MF
SPIN Staff

Max Fielder

Contributing Writer

Max Fielder covers high school football for SPIN, from Friday night recaps in Utah and Northern California to the weekly SPIN Power 100 rankings. He writes from the sideline, not the box score.

232 articles
SPIN results card showing Perry 41, Basha 38, final, November 6, 2026.
Football · Recaps

Perry Beats Basha 41-38

Perry (Gilbert, AZ) beat Basha (Chandler, AZ) 41-38 on Friday, Nov. 6.

November 7, 2026
SPIN results card showing Alcoa 49, Cherokee 3, final on November 6, 2026.
Football · Recaps

Alcoa Beats Cherokee 49-3

Alcoa (Alcoa, TN) beat Cherokee (Rogersville, TN) 49-3 on Friday, Nov. 6.

November 7, 2026
SPIN results card for the final: Herriman 36, Davis 22, high school football, November 6, 2026.
Football · Recaps

Herriman Beats Davis 36-22

Herriman (Herriman, UT) beat Davis (Kaysville, UT) 36-22 on Friday, Nov. 6.

November 6, 2026
SPIN Power 100, Week 12, October 26, 2026, ranks 1 to 10: IMG Academy first, Santa Margarita second, Baylor School third, The St. James Performance Academy fourth and St. Thomas Aquinas fifth, with each team's state, last week's rank and move.
Football · Rankings

Liberty Climbs to 25th. Hamilton Falls to 47th.

SPIN Power 100, Week 12. Liberty of Peoria moves up four after beating Hamilton 38-7, Mountain Ridge moves to 24th, C.E. King comes on at 49 after beating North Shore, and Omaha Westside enters at 85.

October 26, 2026
SPIN Power 100, Week 11, October 20, 2026, ranks 1 to 10: IMG Academy first, Santa Margarita second, Baylor School third, The St. James Performance Academy fourth and St. Thomas Aquinas fifth, with each team's state, last week's rank and move.
Football · Rankings

Prattville Jumps to 22nd. St. Frances Falls to 24th.

SPIN Power 100, Week 11. Prattville climbs 49 places after beating Thompson, St. Frances drops 19 after losing at Hun School, Hun School comes on at 100 and Grayson goes off.

October 20, 2026
SPIN Utah playoff bracket cover with four Utah high school football players, including Corner Canyon and Mountain Ridge, under the words Playoff Bracket, for the 2026 UHSAA 6A, 5A and 4A state tournaments.
Football · Previews

Mountain Ridge Won It on the Field. The RPI Didn't Ask.

Unbeaten Mountain Ridge is the No. 2 seed in 6A behind the Skyridge team it beat in August. Skyridge is a very good football team and earned every bit of its season. The question is whether a formula should be the thing that decides who's No. 1 when the two teams already played.

October 19, 2026
Final card: Mountain Ridge 21, Westlake 13, Thursday October 15, 2026 at Westlake in Saratoga Springs, presented by Saltys Smash Style Burgers with a free small fry offer.
Football · Recaps

Ten and Oh, and Nobody in Herriman Is Smiling

No. 30 Mountain Ridge beat Westlake 21-13 in Saratoga Springs on Thursday night to finish the regular season 10-0, then spent the second half finding out how good the Thunder are.

October 16, 2026
Skyridge players run onto the field before the 21-15 win over American Fork at Skyridge High School in Lehi on October 14, 2026.
Football · Recaps

Style Points Don't Count. Skyridge Owns Region 3.

No. 53 Skyridge beat American Fork 21-15 in Lehi on Wednesday night, finished the regular season 8-1 and 4-0 in Region 3, and sealed it with a fourth-down interception with 2:02 to play.

October 15, 2026
SPIN Power 100, Week 10, October 12, 2026, ranks 1 to 10: IMG Academy is No. 1, Santa Margarita second, Baylor School third, The St. James Performance Academy fourth and St. Frances Academy fifth, with each team's state, record and move.
Football · Rankings

IMG Academy Is No. 1. The St. James Is Fourth.

SPIN Power 100, Week 10. The St. James beats St. Frances and climbs 14, St. Frances falls to fifth, Allen slips to 11th, and Brookwood, Cornerstone Christian and Kapolei are new.

October 12, 2026
The Rotation Week 9 graphic: Clovis vs Central East, Mater Dei vs JSerra, Liberty Henderson vs Coronado and Hamilton vs Valley Vista, with St. John Bosco and Orange Lutheran on the cover.
Football · Previews

The Rotation, Week 9: Top Regional Matchups

Clovis at No. 84 Central East, No. 20 Mater Dei at JSerra, Liberty at Coronado for a Nevada top seed, and No. 21 Hamilton at Valley Vista, all on Friday night.

October 9, 2026
Final score card with school logos: Lee County 49, Veterans 0, October 8, 2026.
Football · Recaps

Lee County Shuts Out Veterans 49-0

Lee County won its second straight Region 2-6A game since a loss to Thomas County Central, in a game moved to Thursday ahead of Hurricane Isaias.

October 9, 2026
Two Corner Canyon players leap to celebrate a touchdown in the end zone at American Fork High School on October 8, 2026, as an official runs in.
Football · Recaps

Chargers Strike Gold Against the Cavemen

Jaxon Pehrson found Kelen Gold three times in the first quarter and four times in all as No. 78 Corner Canyon jumped on American Fork 27-0 and won 41-17.

October 8, 2026
SPIN Nevada Top 10 high school football rankings, Week 8, led by Bishop Gorman, Churchill County and Coronado.
Football · Rankings

Basic Won at Palo Verde and Comes On at Eighth.

SPIN Nevada Top 10, Week 8. Basic beats Palo Verde 37-34, Palo Verde falls to ninth, and Coronado, Mater Academy East, Liberty and Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon each move up one.

October 6, 2026
SPIN Power 100 Week 8 high school football rankings, ranks 1 to 10, led by St. Frances Academy, Santa Margarita and IMG Academy, with Baylor School up to fourth.
Football · Rankings

The St. James Is 18th. Baylor Moves Up to Fourth.

SPIN Power 100, Week 8. Baylor School passes St. Thomas Aquinas for fourth, Chaminade-Madonna climbs five, Grayson climbs 23, Bergen Catholic climbs 19, and Princeton, Shiloh Christian and St. Augustine are new.

October 6, 2026
SPIN Media The Rotation, Week 8 top regional matchups graphic: Hoover and No. 12 Thompson, Herriman vs No. 34 Mountain Ridge, No. 6 Oak Ridge vs Rocklin, Basic vs No. 3 Palo Verde, and Canyon View vs No. 10 Desert Edge.
Football · Previews

The Rotation, Week 8: Top Regional Matchups

Thompson at Hoover in Alabama, Herriman at Mountain Ridge in Utah, Oak Ridge at Rocklin in Northern California, Basic and Palo Verde in Nevada, and Canyon View at Desert Edge in Arizona.

October 2, 2026
SPIN Out West Top 25 high school football rankings, Week 7: Santa Margarita first, then Sierra Canyon, Bishop Gorman, De La Salle up one to fourth and St. John Bosco fifth, with Corner Canyon down nine to 19th and Lake Oswego new at 25th, beside a De La Salle player.
Football · Rankings

De La Salle Is Fourth Out West. Corner Canyon Is 19th.

SPIN Out West Top 25, Week 7. De La Salle passes St. John Bosco after beating Centennial of Corona, Corner Canyon falls nine places, Skyridge moves ahead of it, and Hamilton and Folsom each move up one.

September 30, 2026
SPIN Power 100 Week 7 high school football rankings, ranks 1 to 10, led by St. Frances Academy, Santa Margarita and IMG Academy, beside a player in a gold helmet and white jersey.
Football · Rankings

De La Salle Jumps to 11th. Corner Canyon Falls 50.

SPIN Power 100, Week 7. De La Salle climbs seven after beating Centennial at Cal, Thomas County Central moves up eight, Skyridge jumps 20 to 50th, and Loyola Academy and Brother Rice are new.

September 29, 2026
SPIN Media The Rotation, Week 7 top regional matchups graphic: No. 25 Corner Canyon and No. 70 Skyridge, No. 29 Miami Central vs No. 63 Miami Northwestern, No. 48 St. John's College vs No. 42 St. Edward, and Del Oro vs Oak Ridge on the regional rankings.
Football · Previews

The Rotation, Week 7: Top Regional Matchups

Corner Canyon at Skyridge in Utah, Miami Central at Miami Northwestern in Florida, St. John's College at St. Edward in Ohio, and Del Oro at Oak Ridge in Northern California.

September 24, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the Nevada Top 10 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the Nevada Top 10 Fared

Gorman is 3-1 and still the only argument. Churchill County is 4-0 and the only four-win team on the board. All four losses came against teams from somewhere else.

September 6, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the SPIN Top 50 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the SPIN Top 50 Fared, Week 4

Two of the top six played each other and one of them had to lose. Liberty of Peoria beat the No. 14 team in the country. Duncanville got its season back.

September 6, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the NorCal Top 10 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the NorCal Top 10 Fared

If you are a NorCal fan, the top of this board could not have gone better. Four and five played a real game, and six took St. John Bosco to the fourth quarter.

September 5, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the SoCal Top 10 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the SoCal Top 10 Fared

The Trinity League is still the standard and the top of this board is elite. What we do not know yet is how good Bosco and Mater Dei actually are.

September 5, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the Arizona Top 10 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the Arizona Top 10 Fared

Basha lost in Costa Mesa. Then the rest of the top five went out and beat a ranked team apiece, and the state came out of the weekend ahead.

September 5, 2026
SPIN Media graphic, How the Utah Top 10 Fared for Week 4 of the 2026 season, ranks one through ten with each team's result.
Football · Rankings

How the Utah Top 10 Fared

Corner Canyon controlled about eighty percent of that game and lost it anyway. That is what the road does, and it is what an offense with a question mark does.

September 5, 2026
SPIN Media results card reading Locked Down, final score Bishop Gorman 38, Lone Peak 14, with a Bishop Gorman defensive back in front of a Las Vegas skyline.
Football · Recaps

A Sophomore Corner Ended Lone Peak's Night on the First Drive

Bishop Gorman came to Highland to keep a promise it made a year ago in Las Vegas and left with a 38-14 win. Brayley Manning had two interceptions and two pass breakups before halftime. Lone Peak lost by 24 and looked better doing it than it has all season against this class of opponent.

September 4, 2026
SPIN Media Fast Friday graphic listing seven Week 5 matchups, each team shown with its school mark and national ranking.
Football · Previews

Fourth & Friday: Three Polls Made Aquinas No. 1. We Made It Five.

St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale woke up Monday as the No. 1 team in three national polls. Friday it hosts Columbus of Miami, the team that just beat Bishop Gorman. And Gorman keeps a promise it made in Las Vegas a year ago.

September 4, 2026
SPIN National Top 50 graphic for Week 3 listing the top ten: St. Frances Academy, Bishop Gorman, Baylor School, IMG Academy, Santa Margarita, Buford, Centennial of Corona, Mater Dei, Duncanville and St. John Bosco, beside a high school football player in a helmet and jersey number 21.
Football · Rankings

We Cut Five Teams Monday. Two of Them Spent Friday Beating Teams We Kept.

American Heritage and Mount Carmel came off the SPIN Top 50 on Aug. 24. Four nights later they beat our No. 39 and our No. 35. Eight ranked teams lost across Thursday and Friday, four of them to opponents we do not rank, and the best team in America needed a second half to get out of Florida.

August 29, 2026
SPIN results card showing West of Salt Lake City 20, Arbor View of Las Vegas 14 on Aug. 14, 2026, with SPIN Utah No. 8 and SPIN Nevada No. 3 rank chips.
Football · Rankings

Utah 8 Over Nevada 3 Is the Result That Orders the West

West of Salt Lake City beating Arbor View is one score from one Friday. It is also the only game of the opening weekend that put a Utah board team against a Nevada board team, and Utah took it.

August 16, 2026
SPIN montage of five players in the jerseys of the teams each poll ranked No. 1: St. John Bosco, DeSoto, St. Frances Academy, IMG Academy and Buford.
Football · Rankings

Five Polls Picked Five Different No. 1s

MaxPreps says Bosco. USA Today says IMG. ESPN says Buford. Rivals says DeSoto. We say Baltimore, and we brought the December film to prove it. The full SPIN Preseason Top 50, below.

August 7, 2026