What are PA’s top football programs of the 2000’s?
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
The winningest football programs in Pennsylvania history have been at it for a long time.
No. 1 Mount Carmel, which enters the 2025 season with 907 victories, earned its first win in 1893 – before gasoline-powered cars, homes lighted by electricity, or voting rights for American women.
Easton, No. 2 on the Pennsylvania wins list, played its first season in 1898, a year after No. 3 Berwick debuted.
Top programs such as Wilson and Manheim Central didn’t field teams for another six decades; they’re more than 150 wins behind PA bluebloods such as Coatesville, New Castle, and Williamsport on the state’s all-time wins list.
But what about more recently?
What if we started the clock in 2000?
Who would be on top?
Pennsylvania’s wins list would look dramatically different. Just one of the all-time leaders, Aliquippa, would crack the Top 10 for the last 25 seasons. Mount Carmel and Easton wouldn’t be in the Top 20.
Recently, MikeDragoSports.com, in conjunction with Pennsylvania Football History (pafbhistory.com), took a deep dive into the numbers to determine the most successful football programs of the 2000’s.
With 25 seasons in the books now, enough games have been played to give these numbers legitimacy.
Not surprisingly the No. 1 team of the 2000’s, both in total wins and winning percentage, is Southern Columbia, which has made 17 appearances in a PIAA championship game since 2000, winning a whopping 13 state titles.
The Tigers have claimed five state titles in Class 1A and eight in Class 2A, including seven straight from 2017-2023, with nine straight championship-game appearances from 2015-2023. They won five championships in a row from 2002-06 after losing title games in 2000 and 2001.
It’s no wonder Jim Roth is the state’s all-time winningest coach, with 506 victories – 51 more than the legendary George Curry, who’s at No. 2. The Tigers have averaged 13 wins per season since 2000; no other program has averaged close to 12.
Overall, Southern has 325 wins since 2000, with an incredible winning percentage of .895.
Aliquippa is No. 2 on the 2000’s victory list, with 291 wins, 10 more than No. 3 Thomas Jefferson.
Bishop McDevitt is the winningest program in District 3 with 264 victories, which ranks No. 5 overall.
Wyomissing is next among District 3 teams at 260, and No. 8 overall.
That’s just ahead of No. 9 Manheim Central, at 257.
Wilson comes in at No. 12 overall with 246 wins since 2000.
When it comes to winning percentage, Wyomissing is No. 7 overall at .820, which is best among all District 3 programs.
Wilson ranks No. 9 in the state in winning percentage, at .807. That’s just ahead of Manheim Central (.803), the only other program with a success rate above .800.
Berks Catholic comes in at No. 29 on the winning percentage list at .735. The Saints ranked much higher a few years ago but suffered back-to-back losing seasons in 2022 and 2023 and are just 17-17 over the past three seasons.
Through their first 11 seasons the Saints recorded a sterling .788 winning percentage, which would’ve been among the Top 15 in the state, and close to cracking the Top 10 list.
Wilson has achieved its high ranking with unprecedented consistency. The Bulldogs have recorded 49 consecutive winning seasons, the longest active streak in the state. They have enjoyed 61 straight non-losing seasons.
Gerald Ford, a former University of Michigan lineman, was in the White House the last time the Bulldogs didn’t finish with a winning record (1975). John F. Kennedy was President the last time they had a losing record (1963).
The Bulldogs have won 10 or more games in a season 25 times since, particularly remarkable considering teams were limited to 11 games per season before the district playoffs kicked off in 1982.
Wilson has only gotten better in recent decades. It won 10 or more games nine straight seasons from 2008 to 2016 (an era which saw the Bulldogs set a Lancaster-Lebanon League record with 68 consecutive league victories).
(Chris Knight/LNP photo)
Over 19 seasons with Doug Dahms as head coach Wilson has an .817 winning percentage.
Wyomissing has enjoyed a similar run of excellence. The Spartans have had just one losing record over the past 25 seasons, in 2004. They’ve had winning records in 23 of the 25 seasons, capped by their 16-0 run and PIAA Class AA championship in 2012.
They have recorded 10 or more wins eight times in the past 10 seasons with an incredible run from 2019-2022 which saw them go 49-4 and reach back-to-back PIAA championships. In 2023 they became the first Berks team to win five straight district titles.
Bob Wolfrum has known just one losing season in his 38 years as Spartans head coach; with 372 victories he ranks No. 2 among active coaches in the state, behind only Roth. He is tied for No. 6 all-time.
The only other Berks program with a winning percentage above .650 during the 2000’s is Gov. Mifflin (.652). Conrad Weiser (.593) and Exeter (.589) are next among Berks’ top programs.
Here’s the list:
PA’s winningest programs of the 2000’s
(ranked by winning percentage 2000-24; minimum 100 games)
| Program | Wins | Winning Pct. | PIAA titles | |
| Southern Columbia | 325 | .895 | 13 | |
| Aliquippa | 291 | .884 | 4 | |
| Thomas Jefferson | 281 | .870 | 5 | |
| St. Joseph’s Prep | 260 | .831 | 9 | |
| Clairton | 266 | .829 | 4 | |
| Pitts. Central Cath. | 264 | .825 | 3 | |
| WYOMISSING | 260 | .820 | 1 | |
| Bishop McDevitt (3) | 264 | .810 | 2 | |
| WILSON | 246 | .807 | 0 | |
| Manheim Central | 257 | .803 | 1 | |
| Bok Vo-Tech | 107 | .793 | 0 | |
| North Penn (1) | 252 | .788 | 1 | |
| Central Valley | 151 | .786 | 2 | |
| Garnet Valley | 232 | .786 | 0 | |
| Cathedral Prep | 248 | .780 | 5 | |
| Clearfield | 224 | .775 | 0 | |
| Bellwood-Antis | 226 | .774 | 0 | |
| Jeannette | 228 | .770 | 2 | |
| Imhotep Charter | 194 | .761 | 2 | |
| Parkland | 238 | .758 | 1 | |
| Wilmington | 227 | .754 | 1 | |
| Dunmore | 236 | .752 | 0 | |
| Malvern Prep | 189 | .747 | 0 | |
| North Allegheny | 222 | .747 | 2 | |
| West Chester Rustin | 168 | .747 | 0 | |
| McKeesport | 212 | .741 | 1 | |
| Upper St. Clair | 207 | .739 | 1 | |
| South Fayette | 208 | .738 | 2 | |
| BERKS CATHOLIC | 125 | .735 | 0 | |
| Rochester | 218 | .732 | 3 | |
| Washington | 201 | .730 | 1 | |
| Pottsgrove | 214 | .728 | 0 | |
| Karns City | 214 | .725 | 0 | |
| Pine-Richland | 216 | .725 | 3 | |
| Portage | 195 | .725 | 0 | |
| Downingtown East | 182 | .722 | 0 | |
| Selinsgrove | 229 | .722 | 1 | |
| Farrell | 221 | .721 | 2 | |
| Ridley | 215 | .721 | 0 | |
| Coatesville | 203 | .715 | 0 | |
| Strath Haven | 214 | .713 | 1 | |
| Mount Carmel | 213 | .710 | 2 | |
| Archbishop Wood | 216 | .708 | 5 | |
| Central Dauphin | 206 | .708 | 1 | |
| Clarion | 163 | .706 | 0 | |
| Cumberland Valley | 214 | .706 | 1 | |
| Delone Catholic | 197 | .706 | 0 | |
| West Allegheny | 202 | .706 | 1 | |
| Lampeter-Strasburg | 206 | .705 | 0 | |
| Steel-High | 219 | .704 | 5 | |
| Tyrone | 207 | .704 | 0 | |
| Old Forge | 204 | .703 | 0 | |
| Bishop Guilfoyle | 211 | .699 | 5 | |
| State College | 218 | .696 | 0 | |
| Neshaminy | 203 | .695 | 1 | |
| Easton | 218 | .694 | 0 | |
| Gateway | 198 | .694 | 0 | |
| General McLane | 191 | .692 | 1 | |
| Lakeland | 202 | .692 | 0 | |
| Scranton Prep | 200 | .692 | 0 |
