There’s no surprise as to which program holds the most victories in Georgia high school football history, but can you name the other top five winningest teams?
1. Valdosta Wildcats | 936 wins
The Wildcats are the winningest high school football team both in the state of Georgia and nationwide. They claimed their first victory back in 1913 against Sparks College and have not looked back since, racking up 24 state titles and six national championships in the subsequent years. Valdosta has posted 22 undefeated seasons, with 18 coming under legendary head coaches Nick Hyder and Wright Bazemore.
Their claim to the winningest national program is in jeopardy, however, as Louisville Male (KY) is only nine wins away from tying the Wildcats’ mark.
2. LaGrange Grangers | 783 wins
Far behind Valdosta in second place is LaGrange, who have won six state titles and one national title in 1991. The Grangers’ first season of organized football debuted in 1905, but it wasn’t until Oliver Hunnicutt’s 26-year tenure as head coach that LaGrange truly became a consistently successful squad. The Grangers won three state championships in four years at the turn of this century, but fell off after, reaching a rock bottom 0-10 record in 2017. With 17 wins in the past two seasons though, a revival might be possible.
3. Gainesville Red Elephants | 758 wins
Gainesville only has one state championship to its name, the least of any top 10 winningest Georgia high school football team. However, the Red Elephants’ consistency in winning seasons has helped them become the third-winningest program in the state.
Just like LaGrange, Gainesville began playing football in 1905, but it took a 33-game win streak from 1922 to 1926 to finally establish the Red Elephants as a consistently victorious team. From that year onward, Gainesville rattled off a plethora of seasons with seven or more wins that led into head coach Bobby Gruhn’s dominant 30-year campaign.
T5. Marist War Eagles | 747 wins
What are the odds of a tie at 747 wins? Marist wasn’t impressive by any means until the reign of head coach Alan Chadwick. After his introduction in 1985, the War Eagles have won over 400 games, 20 region titles, and three state championships. Defense became Marist’s calling card, as the War Eagles allowed over 200 points in a season only thrice during Chadwick’s tenure.
Marist’s most recent state championship run in 2020 featured eight shutouts and eight ranked victories. The War Eagles will only continue to climb this list in the future.
T5. Thomasville Bulldogs | 747 wins
Had the Bulldogs defeated Fitzgerald in last season’s 2A state championship, they would have had sole possession of fourth place. Instead, they remain tied with Marist.
Thomasville began its football program rather late in 1914, but thrived under several strong head coaches, including Joe Sumrall and Jim Hughes. The Bulldogs surprisingly haven’t had many 10-win seasons, but make up for that deficit with repeating eight- and nine-win campaigns in each decade.
Interestingly, Thomasville also holds the record for most ties in a season (six) and in GHSA history (46).
