Who will win the RI football state title in 2026? Vote now to decide.
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The Rhode Island high school football season officially starts on Monday, Aug. 17, and before you know it everyone will be getting ready to crown champions at Cranston Stadium.
But who will those teams be?
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The Providence Journal will have no problem telling you who we think will be in contention and who will be our picks to win once camps get going and we do our due diligence.
That doesn’t mean you can’t start talking about it now. We want to know who our readers think will end up with Super Bowls in each respective division, so we’re offering a chance to make your opinion heard in our poll.
You can vote as many times as you’d like between now and when the poll closes. Don’t be afraid to start social media campaigns, creating as much excitement as possible for the program closest to your heart.
We’ll be having polls throughout the football season, so consider this a preseason test for readers.
DIVISION I
Barrington
The Eagles were ridiculously young and inexperienced last year, finishing the season 2-5 and in ninth of the 10 teams in Division I. With most of that roster back – led by quarterback Griffin Ingram – Barrington should be battling for one of the six playoff spots.
Bishop Hendricken
Players graduated, but the goals don’t change for the Hawks. Despite an inexperienced line, Jeremy Seidi carried the offense and the defense took care of the rest. With a now experienced line and defense that might be better, Hendricken is the favorite to win yet another Super Bowl.
Central
It was a tough season for the Knights, who had the talent but battled injury and struggled in the biggest spots. Central should be one of the most explosive teams in the state, but have a lot of questions coming into 2026. Expect the Knights to be in the mix for a playoff spot.
Cranston West
After a slow start to the season, the Falcons found their footing and ended the season 5-3 and in the semifinals. The offense is in good hands with quarterback Jonathan Leroux and running back Mekhi Taylor, but the defense has a lot of holes to fill as Cranston West fights for a playoff spot.
Cumberland
The first year in the post-Josh Lima Era was not great, but the Clippers battled tough every week of the season. Cumberland will be climbing uphill in the early going, but the program has routinely surprised people when things looked bad.
La Salle
With an influx of transfers and several key returners from last fall, the Rams are ready to get revenge on rival Hendricken and chase down a Super Bowl title. La Salle is loaded on both sides of the ball and an appearance in the final game of the season seems like a lock.
North Kingstown
The Skippers were ready to chase a state title last year, only to be shocked at home in a semifinal loss to Hendricken. The Skippers graduated a lot of star power and lost All-Stater Greg Kirwan to a prep school in Tennessee, so it’ll be interesting to see if Nick Stafford and the ground game can find the success it had last season.
Portsmouth
A loaded senior class helped the Patriots go 7-1 last fall before disaster struck in the postseason with a quarterfinal loss to Cranston West. Losing the majority of the roster to graduation won’t make things easy in 2026, but Portsmouth will battle like it always does.
South Kingstown
The Rebels couldn’t repeat as Division II champions, but its success over the last four years has it back in Division I for the first time since 2021. South Kingstown graduated a pair of All-Staters, so this year could get bumpy for the young roster.
St. Raphael
With a roster filled with talent, the Saints went 5-2 last year but ended the season with a shutout loss to Hendricken in the quarterfinals. Graduation and transfers decimated the skill positions, but St. Raphael still has considerable size up front and the services of Johnny Germain, making them a favorite to contend this fall.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Who will win the RI football state title in 2026? Vote now to decide.