What are the top high school football teams in North Carolina before Week 3 of the playoffs?
Heading into the third round of the North Carolina playoffs, and state championship week for private schools, there are eight new teams in the statewide high school football rankings from The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh.
Some highlights:
▪ Two new 4A teams are in. First is unbeaten Watauga (12-0), which jumps in at No. 9 after beating two Charlotte-area teams in back-to-back weeks in the postseason. Watauga beat Hickory Ridge in the first round and beat Mallard Creek 20-14 in Friday. The Pioneers host a third straight unranked Charlotte-area team, Independence, in a third round game Friday.
▪ In at No. 10 in 4A is Clayton High School, led by former Myers Park coach Scott Chadwick. Clayton (10-2) beat Pinecrest 17-10 Friday to secure its first-ever 10-win season as a 4A team and its second 10-win season in the past 20 years.
▪ In the 3A poll, Asheville Reynolds (9-3) is in at No. 8 and Northern Nash (11-1) is new at No. 9. There are also big changes at the top of the poll. No.. 1 Crest (12-0) fell two spots to No. 3 after Friday’s 28-16 win Statesville. Greensboro’s Dudley High (12-0) returns to the top spot, and Fayetteville’s 71st High moves up a spot to second.
▪ There are two new teams in the 2A poll: Mecklenburg County’s Community School of Davidson (11-1) is No. 9. Community School has won eight straight games and is averaging more than 43 points per game. In at No. 10 is Hertford County (10-2), which has won six straight and beat state power Wallace-Rose Hill 58-44 in a wild second round game Friday.
▪ North Rowan (10-2) and Thomasville (9-3) return to the 1A poll, and there were no changes to the private school polls heading into state championship week.
Note: The polls are compiled by Chris Hughes, 47, who has been going to N.C. high school football games since 1979. He began coaching high school football in 1998 and began covering the sport professionally in 2002 when he launched a statewide website. In 2007, he started CarolinaPreps.com, when he began to do football rankings. Hughes, who has also done color commentary for Shrine Bowl broadcasts, has visited every school stadium in North Carolina.
This week’s polls
NCHSAA 4A
Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
1 | Grimsley | (12-0) | 1 |
2 | Rolesville | (11-1) | 2 |
3 | Butler | (11-1) | 3 |
4 | Hough | (11-1) | 4 |
5 | Cleveland | (12-0) | 6 |
6 | Hoggard | (11-1) | 8 |
7 | Weddington | (10-2) | 9 |
8 | Cardinal Gibbons | (10-2) | 10 |
9 | Watauga | (12-0) | NR |
10 | Clayton | (10-2) | NR |
NCHSAA 3A
Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
1 | Dudley | (12-0) | 2 |
2 | Seventy-First | (12-0) | 3 |
3 | Crest | (12-0) | 1 |
4 | J.M. Robinson | (12-0) | 4 |
5 | Havelock | (12-0)* | 7 |
6 | West Henderson | (12-0) | 8 |
7 | Hickory | (12-0) | 5 |
8 | A.C. Reynolds | (9-3) | NR |
9 | Northern Nash | (11-1) | NR |
10 | Southern Alamance | (11-1) | 9 |
NCHSAA 2A
Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
1 | Clinton | (12-0) | 1 |
2 | Monroe | (11-1) | 2 |
3 | Northeastern | (12-0) | 3 |
4 | Salisbury | (12-0) | 4 |
5 | Bunker Hill | (12-0) | 7 |
6 | Reidsville | (11-1) | 5 |
7 | Shelby | (9-3) | 8 |
8 | Forest Hills | (11-1) | 10 |
9 | Community School of Davidson | (11-1) | NR |
10 | Hertford County | (10-2) | NR |
NCHSAA 1A
Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
1 | Mount Airy | (12-0) | 1 |
2 | Tarboro | (10-0) | 2 |
3 | Robbinsville | (11-1) | 3 |
4 | Swain County | (11-1) | 4 |
5 | Eastern Randolph | (11-1) | 5 |
6 | Mountain Heritage | (10-2) | 6 |
7 | West Columbus | (10-1) | 7 |
8 | Murphy | (9-3) | 9 |
9 | North Rowan | (10-2) | NR |
10 | Thomasville | (9-3) | NR |
NCISAA Division I
No. | School | Record | Prev. |
1 | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee | (13-0) | 1 |
2 | Providence Day | (11-1) | 2 |
3 | Charlotte Christian | (8-4) | 3 |
4 | Christ School | (4-6) | 4 |
5 | Charlotte Country Day | (4-7) | 5 |
NCISAA Division II
No. | School | Record. | Prev. |
1 | Trinity Christian | (10-1) | 1 |
2 | Asheville School | (7-3) | 2 |
3 | High Point Christian | (8-3) | 3 |
4 | Hickory Grove Christian | (9-3) | 4 |
5 | Covenant Day | (5-5) | 5 |
NCISAA 8-Man
No. | School | Rec. | Prev. |
1 | Wayne Christian | (11-1) | 1 |
2 | Rocky Mount Academy | (10-2) | 3 |
3 | Halifax Academy | (9-1) | 2 |
4 | Faith Christian | (6-4) | 4 |
5 | Arednell Parrott | (5-5) | 5 |
