I agree wholeheartedly. Do the things that you enjoy, hope for the best, but prepare to be rejected from both.
Why? Because there are roughly 27,000 high schools in the US. That means at a minimum there are 54,000 Valedictorians and Salutatorians every year. Stanford and MIT admit about 3000 students per year combined. A huge number of #1 and #2 ranked students want those schools, and that’s not to mention those who have very high stats, but aren’t at the tippy top. There are just too many kids applying for the spots they have.
Feel free to apply, but try to understand beyond the bumper sticker why they might actually be your dream. Then look into other great programs that are a little less competitive, but still very good, like HMC, Pomona, Olin, Michigan, etc.
Most importantly though, look at safeties. There are lots of very good ones. What’s your home state?