Vermont high school football teams haven't played for a championship since 2019 after canceling the 2020 playoffs due to COVID. However, the team that finished the 2019 season as the top team in the state begins the 2021 campaign at No. 1 in our preseason rankings.
Burr & Burton has been on a roll over the past six years, winning all three of the program's state championships in 2015, 2018 and 2019. The last time the Bulldogs took the field in a playoff game, they defeated St. Johnsbury Academy 47-20 for the Division 1 championships. Last year, in a shortened season, Burr & Burton went 6-2.
St. Johnsbury Academy begins the season at No. 2 after posting 3-1 in 2020. The Hilltoppers were 10-1 in 2019. Brattleboro, which went 11-0 in 2019 with a Division 2 championship, begins the season at No. 3.
The rest of the Top 25 can be found below.
Vermont Preseason MaxPreps Top 25
1.
Burr & Burton (Manchester), 6-2 record in 2020
2.
St. Johnsbury Academy (St. Johnsbury), 3-1
3.
Brattleboro, 0-1
4.
Middlebury, 5-4
5.
Essex (Essex Junction), 6-1
6.
Hartford (White River Junction), 2-0
7.
Colchester, 1-2
8.
Rutland, 8-3
9.
Poultney, 1-8
10.
U-32 (Montpelier), 0-2
11.
Burlington/South Burlington, 0-1
12.
Mt. Mansfield (Jericho), 2-3
13.
Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans), 0-1
14.
Bellows Falls, 0-0
15.
Champlain Valley Union (Hinesburg), 4-1
16.
Mount Anthony (Bennington), 8-3
17.
Windsor, 0-0
18.
Otter Valley (Brandon), 3-7
19.
Fair Haven, 7-3
20.
Springfield, 0-1
21.
North Country Union (Newport), 0-1
22.
Lyndon Institute (Lyndon Center), 2-1
23.
Mill River (North Clarendon), 1-9
24.
Milton, 0-3
25.
Rice Memorial (South Burlington), 1-0
