St. Frances Academy head coach Henry Russell (Photo: St. Frances Academy)

7. St. Frances Academy
Location: Baltimore
18-19 Record: 10-0
Final Super 25 Rank: 4

Why them: To get a full grasp of how good St. Frances Academy is, read this intro paragraph to a January article in the Washington Post: “This year, the St. Frances Academy Panthers almost didn’t have a season. No one in their private-school league would play them. They are just that good.” Check out the article for in-depth reasons that may or may not factor in teams boycotting SFA, but all of them go back to one thing: The Panthers don’t just win. They dominate.

Last season, SFA allowed six points in each of its first three games. The Panthers shut out their next five opponents, plus got a forfeit win. In the season finale, they beat Georgia power Lee County, 43-14. This year, they return eight of the top 15 players in Maryland, most notably five-star defensive end Chris Braswell. It’s difficult to see this team slipping much from last year, as it only graduated two players rated four-stars by 247Sports.

In fact, all around the field are studs. SFA has two four-star cornerbacks, a four-star safety, a four-star running back, a linebacker corps with two four-stars and a three-star, and a trio of tree-star seniors on the offensive line. With most of the Panthers now seniors, they will be expected to win every game – if they can find opponents.