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Who is No. 1? Final Bucks County big-school football rankings have a new leader

We started with Central Bucks West atop our preseason big-school rankings in August and the Bucks stayed atop the list into November before suffering their only loss to Central Bucks South in the PIAA District One Class 6A semifinals.

From there, the Titans took over the top spot, earned their first district title, defeating Downingtown West 27-7 in the championship game, before losing to eventual PIAA champion Saint Joseph's Prep in the state semifinals, 49-0.

Here's a look at the final big-school rankings:

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1. Central Bucks South (13-2)

The Titans spent most of the season in the third spot, behind CB West and Souderton, but once the PIAA District One Class 6A playoffs started, South took off. They roared through the bracket as the fifth seed on the way to winning the first district crown in school history with a win over Downingtown West in the championship game. The Titans' storybook season didn't end until a PIAA semifinal loss to eventual state champ Saint Joe's Prep.

Central Bucks South, which won the PIAA District One Class 6A title, is our top-ranked team in our final big-school rankings.
Central Bucks South, which won the PIAA District One Class 6A title, is our top-ranked team in our final big-school rankings.

2. Central Bucks West (12-1)

The Bucks were ranked No. 1 in the preseason and stayed atop the poll all the way to the PIAA District One Class 6A semifinals, where they were also seeded first, before losing to CB South. The Bucks beat the Titans 40-29 during the regular season.

3. Souderton (11-1)

The Big Red had a perfect regular season, going 10-0, and won a first-round PIAA District One Class 6A playoff game against Pennsbury, which set a school record for victories in a season. Their season came to an end in the district quarterfinals with a loss to Downingtown West.

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4. Council Rock South (7-4)

After going 4-6 a year ago, the Golden Hawks finished off a nice regular season by topping archrival Council Rock North 55-14 before falling to Downingtown West in the opening round of the District One Class 6A playoffs.

Central Bucks West finished as the No. 2 team in our final big-school rankings.
Central Bucks West finished as the No. 2 team in our final big-school rankings.

5. Quakertown (7-5)

The Panthers won five of their last six games to turnaround a 2-4 start to the season. They also qualified for the PIAA District One Class 6A tournament and knocked off archrival Pennridge for the third straight year on Thanksgiving.

Honorable mention: North Penn (6-5), Pennsbury (5-6).

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Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Final Bucks County big-school football rankings feature new No. 1