High school football rankings: Pulaski Academy finishes No. 1 in final Arkansas MaxPreps Top 25

The high school football season in Arkansas came to a close over the past two weekends at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Pulaski Academy was among the victors, beating White Hall 51-19 in the Class 5A state title game. That 32-point victory helped propel the Bruins to the No. 1 ranking in the final Arkansas MaxPreps Top 25.

Winners of the last three Class 5A state football championships, Pulaski Academy was led all year by back-to-back MaxPreps Arkansas Football Player of the Year Joe Himon, who ran the football 152 times for 1,657 yards and 29 touchdowns — including two in the state title game. The senior back also caught 79 balls for 879 yards and 11 more scores.

The Bruins, who have won seven of the last eight Class 5A state titles, scored 750 points on the year, an average of 53.6 points per contest. Himon and company scored 50 points or more 10 times. Pulaski Academy gave up 361 points while limiting seven foes to 21 points or less and an average of 25.8 points a game.

Bryant claimed its fourth straight Arkansas large school state football title to move into the No. 2 spot in the final poll while Class 7A runner-up Fayetteville sits No. 3. El Dorado claimed its first Class 6A state football title since winning back-to-back state championships in 2010 and 2011 to claim the No. 5 rung.

Harding Academy won its third straight Class 3A state championship to move into the No. 17 slot. The 2021 title marked the fifth time since 2012 that the Wildcats finished on top of the podium. All seven state champions — including 8-man king Strong — had previously won state titles.

Read on for a complete look at the final MaxPreps Arkansas Top 25.

2021 AHSAA State Football Champions
Class 7A — Bryant
Class 6A — El Dorado
Class 5A — Pulaski Academy (Little Rock)
Class 4A — Robinson (Little Rock)
Class 3A — Harding Academy (Searcy)
Class 2A — McCrory