MaxPreps has released its 2021 Preseason Top 25 Rankings, which does NOT get divided by classification. The Top 25 are regardless of classifications, and Rabun County (2A) and Jefferson (4A) made the distinction.

Jefferson rolls in at #19 among all teams in the state after going 14-1 last season on the way to a state runner-up finish. Meanwhile, Rabun County was right behind at #20 after a 12-2 season that saw the Wildcats advance to the school’s second-ever semifinals.

Rabun County also garnered national attention by MaxPreps with a Top 25 ranking of “Small Town” teams across the country. It marked the first time MaxPreps had done this, but they ranked the Top 25 schools that had towns with less than 10,000 people.

The Wildcats are #7 in the United States by those measures, with an enrollment of 645, population in Tiger of 345, and a total national ranking of 226. The Cats have seven straight region titles and six straight quarterfinal or deeper runs, and have one of the nation’s top recruits in Gunner Stockton.