Over the last few years I've devised a formula for ranking high school football programs historically. A couple years ago there was a thread on the best programs to never win a title and this will piggy-back off of that thread. In a nutshell, my formula awards teams a certain amount of points for playoff wins, district championships, appearances in state championship games, and state titles. The formula certainly isn't perfect and you may disagree with the rankings. That's fine!

 

These rankings begin with the 1959 season since that was the first year the KHSAA sponsored a playoff. If your favorite school claims a state title for any season prior to 1959, that title won't be factored into the formula. Only one closed school is on the list but there were several just on the outside. The expansion from three to four to six classes (more district champions) and the move to allowing four teams per district to make the playoffs (more chances for wins) has skewed the formula in favor of existing schools compared to those closed prior to 1987. But that's just how it is.

 

In case of ties, the team with the most state championships gets the better ranking. If that number is the same, then I moved to playoff wins. Also, regarding district championships, between 1959 and 1972 some regions were not divided into districts. In those cases, a region championship is awarded as a district championship.

 

I'm putting out the rankings over a four day period. Check back each day this week for an update.

 

Monday - #26-50

Tuesday - #16-25

Wednesday - #6-15

Thursday - #1-5

50. Tates Creek Commodores (66 points)

Playoff Wins: 27

District Championships: 14

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 1 (1972)

 

49. Warren Central Dragons (67 points)

Playoff Wins: 37

District Championships: 12

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 0

 

48. Bellevue Tigers (72 points)

Playoff Wins: 34

District Championships: 8

State Final Losses: 4

State Championships: 2 (1977, 1979)

 

47. Scott County Cardinals (73 points)

Playoff Wins: 35

District Championships: 11

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 2 (1975, 2013)

 

46. Meade County Green Waves (74 points)

Playoff Wins: 36

District Championships: 16

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 0

 

45. Shelby County Rockets (74 points)

Playoff Wins: 32

District Championships: 14

State Final Losses: 3

State Championships: 1 (1987)

 

44. Christian County Colonels (76 points)

Playoff Wins: 34

District Championships: 13

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 2 (1982, 1984)

 

43. DeSales Colts (76 points)

Playoff Wins: 38

District Championships: 11

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 2 (2013, 2014)

 

42. Elizabethtown Panthers (79 points)

Playoff Wins: 36

District Championships: 13

State Final Losses: 4

State Championships: 1 (1969)

 

41. Paris Greyhounds (79.5 points)

Playoff Wins: 29 (1 tie)

District Championships: 16

State Final Losses: 1

State Championships: 3 (1973, 1981, 1982)

 

40. Butler Bears (80 points)

Playoff Wins: 31

District Championships: 15

State Final Losses: 3

State Championships: 2 (1970, 1979)

 

39. Prestonsburg Blackcats (81 points)

Playoff Wins: 41

District Championships: 17

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 0

 

38. Henderson County Colonels (83 points)

Playoff Wins: 34

District Championships: 23

State Final Losses: 1

State Championships: 0

 

37. Lynch [East Main] Bulldogs (84 points) - closed

Playoff Wins: 19 (2 ties)

District Championships: 16

State Final Losses: 4

State Championships: 4 (1959, 1960, 1963, 1968)

 

36. Fort Knox Eagles (85 points)

Playoff Wins: 38

District Championships: 13

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 3 (1983, 1988, 1990)

 

35. Middlesboro Yellowjackets (88 points)

Playoff Wins: 38

District Championships: 18

State Final Losses: 3

State Championships: 1 (1998)

 

34. Henry Clay Blue Devils (88 points)

Playoff Wins: 45

District Championships: 16

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 1 (1981)

 

33. Lexington Catholic Knights (88 points)

Playoff Wins: 51

District Championships: 12

State Final Losses: 1

State Championships: 2 (2005, 2007)

 

32. Murray Tigers (91.5 points)

Playoff Wins: 47 (1 tie)

District Championships: 14

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 2 (1961, 1974)

 

31. Ashland Tomcats (94 points)

Playoff Wins: 36

District Championships: 21

State Final Losses: 2

State Championships: 2 (1967, 1990)

 

30. Hopkinsville Tigers (94 points)

Playoff Wins: 43

District Championships: 16

State Final Losses: 3

State Championships: 2 (1965, 1966)

 

29. Owensboro Catholic Aces (95 points)

Playoff Wins: 45

District Championships: 19

State Final Losses: 4

State Championships: 0

 

28. Russell Red Devils (97 points)

Playoff Wins: 48

District Championships: 18

State Final Losses: 1

State Championships: 2 (1978, 2005)

 

27. Franklin-Simpson Wildcats (98 points)

Playoff Wins: 43

District Championships: 15

State Final Losses: 5

State Championships: 2 (1979, 1980)

 

26. Boone County Rebels (101 points)

Playoff Wins: 49

District Championships: 20

State Final Losses: 4

State Championships: 0

Love this!

This is awesome! Great work! Out of curiosity how many points is each accomplishment worth?

Never mind I figured it out haha

1,2,3,5

Never mind I figured it out haha

1,2,3,5

 

Math time!

Awesome. About all I know to say....

This is really interesting gchs, I can't wait to see how it shapes up.

 

Great work.

Appreciate the effort involved.

Already some surprises... Can't believe Paris is so far down the list - of course, they had basically a lost decade or so. I think it would be interesting to figure out a way to include regional championships and total wins, but the amount of research involved in that would probably turn a fun project into a job. lol Could make the scale a 6 point scale and slide in regional championships, then do a point for so many wins... IDK.

 

That said, great job on this, it is very interesting.

GC, this is really awesome! I am looking forward to tomorrow!

 

Thanks for your hard work!

I think it would be interesting to figure out a way to include regional championships and total wins, but the amount of research involved in that would probably turn a fun project into a job.

 

I have regional championship information so that wouldn't have been too difficult, but total wins would be almost impossible. I have district standings all the way back to 1959, but from 1959-75 the information I have only shows the number of district wins, not overall wins, since those were all that was factored into determining playoff berths.

it is easy to overlook Boone County in the present...but they had a proud history for a long time.

it is easy to overlook Boone County in the present...but they had a proud history for a long time.

 

Absolutely. If you broke it down by decades, Boone County would be right at the top in the 1980s and probably close to the top in the 1990s.

Really interesting stuff. It was a bit surprising to see DeSales so low, but they are a program on the rise rather than a storied one.