Vance starts the season No. 1 in the Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 prep football poll
The last time there was public high school football in North Carolina, Vance High School staked its claim as the best team in the state.
The Cougars beat Raleigh’s Leesville Road, 24-3, in December of 2019, staking its claim to one of the state’s best-ever defenses.
Leesville Road (13-1), which was averaging 35 points per game, had 80 yards total offense, and Vance forced five turnovers.
To win the championship, Vance (13-2) won five straight road playoff games. The Cougars beat three-time state champion Butler, 21-0, and followed that up by beating the top three seeds in the western half of the playoff draw — allowing just 21 points total to Mallard Creek, West Forsyth and Richmond Senior.
The star of that team — two-time Associated Press N.C. defensive player of the year Power Echols — enrolled at North Carolina early. But Vance starts No. 1 in the Sweet 16 because it still returns 13 starters and 20 lettermen.
| Rk. | School (Cl) | 2019 Record |
| 1 | Vance (4A) | 13-2 |
| 2 | Richmond Sr. (4A) | 13-1 |
| 3. | Charlotte Catholic (3A) | 12-3 |
| 4. | Weddington (3A) | 16-0 |
| 5. | Shelby (2A) | 14-1 |
| 6. | Hough (4A) | 8-5 |
| 7. | Mallard Creek (4A) | 10-1-1 |
| 8. | Crest (3A) | 10-3 |
| 9. | AL Brown (3A) | 8-4 |
| 10. | Butler (4A) | 8-4 |
| 11. | Kings Mountain (3A) | 12-3 |
| 12. | Burns (3A) | 12-3 |
| 13. | Hibriten (2A) | 11-2 |
| 14. | Myers Park (4A) | 12-1 |
| 15. | Hickory Ridge (4A) | 8-3 |
| 16. | Salisbury (2A) | 13-3 |
