NC High School Football Rankings: After big win, Butler’s Bulldogs make a big jump
Saturday night, the Butler High Bulldogs went to Atlanta and upset Langston Hughes (GA) in an event sponsored by former Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton.
Butler won 30-27, beating a Hughes team ranked No. 17 nationally by High School Football America.
That helped vault the Bulldogs from unranked to No. 5 in the NC statewide rankings from The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh. Butler is one of six new teams this week.
Elsewhere:
▪ There’s a new No. 1 in 3A. Greensboro’s Dudley High (3-0) jumped over Crest High from Boiling Springs (3-0) to take the top spot.
▪ And this week, we’re introducing rankings for the 8-man football teams among N.C. private schools. No. 1 is Goldsboro’s Wayne Christian School (2-1).
Note: The rankings are compiled by 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.
The NC Statewide Rankings
NCHSAA 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Grimsley | (3-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Weddington | (3-0) | 2 |
| 3 | East Forsyth | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Mallard Creek | (1-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Butler | (2-1) | NR |
| 6 | Leesville Road | (3-0) | 5 |
| 7 | Hough | (2-1) | NR |
| 8 | Cleveland | (3-0) | 8 |
| 9 | Rolesville | (2-1) | 10 |
| 10 | Cardinal Gibbons | (2-1) | 9 |
NCHSAA 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Dudley | (3-0) | 2 |
| 2 | Crest | (3-0) | 1 |
| 3 | Kings Mountain | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | West Charlotte | (3-0) | 6 |
| 5 | Seventy-First | (2-0) | 4 |
| 6 | Northern Nash | (3-0) | 7 |
| 7 | Scotland | (3-0) | 8 |
| 8 | East Lincoln | (3-0) | 5 |
| 9 | North Brunswick | (3-0) | 10 |
| 10 | Southern Nash | (3-0) | NR |
NCHSAA 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Clinton | (3-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Salisbury | (3-0) | 3 |
| 3 | Whiteville | (3-0) | 4 |
| 4 | Reidsville | (3-0) | 2 |
| 5 | Forest Hills | (3-0) | 5 |
| 6 | East Duplin | (3-0) | 6 |
| 7 | Monroe | (2-1) | 7 |
| 8 | John A. Holmes | (2-0) | 10 |
| 9 | Burns | (1-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Princeton | (3-0) | 8 |
NCHSAA 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Mount Airy | (3-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Tarboro | (3-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Robbinsville | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Swain County | (3-0) | 7 |
| 5 | Mitchell | (3-0) | 4 |
| 6 | Murphy | (1-1) | 6 |
| 7 | Mountain Island Charter | (2-0) | 9 |
| 8 | Thomasville | (2-1) | NR |
| 9 | Mountain Heritage | (1-2) | 8 |
| 10 | Draughn | (2-1) | NR |
NCISAA Private 11-Man
| No. | School | Record | Prvs. |
| 1 | Providence Day | (3-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Rabun Gap-Nachoochee | (3-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Charlotte Christian | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Metrolina Christian | (3-0) | 5 |
| 5 | Christ School | (0-3) | NR |
| 6 | Hickory Grove Christian | (3-0) | 7 |
| 7 | Cannon School | (3-0) | 6 |
| 8 | Asheville School | (0-2) | 10 |
| 9 | Harrells Christian | (3-0) | 9 |
| 10 | High Point Christian | (3-0) | 8 |
NCISAA Private 8-Man
| No. | School | Rec. |
| 1 | Wayne Christian | (2-1) |
| 2 | Halifax Academy | (2-0) |
| 3 | Arednell Parrott | (1-1) |
| 4 | John Paul II | (2-0) |
| 5 | Faith Christian | (1-1) |
| 6 | Cary Christian | (2-0) |
| 7 | Lawrence Academy | (0-2) |
| 8 | Rocky Mount Academy | (0-2) |
| 9 | Pungo Christian | (2-0) |
| 10 | St. David’s | (1-0) |
This story was originally published September 4, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
