High School Football: Two new teams join Observer’s Sweet 16, two make big jumps
Two new teams join The Charlotte Observer Sweet 16, the region’s oldest high school football poll. The Sweet 16 is 40 years old this year.
New teams include Charlotte Christian, which beat Myers Park 40-37 Saturday at Memorial Stadium, and Union County’s Marvin Ridge, which upended Pfafftown’s Reagan High, 42-27. Reagan was 16-6 the past two seasons.
Two teams made big jumps: Mallard Creek jumped six spots to No. 9 after beating Independence Thursday. Independence fell eight spots to No. 11.
Weddington jumped five spots to No. 2 after a blowout win over Cox Mill.
▪ The Sweet 16 poll is sponsored by Deer Park Water.
Dropped Out: Hickory Ridge (4A, 0-1); South Point (3A, 1-0).
Note: Rankings are compiled by longtime N.C. high school football expert Chris Hughes. Hughes, 47, 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 story was originally published August 21, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
