Who are the top high school football teams in North Carolina heading into the final week
It’s the final week of the high school football regular season in North Carolina, and three teams have moved into the statewide rankings. We’ve also made a change in the private school polls.
Some highlights:
▪ In 2A, Wallace Rose-Hill, a longtime state power, won its sixth straight game after an 0-3 start. It jumps into the 2A poll at No. 7. Its losses are to 9-0 Havelock, which is No. 8 in the 4A poll; to 2A No. 1 Clinton (8-0); and to 4A Wilmington Hoggard (8-1), which has won eight straight games.
▪ Charlotte Country Day (4-5) is in the new five-school NCISAA Division I rankings at No. 4. The Bucs have won two straight games, including Friday’s 16-13 win over Metrolina Christian.
▪ Christ School (2-6) is also in the private D1 rankings at No. 5.
▪ Trinity Christian (7-1) is No. 1 in the new NCISAA Division II rankings, which were added to account for school size and competitive level, similar to the public school rankings.
▪ There is one new No. 1 team this week in all the polls.
In the private school Division I rankings, Rabun Gap (GA) jumps over Providence Day from Charlotte after beating the previously No. 1 Chargers 42-27 in a battle of nationally ranked teams. Rabun Gap, about a three hour drive from Charlotte, has played in the N.C. Independent School leagues for several years.
Note: In the 3A poll, No. 5 Northern Nash will resume its game with Southern Nash Monday. The game is tied 7-7 in the second quarter Also Monday, 2A No. 1 Clinton (8-0) plays St. Pauls (5-3) at 7 p.m..
This week’s rankings
NCHSAA 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Grimsley | (9-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Rolesville | (8-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Butler | (8-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Weddington | (8-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Hough | (8-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Mooresville | (9-0) | 6 |
| 7 | Cleveland | (9-0) | 7 |
| 8 | Hoggard | (8-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Chambers | (7-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Independence | (7-2) | 10 |
NCHSAA 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Dudley | (9-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Crest | (9-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Seventy-First | (9-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Kings Mountain | (9-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Northern Nash | (8-0) | 6 |
| 6 | J.M. Robinson | (9-0) | 8 |
| 7 | Hickory | (9-0) | 7 |
| 8 | Havelock | (9-0)* | 9 |
| 9 | Scotland | (8-1) | 10 |
| 10 | West Charlotte | (7-2) | 5 |
NCHSAA 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Clinton | (8-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Monroe | (8-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Northeastern | (9-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Salisbury | (9-0) | 5 |
| 5 | Reidsville | (8-1) | 6 |
| 6 | Burns | (7-2) | 7 |
| 7 | Wallace-Rose Hill | (6-3) | NR |
| 8 | East Duplin | (8-1) | 4 |
| 9 | Bunker Hill | (9-0) | 8 |
| 10 | Forest Hills | (8-1) | 9 |
NCHSAA 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Mount Airy | (9-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Tarboro | (8-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Swain County | (9-0) | 4 |
| 4 | Robbinsville | (8-1) | 3 |
| 5 | Eastern Randolph | (8-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Draughn | (8-1) | 6 |
| 7 | West Columbus | (8-1) | 7 |
| 8 | Mountain Heritage | (7-2) | 8 |
| 9 | Starmount | (8-1) | 9 |
| 10 | Murphy | (6-3) | 10 |
NCISAA Division I
| No. | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee | (10-0) | 2 |
| 2 | Providence Day | (8-1) | 1 |
| 3 | Charlotte Christian | (6-3) | 3 |
| 4 | Charlotte Country Day | (4-5) | NR |
| 5 | Christ School | (2-6) | NR |
NCISAA Division II
| No. | School | Record |
| 1 | Trinity Christian | (7-1) |
| 2 | High Point Christian | (8-1) |
| 3 | Hickory Grove Christian | (8-1) |
| 4 | Asheville School | (5-3) |
| 5 | Covenant Day | (4-5) |
NCISAA Division II
| No. | School | Rec. |
| 1 | Wayne Christian | (8-1) |
| 2 | Halifax Academy | (7-0) |
| 3 | Rocky Mount Academy | (8-2) |
| 4 | Arednell Parrott | (5-3) |
| 5 | Faith Christian | (4-3) |
Note: The rankings 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 story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
