There is nothing like a packed high school football stadium for a big game on a Friday night.
Part of what makes that environment so special can be either a huge matchups between a pair of teams on the field, or simply what occurs off the field in the crowd.
Yes, the stadium environment for high school football teams is just as important as on-field play for some teams, with large and passionate fanbases a significant factor in the success of many programs while playing at home.
Those passionate fanbases can also play just as big a factor for teams in road games as well, as a large portion of fans who travel to support the team away from home can be very impactful also.
Following is our ranking of the five states with the most loyal high school football fanbases, starting with No. 5.
5. California
The state of California has been a national high school football power for a very long time, a big reason as to why the spotlight always resides there. National power programs such as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco have massive fanbases, as do others throughout the state in De La Salle, Centennial, and others.
4. Florida
Florida is a place where not only is college football extremely popular, but as is high school, with countless top teams, stadiums, and fanbases scattered all across the sunshine state. Simply put, if you were to visit a big high school matchup in Florida on a Friday night, odds are that there would likely not be many seats available in the stadium.
3. Ohio
Collegiate power Ohio State has an extremely loyal and passionate fanbase, as do many of Ohio’s top high school teams as well. While not as loaded with top prep talent as some of the other states on this list, Ohio cares deeply about high school football, and is truly one of the nation’s best to take in a big Friday night game.
2. Georgia
Something that has been discussed before, Georgia has countless passionate fanbases all across a state that is loaded with high school football talent. Led by top fanbases such as Lowndes, Thomas County Central, and Benedictine, among many others, it simply doesn’t get much better than Georgia.
1. Texas
One of the nation’s largest states geographically, Texas high school football is known for its’ numerous great teams, but also has some of the sports top prep stadiums and fanbases at the center of Friday night lights. Almost every week, you find massive stadiums across the state packed with passionate high school football fans, only adding to what makes Texas a marquee for the sport.
So, now that you’ve seen our top five, which states do you think have the best fanbases for high school football? Are there any that we missed, and if so, who would you include?
