2026 South Carolina High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Aug. 30

The South Carolina football season is finally underway. After multiple teams featured in week one, the top team in the state was finally in action during week two of the South Carolina high school football season, with Dutch Fork (S.C.) opening the season at number one after an opening win. Despite that, the top three of the state’s Massey Rankings surprisingly haven’t undergone any changes, with South Pointe (S.C.) and Northwestern (S.C.) rounding it out. Even then, there were still multiple risers as action officially got underway in the Palmetto State. With each team across South Carolina having a game under their belt, these are the top 25 rankings from week two of the 2026 South Carolina high school football season. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, are a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory. 1. Dutch Fork Foxes With a win over Ridge View (S.C.), Dutch Fork officially retains its place as the number one team in South Carolina high school football at 1-0. After defeating Summerville (S.C.) in a second straight state championship game in 2025, the Irmo school got its season underway with a 35-13 victory, looking early on as the favorite to retain its state title. The number one team in South Carolina returns a number of standouts, including three-star defensive tackle Jaden Wuerth, who was their sack leader in 2025. On offense, the Foxes also have one of the best sophomores in the country, in four-star pass catcher Corey Miller. 2. Northwestern Trojans Despite suffering a loss in week one to one of the top teams in both the nation and in North Carolina high school football, Northwestern moved up to No. 2 over South Pointe after picking up its first win of the season. Putting up a big offensive performance over the No. 16-ranked Indian Land (S.C.), the Trojans put up 54 points en route to victory. The defending 5A Division 2 state champions, looking to defend their state title, Northwestern returns one of the best pass-catching duos in the state, with three-star tandem Malik Ratliff and Kadin Vassel. 3. South Pointe Stallions Another defending state champion, South Pointe, also got their season underway in week two, in a defensive shutout win over Nation Ford (S.C.). Moving down to number three in the South Carolina high school football rankings due to the strength of opponent, South Pointe, the defending 4A state champions, still look like one of the best teams in the state. Following their defensive shutout, the stallions return one of the top prospects in the state, four-star defensive tackle Seth Tillman. 4. Dorman Cavaliers Finishing week one as the number six team in South Carolina high school football, after picking up their second win of the year over one of the best sides in the state, Byrnes (S.C.), the Dorman (S.C.) Cavaliers find themselves in the top five, as Byrnes crash out. Finishing 2025 with a 10-3 record, Dorman was knocked out of the 5A state championship in a semifinal loss to the No. 1-ranked Dutch Fork. 5. Gaffney Indians Another 2-0 season on the rise after week one, Gaffney (S.C.) is coming off the back of a 9-4 season, in the second year of current head coach Donnie Littlejohn. Picking up their second win of the year, led by three-star offensive lineman Calvin Brooks over JL Mann (S.C.), the Indians are looking to make waves in the 4A division following a loss in an offensive shootout to Northwestern in 2025. 6. Summerville Green Wave7. Rock Hill Bearcats8. James Island Trojans 9. TL Hanna Yellowjackets 10. Byrnes Rebels 11. Spartanburg Vikings 12. DW Daniel Lions 13. Irmo Yellowjackets 14. Ridge View Blazers15. Fort Mill Yellow Jackets 16. Indian Land Warriors 17. Gray Collegiate War Eagles 18. Berkeley Stags 19. Sumter Gamecocks 20. Gilbert Indians 21. Strom Thurmond Rebels 22. Hilton Head Seahawks 23. Greenwood Eagles 24. Carolina Forest Panthers25. Westside Rams.