LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Orange Beach captured another title and continued to lead the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Association announced on Thursday.
The (46-1) Makos made it six state championships in six varsity seasons on Tuesday with a 6-0 triumph over Plainview in the Alabama 4A final and extended its run at No. 1 to seven consecutive weeks. Orange Beach defeated Plainview 11-2 in Monday’s opening round contest, then pitched three straight shutouts, including 2-0 versus Limestone and 12-0 over American Christian Academy also on Monday.
Undefeated South Warren stayed strong at No. 3 behind Orange Beach and six-time reigning Louisiana state titlist Calvary Baptist Academy with more three dominant victories. The (38-0) Spartans rolled past Larue County, Warren Central and Greenwood by a combined score of 44-0.
No. 4 Lake Creek (38-1) has the second game of its Texas state 5A, Division 2 semifinal series with Liberty Hill slated for later today. The Lions needed 11 innings Saturday to prevail 9-4 in the opener.
Owyhee (30-3) is the new No. 5 squad after capturing its second straight Idaho state 6A crown over the weekend. The top-seeded Storm opened with a 3-1 win over Rocky Mountain on Thursday, then had to bounce back from a shocking 2-0 loss to Highland on Friday. No problem. Owyhee won five straight elimination games, including beating second seed Eagle twice in in Saturday’s championship round.
Losses by both Murrieta Mesa (26-2) and Melissa (33-3) allowed unbeaten teams Gray Collegiate (31-0) and Destiny Christian (27-0) to gain two spots apiece, while Marist’s ranked victory over then-No. 11 Lake Central catapulted the (31-1) RedHawks five places to No. 8.
Skyline (18-1) also moved up, while Barrington (33-0) slipped one spot to round out the revised top 10.
Elsewhere, Beecher (33-0) won four more games to join the mix this week at No. 13, and a ranked matchup looms later today in New Jersey’s Shore Conference final between No. 19 St. John Vianney (24-0) and No. 21 Donovan Catholic (25-1).
State rankings submitted by the NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.
NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – May 21, 2026
|
Rank |
Team |
2026 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
46-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Calvary Baptist Academy (La.) |
37-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
South Warren (Ky.) |
38-0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
38-1 |
4 |
|
5 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
30-3 |
7 |
|
6 |
Gray Collegiate (S.C.) |
31-0 |
8 |
|
7 |
Destiny Christian (Calif.) |
27-0 |
9 |
|
8 |
Marist (Ill.) |
31-1 |
13 |
|
9 |
Barrington (Ill.) |
33-0 |
10 |
|
10 |
Skyline (Wash.) |
18-1 |
12 |
|
11 |
Austintown-Fitch (Ohio) |
24-0 |
14 |
|
12 |
Carterville (Ill.) |
33-1 |
15 |
|
13 |
Beecher (Ill.) |
30-0 |
NR |
|
14 |
Murrieta Mesa (Calif.) |
26-2 |
5 |
|
15 |
Melissa (Texas) |
33-3 |
6 |
|
16 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
26-2 |
16 |
|
17 |
Thompson (Ala.) |
44-1-2 |
17 |
|
18 |
Kenton Ridge (Ohio) |
27-0 |
19 |
|
19 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
24-0 |
20 |
|
20 |
Weddington (N.C.) |
25-0 |
21 |
|
21 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
25-1 |
22 |
|
22 |
Norco (Calif.) |
28-2 |
18 |
|
23 |
Caldera (Ore.) |
25-1 |
23 |
|
24 |
Cheshire (Conn.) |
18-1 |
24 |
|
T25 |
Mount St. Dominic Academy (N.J.) |
26-2 |
T25 |
|
T25 |
Lake Central (Ind.) |
25-2 |
11 |
Dropped out: Barbers Hill (Texas).
2026 NFCA High School Steering Committee
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