What are the best high school football teams in North Carolina? Three new join the polls
Three new teams join the North Carolina statewide rankings this week.
All six teams ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions last week remain there as we head into the next to last week of regular-season play.
New to the polls are Mountain Heritage and Starmount in 1A, and past NCISAA state champion Charlotte Country Day in the private school polls.
NOTE: The rankings are compiled by Chris Hughes, who attended his first N.C. high school football game in 1979. He began coaching prep football in 1998, and began covering the sport professionally in 2002 when he launched a statewide website. In 2007, he started CarolinaPreps.com, where he began football rankings. Hughes, who has served as an analyst for Shrine Bowl broadcasts, has visited every school stadium in North Carolina.
NCHSAA 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Grimsley | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Rolesville | (7-1) | 3 |
| 3 | Butler | (8-1) | 2 |
| 4 | Weddington | (7-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Hough | (7-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Mooresville | (8-0) | 6 |
| 7 | Cleveland | (8-0) | 7 |
| 8 | Hoggard | (7-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Chambers | (6-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Independence | (6-2) | 10 |
NCHSAA 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Dudley | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Crest | (8-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Seventy-First | (8-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Kings Mountain | (8-0) | 4 |
| 5 | West Charlotte | (7-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Northern Nash | (8-0) | 6 |
| 7 | Hickory | (8-0) | 8 |
| 8 | J.M. Robinson | (8-0) | 9 |
| 9 | Havelock | (8-0) | 10 |
| 10 | Scotland | (7-1) | 7 |
NCHSAA 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Clinton | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Monroe | (7-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Northeastern | (8-0) | 3 |
| 4 | East Duplin | (8-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Salisbury | (9-0) | 5 |
| 6 | Reidsville | (7-1) | 6 |
| 7 | Burns | (6-2) | 8 |
| 8 | Bunker Hill | (8-0) | 7 |
| 9 | Forest Hills | (7-1) | 9 |
| 10 | West Lincoln | (7-1) | 10 |
NCHSAA 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Mount Airy | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Tarboro | (7-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Robbinsville | (7-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Swain County | (8-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Eastern Randolph | (7-1) | 7 |
| 6 | Draughn | (8-1) | 5 |
| 7 | West Columbus | (7-1) | 8 |
| 8 | Mountain Heritage | (6-2) | NR |
| 9 | Starmount | (7-1) | NR |
| 10 | Murphy | (5-3) | 6 |
NCISAA
| No. | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Providence Day | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Rabun Gap-Nachoochee | (9-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Hickory Grove Christian | (8-0) | 4 |
| 4 | Charlotte Christian | (5-3) | 3 |
| 5 | Cannon School | (5-3) | 9 |
| 6 | Metrolina Christian | (5-3) | 5 |
| 7 | Asheville School | (4-3) | 8 |
| 8 | High Point Christian | (7-1) | 6 |
| 9 | Trinity Christian | (6-1) | 7 |
| 10 | Charlotte Country Day | (3-5) | NR |
NCISAA 8-MAN
| No. | School | Rec. | Prev. |
| 1 | Wayne Christian | (7-1) | 1 |
| 2 | Halifax Academy | (6-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Rocky Mount Academy | (7-2) | 3 |
| 4 | Arednell Parrott | (5-2) | 4 |
| 5 | John Paul II | (5-3) | 5 |
| 6 | Faith Christian | (4-2) | 6 |
| 7 | Cary Christian | (3-4) | 7 |
| 8 | Lawrence Academy | (3-2) | 8 |
| 9 | St. David’s | (4-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Northeast Academy | (3-3) | 10 |
This story was originally published October 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
