VHSL Football Top Tens - First Edition for 2024 Season
The 2024 Virginia High School League football season is underway and we have no shortage of compelling storylines to follow on the quest to Championship Saturday in December, where six teams will be crowned the best in their classification.
James Madison University will serve as the site for Class 6 and Class 5 title games; Liberty University for Class 4 and Class 3; Salem Stadium for Class 2 and Class 1.
Final VHSL Top Ten Football Rankings for 2023
See Final Playoff Brackets from 2023 Here
Final VHSL Top Ten Football Rankings for 2022
See Final Playoff Brackets from 2022 Here
As things move along, the Top Ten will be adjusted on a weekly basis. A full look at those 60 teams ranked in our initial rankings can be seen by clicking on the hyperlinks of the schools listed. Most of those Previews are up, while others will be added in the days to come before we flip the calendar to September.
Make sure you check back here on VirginiaPreps.com for periodic updates, and to see results, make sure you visit our Scoreboard Forum as well as the VHSL's Football page.
Without further ado, let's get to it -- our Preseason Top Tens for each classification...
Note - This list was published on Thursday, August 29, 2024
Virginia Tech commit Jeff Overton Jr. was a two-time VHSL Class 6 State Offensive Player of the Year at Freedom-Woodbridge, but is concluded his prep career at Hayfield (Rivals.com)
Class 6 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayfield | 6-5 | NR |
| 2 | Highland Springs | 13-2 | 2 |
| 3 | Oscar Smith | 8-4 | HM |
| 4 | Madison | 12-2 | 4 |
| 5 | Battlefield | 12-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Lake Braddock | 11-3 | 7 |
| 7 | Thomas Dale | 11-1 | 6 |
| 8 | South County | 9-3 | 10 |
| 9 | Colonial Forge | 10-2 | HM |
| 10 | Patriot | 6-5 | NR |
Honorable Mention:
Forest Park
Fairfax
Westfield
Gainesville
Manchester
Mountain View
West Springfield
South Lakes
The Maury Commodores outscored opponents by an average of 47.1 points per game on their way to a perfect 15-0 season in 2023 (Ray Williams, Infinity Photography by Ray and VirginiaPreps.com)
Class 5 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maury | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Matoaca | 10-4 | 4 |
| 3 | King's Fork | 11-1 | 7 |
| 4 | Green Run | 12-1 | 6 |
| 5 | Briar Woods | 8-4 | 8 |
| 6 | Stone Bridge | 9-5 | 2 |
| 7 | Warwick | 11-2 | 3 |
| 8 | L.C. Bird | 6-5 | NR |
| 9 | Indian River | 10-4 | 5 |
| 10 | Salem-VB | 7-5 | NR |
Honorable Mention:
Granby
William Fleming
Hermitage
Independence
Nansemond River
Louisa
Noah Jefferson and the Phoebus Phantoms bring a 35-game winning streak into the 2024 campaign, seeking a fourth straight state title (Kaitlyn Olson, VirginiaPreps.com)
Class 4 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoebus | 15-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Dinwiddie | 8-4 | 6 |
| 3 | Huguenot | 8-3 | HM |
| 4 | Salem | 13-2 | 2 |
| 5 | Varina | 10-3 | 5 |
| 6 | Tuscarora | 12-1 | 4 |
| 7 | Jefferson Forest | 10-2 | 10 |
| 8 | John Champe | 10-2 | 8 |
| 9 | Eastern View | 9-2 | HM |
| 10 | Handley | 8-4 | NR |
Honorable Mention:
Powhatan
Loudoun Valley
E.C. Glass
Churchland
King George
Hampton
Warhill
Sherando
GW-Danville
Woodgrove
Clemson commit Gideon Davidson has rushed for 5383 yards with 87 touchdowns scored in his decorated Liberty Christian career to date (Kaitlyn Olson, VirginiaPreps.com)
Class 3 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty Christian | 14-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Magna Vista | 12-1 | 5 |
| 3 | TJ-Richmond | 10-1 | HM |
| 4 | Lord Botetourt | 9-3 | 8 |
| 5 | Lafayette | 12-3 | 2 |
| 6 | Heritage-Lynchburg | 6-5 | NR |
| 7 | Turner Ashby | 11-2 | 7 |
| 8 | Kettle Run | 10-2 | 6 |
| 9 | Christiansburg | 8-4 | 10 |
| 10 | William Byrd | 12-2 | 4 |
Honorable Mention:
Norcom
Hopewell
Lake Taylor
Rustburg
Spotswood
Monticello
Brentsville District
Alleghany
Can Michael Crist and his Radford Bobcats repeat as State Champions in 2024? (Marsel T. Mason, VirginiaPreps.com)
Class 2 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham | 12-2 | 3 |
| 2 | Glenvar | 10-3 | 6 |
| 3 | Radford | 15-0 | 1 |
| 4 | Poquoson | 10-4 | 5 |
| 5 | Union | 11-2 | 7 |
| 6 | Riverheads | 13-2 | 2 |
| 7 | King William | 6-6 | NR |
| 8 | Clarke County | 9-3 | 10 |
| 9 | Central-Woodstock | 12-1 | 4 |
| 10 | Gretna | 9-3 | 8 |
Honorable Mention:
Appomattox
Ridgeview
Amelia
Chatham
Fort Defiance
Tazewell
Bruton
Nottoway
Zay Bundy and the Essex Trojans will be gunning for a different ending to the 2024 season than what transpired in 2023 when they lost by a point, 7-6, in the final seconds to Galax in the VHSL Class 1 State Championship (Bob Lanum, BobLimages.com)
Class 1 Top Ten:
| Rank | Team | 2023 Record | 2023 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex | 14-1 | 2 |
| 2 | Altavista | 10-3 | 5 |
| 3 | Rye Cove | 11-2 | 4 |
| 4 | Galax | 11-4 | 1 |
| 5 | George Wythe | 9-4 | 9 |
| 6 | Grayson County | 10-2 | 7 |
| 7 | Honaker | 13-1 | 3 |
| 8 | Northumberland | 10-3 | 8 |
| 9 | Patrick Henry-Glade Spring | 8-4 | 10 |
| 10 | Eastside | 6-5 | NR |
Honorable Mention:
Grundy
Rappahannock
Brunswick
Sussex Central
Twin Springs
Chilhowie
Giles
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