As the playoffs head to Round 2, what are the top high school football teams in the state?
Two new teams are in this week’s NC high school football statewide rankings from The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh:
▪ North Rowan (9-2) is new to the 1A poll. It’s in at No. 10. North Rowan beat Elkin 63-19 Friday and has won eight of its last nine games.
▪ In 4A, Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons (9-2) is back in the poll at No. 10. Gibbons, the fall 2021 N.C. 4A state champion, has won seven straight games, including Friday’s 40-0 win over Overhills.
▪ Elsewhere, all the No. 1 teams held onto their spots as the NC Independent Schools and the NCHSAA playoffs head to Round 2 Friday.
▪ NOTE: The polls 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.
NC Statewide Rankings
NCISAA 8-Man
| No. | School | Rec. | Prev. |
| 1 | Wayne Christian | (10-1) | 1 |
| 2 | Halifax Academy | (9-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Rocky Mount Academy | (9-2) | 3 |
| 4 | Faith Christian | (6-3) | 4 |
| 5 | Arednell Parrott | (5-5) | 5 |
NCISAA Division II
| No. | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Trinity Christian | (9-1) | 1 |
| 2 | Asheville School | (6-3) | 4 |
| 3 | High Point Christian | (8-2) | 2 |
| 4 | Hickory Grove Christian | (9-2) | 3 |
| 5 | Covenant Day | (5-5) | 5 |
NCHSAA 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Mount Airy | (11-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Tarboro | (9-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Robbinsville | (10-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Swain County | (10-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Eastern Randolph | (10-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Mountain Heritage | (9-2) | 6 |
| 7 | West Columbus | (9-1) | 7 |
| 8 | Starmount | (10-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Murphy | (8-3) | 9 |
| 10 | North Rowan | (9-2) | NR |
NCHSAA 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Clinton | (11-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Monroe | (10-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Northeastern | (11-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Salisbury | (11-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Reidsville | (10-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Wallace-Rose Hill | (8-3) | 6 |
| 7 | Bunker Hill | (11-0) | 7 |
| 8 | Shelby | (8-3) | 8 |
| 9 | East Duplin | (10-1) | 9 |
| 10 | Forest Hills | (10-1) | 10 |
NCHSAA 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Crest | (11-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Dudley | (11-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Seventy-First | (11-0) | 3 |
| 4 | J.M. Robinson | (11-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Havelock | (11-0)* | 7 |
| 6 | Hickory | (11-0) | 5 |
| 7 | Kings Mountain | (10-1) | 6 |
| 8 | West Henderson | (11-0) | 8 |
| 9 | Southern Nash | (10-1) | 10 |
| 10 | Northern Nash | (10-1) | NR |
NCHSAA 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Grimsley | (11-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Rolesville | (10-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Butler | (10-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Hough | (10-1) | 4 |
| 6 | Cleveland | (11-0) | 6 |
| 5 | Mooresville | (11-0) | 5 |
| 8 | Hoggard | (10-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Weddington | (9-2) | 9 |
| 7 | Pinecrest | (11-0) | 7 |
| 10 | Cardinal Gibbons | (9-2) | 10 |
