Photos – Best of the Best (2010 to Now)

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News

Sykotyk | July 16, 2026

Over the past 16 seasons, I’ve traveled all over the country seeing and covering high school football games. Spanning 39 states over 1,644 games, I’ve seen a lot of great plays and great places. And even had the opportunity to photograph many of them.

Not every great play results in a great photo. Not every great venue is photogenic enough to really wow an audience. But sometimes the stars align and you get something special. In the hundreds of thousands of photos I’ve taken at high school football games, only 53,000+ were worthy to be published. And just under a thousand accumulated from multiple years of years, have been my ‘best’.

These are the best of the best. The top 100 photos that are either visually stunning, historically noteworthy, or personally special to me.

And I hope you all enjoy them as we gear up for the 2026 High School Football Season

East Rutherford, New Jersey – Jersey

First ever game in New Jersey and the atmosphere was perfect. Rainy. Gloomy. Foggy. The neon hitting the wet parking lot as fog drifted over the stadium. Perfectly Jersey.

Shaker Heights, Ohio – Saturday Afternoon

At one time, Shaker Heights played in the afternoon. Their school and stadium was one. The stands built from the edge of the west end of the building. With the upper hallways exiting onto an elevated concourse complete with arches. A respite from the midday sun on warm days, the arches made for great viewing. And great photographs.

New Orleans, Louisiana – High School Football Theater 3000

This was just one of those shots you didn’t know what you had until you looked back at the photos.

Renovo, PA – Bucktail’s Stunning Surroundings

Between two mountains. Next to a road, a river, and a railroad track sits Dwyer Field. Home of the Bucks.

New Philadelphia, Ohio – Malvern Diving

Rainy sloppy game. One of the best dives to try to avoid a tackle.

Rising Star, Texas – I’m Blue

Blue pressbox, blue team, everything just worked.

Ellis, Kansas – Skyhook

Tracking the ball in flight, there was a receiver in the back of the endzone this was destined to land. A teammate was not taking the chance and caught it himself with a one-handed jaw dropper.

Moorcroft, Wyoming – Student Section having a Laugh

Small schools have small student sections. Small schools also tend to have almost all the boys on the team so the student section is mostly girls. On a cold night, a comedian found their moment.

Orchard Park, NY – Flipping Good Time

Upside down. This tackle, the background, it just all worked together.

Ellwood City, PA – He’s Behind Me, Isn’t He?

Covid presented some new situations none of us had experienced. Empty stadiums was a new one. And this was one of my first empty stands games. As PA limited games to 250 people. Total. And this breakaway run gave the perfect shot with no background.

Clarksville, Ohio – Sky is just Showing Off

A Monday night game. Later afternoon kickoff. The sunset was perfect. Took up residence in the east endzone and waited. And waited. And got this.

Penn Hills, PA – So Much Room For Activities

Another Covid game with limited fans. The huge 10,000 seat stadium’s home side completely empty with three cheerleaders using it to celebrate plays.

Steubenville, Ohio – Inception Touchdown

Catholic Central moved their home games to their practice field. The huge hill on their home side creating a stunning backdrop for this touchdown run.

Harmony, PA – A Blade of Grass Is the Difference

Didn’t touch the white on this catch.

Hollidaysburg, PA – State Championship Game Berth Touchdown Run
(my first photo in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Governor Mifflin had a 21-0 lead. Pine-Richland trimmed it to 21-19 at the half. Governor Mifflin went up 41-19. Pine-Richland came back to tie it, 41-41. And then did this. The rest of the photographers were closer to the play. While I was downfield a bit. Waiting on the breakaway. And I got it perfectly. Taking the corner. It was the QB trucking the ball down the sideline, trailed by everyone else.

Made the Post-Gazette.

Hershey, PA – Going Full Scorpion for the Catch

He held on for the catch.

Arlington, Texas – Playoff Game Winning Touchdown Catch

Great diving catch.

Hurley, Virginia – The Cliff

The Cliff is no more. At least as a high school venue. Hurley High School closed this year and consolidated into Southern Gap with two other nearby schools. The new school has a new stadium. But for its time, the southeast corner of the field was legendary.

Clymer, New York – Celebrating First TD of the Season

Celebrating a touchdown after a long wait because of Covid. The game taking place in April.

Chester, PA – A Bridge Too Far

Commodore Barry Bridge looms large in Chester.

Frankford, Philadelphia, PA – What Facemask

Somehow this wasn’t called for facemask or hands to the face. Despite the attempt at a full separation of head from body.

Panama, New York – Off and Running

Portville, New York – Mothers’ Day Snow Game

A high school game in May? Yes. On Mother’s day? Also yes. In snow? Unbelievable. Ended 6-0 for Salamanca.

Buffalo, NY – Section Winning Overtime TD Score

What appeared to be my last game of the extended 2020 season ended regulation tied 20-20. In double overtime, Maritime/Health Sciences won and swarmed the endzone around me.

Gainesville, Georgia – Punt Block

Sitting in the endzone, I wasn’t expected much for photos with this game. Was with my daughter. And the field had little sideline room so I was outside the fence to provide some safety. A drive stalling in the shadow of their own goal posts, and set me up perfect for this blocked punt shot.

Steubenville, Ohio – Big Red Breathing Fire

Man’O’War sits high atop Harding Stadium’s scoreboard. Breathing fire after touchdowns.

Arcanum, Ohio – The Thrill of Victory

Arcanum Booster Stadium’s scoreboard sits barely above the field and made for a great backdrop after a last play celebratory #1 signal.

Harborcreek, PA – And the Pain of Defeat

Diving for it on 4th down, just inches short.

Panama, New York – When Nothing Is Going Right

Randolph blew up the play and swarmed the backfield.

Smethport, PA – Having All Your Bulldogs in a Row

Smethport’s field sits in the mountains of north central Pennsylvania. Pregame, the visiting team lined the endzone.

Pittsburgh, PA – Perfect Punt

Beautiful afternoon at Cupples Stadium. Sporadic cloud cover. I followed a punt in the air rather than tracking it on the ground. Glad that I did.

Pine Hill, New Mexico – Football is Football is Football is Football

Saw a game on a small reservation in western New Mexico. A combined homecoming/senior day for the final home game of the year. No matter where you go, high school football is the same. Homecoming kings and queens crowned. Seniors honored. No matter how small the schools.

Turpin, Oklahoma – Liberal Buffalo Hooker

This noteworthy sign sits just south of Turpin in the Oklahoma panhandle. Passed it many times. Aim to see a game in all three towns. As well as Turpin. So far, have only scratched Liberal and Hooker off the list.

Dodge City, Kansas – Reaching for a State Championship

In six-man football, it’s common for games to end in the second half when a particular margin is reached. This touchdown lunge won Natoma the state championship.

Cedar Falls, Iowa – Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley Makes an Entrance

At the UNI-Dome, the players entrance is through two large overhead doors. Conveniently under the large concourses that encircle the playing field and lower bowl of the stadium.

Hershey, PA – Grabowksi Lives Up To His Name With A One-Handed INT

The perfect name for a player with the play of the game. Wyomissing wins, 7-0 after stopping this touchdown threatening drive.

Arlington, Texas – Everything’s Bigger in Texas

Even the run-throughs.

Johns Creek, Georgia – Just a Tad Faster

So close. So far away.

Ocean City, New Jersey – On the Job

A hot day at the beach.

North East, PA – Home of the Grapepickers

Golden Hour.

Jal, New Mexico – Zia Sun Logos are the Best Logos

JAL is the brand of the ranch in the area, which lent itself to the name of the town. Similar to how Kaycee got its name from the KC Ranch. The brand is situated in the middle of the Zia Sun symbol. The same symbol front and center of New Mexico’s state flag.

Elida, New Mexico – Some People Shine for the Camera

This official asked if I could get a shot of his reffing the game. He did not disappoint.

Fargo, North Dakota – Just a Tad Short

The angle, the determination. Oh so close. But not close enough.

Pittsburgh, PA – Called Out of Bounds?

This dive looked like a score. The official, shown left, thought differently from his vantage point.

Mechanicsburg, PA – Football Santa

Pregame for Belle Vernon’s first state championship game. And Santa came to town early to watch his team.

Mechanicsburg, PA – Belle Vernon Running to a Title

And they won a close one over Neumann-Goretti.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Temporary Stadium, Permanent Memories

Second time seeing games in Florida, and it was worth it. Only two games I could make it to that weekend. But getting to see games at Inter Miami’s temporary home field was worth it. Such a unique venue for a state championship game. And the sightlines were quite decent.

Mandan, North Dakota – Life’s a Beach

Things didn’t go well for Beach in this game. But they did record this great leaping catch.

Wilmington, Delaware – Manheim Central With the Game-Winning Catch and Run

Surrounded by three defenders, Manheim Central actually scores a touchdown on this reception to squash what was an epic comeback by Smyrna. Winning, 37-36.

Trenton, Nebraska – Hitchcock County

A concrete stadium in southwestern Nebraska. An old fairground. A roofed stadium. Trenton’s Hitchcock County High School has it all.

Sandhills region, Nebraska – Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Nebraska is Boring

Not necessarily football, but driving between games, going south from Hyannis, Nebraska in the state’s Sandhills region. A wavy pattern of sand dunes that runs for miles and miles above the Ogallala Aquifer.

Weskan, Kansas – Six-Man Football

Weskan is a small dot on the map just miles from Colorado. Hosting Deer Trail, a small school from eastern Colorado on a crisp, sunny afternoon. This photos just encompasses everything about six-man football. The fans lined up in folding chairs. The tattered, beaten bare field. No lights, at least at the time.

Carrington, North Dakota – Reserved Seating

Small stadiums lead to some creativity. Out west, it isn’t common to see folding chairs lining the sidelines. Fans standing along ropes barely dividing the field from the fans. Cars and trucks pulled up to the edge of the stadium grounds to watch from the heated comfort of your car. And this. The hubris to not just use a dump truck to get an unfair height advantage and clear the fence. But equip it with angled platforms to support not one, but two sofas, a chair, steps, and a space heater.

Clymer, New York – Laying Out For The Catch

This was a great diving grab in the matchup between Randolph and CSP. A second photo in this list from this exact matchup.

Texico, New Mexico – Champions of New Mexico

In New Mexico, like Montana, the state championship games are hosted by one of the two teams playing. Texico, just feet from the Texas border, hosted Eunice and won. Defending their home turf in the process.

Pittsburgh, PA – Champions of the WPIAL

The exuberance.

Canton, Ohio – Champions of Ohio

Massillon had gone years since their last time. Hearing it again and again from naysayers that they ‘hadn’t won one on the field’, as if their seasons previous to the playoffs were played on paper. But not this year. This year, Tigers reigned supreme. In one of the most obscure scores you’ll see, 7-2 over Archbishop Hoban.

Arlington, Texas – Grayson Rigdon Goes Up For the Score

Great leaping grabs by one of the best six-man players in recent Texas history.

Arlington, Texas – The Cathedral of Football

If you’ve never been to Jerry World, you don’t get just how ridiculous this really is.

Arlington, Texas — It’s Lonely at the Top

And photographing games gets you into interesting places. Like the upper concourse. Alone. Photographing the pregame hoopla of the season’s last game.

Monument Valley, Utah – Just stopping by

Monument Valley, Utah – I will see a game here one day

This was my second trip to Monument Valley High School and I still plan to be here one day for a game. Just not sure when. The home fans have one of the best views in the nation. And it’s not really close.

Dacula, Georgia – Reflecting on another season

Hebron Christian

Eminence, Kentucky – Shake It Off

Ocean City, New Jersey – On the Boardwalk

Ocean City is a football throw’s distance from the boardwalk. A football field from the ocean. With the boardwalk’s ferris wheel towering over the homestands.

Egg Harbor Twp, New Jersey – Fast as Fast Can Be

Was trying to photograph the breakaway run. The official had other ideas.

Youngstown, Ohio – Playing in the Rain

A fun game at YSU in the rain.

Cambridge Springs, PA – More Rain

Rained even harder in Cambridge Springs. A slippery game going 17-0 for Greenville on the road.

Grass Range, Montana – Sunny Days

One of my most enduring memories was seeing a game in Grass Range in 2011. And after a year with no football, and several with a co-op as part of DGSGW or with Fergus in Lewistown, the Grass Range/Winnett Rangers returned in 2024. And I got to be there to see them return.

Midwest, Wyoming – 94 to 93. What. A. Game.

A once bustling boom town, Midwest is now barely a blip on the map. But the Oilers play on in 6-man. This game against Hulett was back-and-forth and back-and-forth and back-and-forth. This game felt destined for 100 points. By one or both teams. Up 94-87, Midwest gave up a TD to Hulett and it looked like we’d get there. With no kicking game, a 94-94 game would have to see one team score, right? But Hulett couldn’t complete the 1-point conversion attempt. And the final 2-plus minutes of the games wound off without another score. 94. To 93. Oh what a game. The highest scoring game in Wyoming state history.

Sheffield, PA – Taller than Mountains

Sheffield, PA – Last Game Atop Wolverine Mountain
(Wolverine Mountain: A Sheffield Legacy)

This was the last game ever for the Sheffield Wolverines on their famed Wolverine Mountain.  A small school facing consolidation, it finally came to an end. With a win.

Akron, Ohio – The Comeback that Wasn’t

Garfield scored on this run to tie the game. But the conversion attempt was blown up, and East held on for the win on the final Saturday of the season.

Hermitage, PA – The Play Above the Field

Great leaping interception by Greenville.

Charleston, West Virginia – Going All Out

Great leaping catch in a state title game.

Charleston, West Virginia – Champions of West Virginia

Another championship game in a new state. The WV Statehouse sitting over the team in the background.

Arlington, Texas – Happy Accidents (ISO set at 2000)

Had switched from Auto to 2000 ISO on accident. Bled out the photo. But the outcome was this beauty.

Marietta, Georgia – Football Under the Lights

First game of the season, and an unfortunate use of headlights that turned an average photo into a great one.

Palmyra, Ohio – Somewhere over the Rainbow

A couple hot air balloons took off from a nearby field before kickoff. One was lingering by at kickoff.

Palmyra, Ohio – Football. Coming at ya.

Sometimes you have to find the action. Sometimes it finds you. The zoom lens made this one look much closer than it was.

Grove City, PA – Collegiate.

A high school game on a college campus. Sunset as the rays shined over top of a building. Perfect scene.

Paris, Kentucky – Blanton Collier Stadium

There were so many from this game that were great. But, I liked the full play view with stands, trees, and sky.

Stow, Ohio – Out of the Fog

Stow-Munroe Falls running through fog pre-game.

New Castle, PA – Roc’Em Soc’Em Linemen

The collision loosing a chin strap made for a great action shot.

Rozel, Kansas – Home of the Pawnee Heights Tigers (and Gary Patterson)

Coming into town, I usually like to get the Welcome sign for the town if I can. Rozel was no different. This small town in central Kansas had quite a marquee for visitors, proudly proclaiming to be the home of the local high school and its teams. As well as a noteworthy college coach.

Bainville, Montana – Roadkill

This was such a beautiful day and there were a lot of great options for photos that could be the best of the best. The amber waves of grain were ambering. But this shot down field as the play went away from me worked because of the fallen player missing the tackle.

Casper, Wyoming – Light Artillery

Casper’s Natrona County brought out the big guns for their game I attended. And was lucky enough to time a shot sequence to get the firing of the cannon.

Midwest, Wyoming – Does this count as a Sack?

Juxtaposition aside, it was a good tackle. This being the second game I attended in Midwest. Far less scoring, too.

Fairfield, Nebraska – Pick

The pick itself was good, the airtime was next level.

Bismarck, North Dakota – Toes In

A nice toe-tap touchdown by West Fargo in Bismarck.

Killdeer, North Dakota – Turning Heads

This game got two in my top 100. First, this touchdown run. The state quarterfinal was already a big game. A huge crowd was on hand. The way they reacted to this score. The angles. Two of the cheerleaders turning to see what they were cheering for. It all worked perfectly.

Killdeer, North Dakota – Shadow Dancing

And this. Next to the punt block and the scorpion photos, this is my favorite photo ever. If only he held on to the catch. #5 helped dislodge it as he came down trying to bring it in. But for one moment, everything aligned. All three jumping. I usually don’t shoot toward the sun. For obvious reasons. But at this stadium had little choice. All fans on one side, so photographers are on the far side. I didn’t move down field to be more perpendicular to this action as this was a deep pass. All three jumped. All three show full shadows. None of this could be planned. It just happened. And I got to photograph it. Still wish he had completed the catch in the end.

Minot, North Dakota – Diving Into the State Title Game

In a state semifinal, late in the game. Trailing 17-14, Minot North’s William Bentley finds and opening and dives into the state championship game. And I positioned myself perfectly for it.

Laramie, Wyoming – First Score Was the Best Score

First state championships in Wyoming I attended. And couldn’t be on the field due to space limitations. But no issue being in the stands. First touchdown of the weekend was this diving catch right into the corner I had staked out.

Scobey, Montana – Champions of Montana

As with New Mexico, this was my first state championship game in Big Sky Country. And similarly, the games are played at the home venue of one of the two teams playing in the game. This one in Scobey. Not so much something particularly spectacular about this photo. But another personal milestone for me.

Ellwood City, PA – Head on a Swivel

Now this one was called.

Morgantown, West Virginia – Planking for a Touchdown

Morgantown was running away with game in the state semifinals. This touchdown was the cherry on top. A diving attempt, already up by a lot, to clearly separate the two teams.

Canton, Ohio – Front and Center

Levi Davis led the Orange to a state title. Winning player of the game honors. Deservedly so and prompted to show up the award and championship trophy during the team photos after the game.

Arlington, Texas – Raptured

Sometimes things just happen. It’s regular to get shots of whats going around on the field during the game. When the cheerleaders are doing cheers, or have flyers in the air, it’s an opportunity to get a good photo of the unsung gameday spectacle. And sometimes you time a shot accidentally perfect. Such as this one.

Arlington, Texas – Turn out the Lights, the Party’s Over

Been to AT&T Stadium now for 146 games. At the end, I always linger a little bit. Working the game, finishing up in the pressbox, there wasn’t much more to be done. Just finishing up after filming the press conferences. Processing a few photos and packing up for the weekend. Lights off. The stadium quiet. Just a few workers prepping the stadium for the next day. The press box filtering out.

It really is an honor to be a part of it all.

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