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?
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 IV
Central Falls
The Warriors were out of place in Division III last season, but managed a 3-5 record and had some highlights. Moving to Division IV will automatically make them a favorite and expect Brandon Canuto to continue to change the culture around Central Falls football in 2026.
Exeter-West Greenwich
Could this be a big season for the Scarlet Knights? They’ve carried a relatively young roster the last two seasons, but most of those players are now veterans ready to win. EWG – which co-ops with Prout – should be an early favorite to contend for a Division IV title this fall.
Hope
Football is a numbers game and the Blue Wave lacked them last year. Despite having two of the best players in the state up front, Hope didn’t have enough players to contend after winning its first two games of the season. Peter Quaweay will have his team ready to go, regardless of how many players they have suited.
Juanita Sanchez
Injuries hit the Cavaliers hard last season and were a big reason why the team finished 2-5. Those injuries forced young players to step up and suddenly, Juanita Sanchez – which co-ops with Providence Country Day – finds itself in the conversation as one of the favorites.
Narragansett
The Mariners got over their 2024 Division IV Super Bowl loss with a Super Bowl title last fall and while they graduated plenty, the program’s proven sustainability should have them back in contention in 2026. Expect Matt Blessing to go deep in his bag of tricks to give Narragansett a chance to repeat as champs.
North Smithfield
It was a regular-season and postseason to forget for the Northmen, who went 8-0 in 2026 but were blown out by Davies in the semifinals. North Smithfield graduated several key weapons from last season, but Jeff Paiva doesn’t let his program make excuses and will have the team back in the saddle in 2026.
Scituate
The Spartans were one of the surprise stories of 2025, going 5-3 and earning a spot in the Division IV semifinals. After the first back-to-back winning seasons since the 1960s, Scituate will shoot for a winning season that would give it three in a row for the first time in program history.
Smithfield
Last season became less about football and more about controversy for the Sentinels, who went 5-3 before being upset in the quarterfinal round. With a new coach in Rob McCoy, Smithfield will try to put the past behind it and focus on contending for a Super Bowl in 2026.
Tiverton
The Tigers are hoping things go better in 2026 than they did in 2025, when injuries and lack of participation forced the team to forfeit the season. Tiverton will be a longshot in Division IV, but a return to field for the whole season would be a win in itself.
Toll Gate
It’s been rough of late for the Titans, who have gone 2-27 over the past four seasons, including last year’s 0-8 record. Toll Gate can’t talk Super Bowl until it wins a game, and with many back from last season there should be improvement in 2026.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Which D-IV team will win in 2026? Vote for your preseason favorite now.