not numbered the same way. Both states generally use school enrollment to group programs of similar size, but Arkansas has more classification levels than Maryland.

Maryland’s traditional MPSSAA classifications are:
4A – Largest Schools
3A – Medium-to-Large Schools
2A – Small-to-Medium Schools
1A – Smallest Schools
For the 2026 football postseason, Maryland also uses 4A/3A and 2A/1A classification alignments in addition to the traditional classes

For the 2026 

Arkansas has a wider range of football classifications:
7A – Largest Schools
6A – Very Large Schools
5A – Large Schools
4A – Medium Schools
3A – Small Schools
2A – Smaller 11-Man Football Schools
8-Man – Very Small Football Programs

These are approximate comparisons, not official one-to-one equivalents. A Maryland 3A school is not automatically equal in enrollment to an Arkansas 5A school. The comparison is designed to help visitors understand the relative size and competitive level of schools in each state.
Simply put: Arkansas 7A is its highest classification, while Maryland 4A is its highest classification. Arkansas 2A and Maryland 1A represent many of each state’s smaller 11-man football programs