Who are the best teams in North Carolina heading into NCHSAA state championship week?
Heading into the final week of the season, there is one new No. 1 team in the NC statewide high school football polls from The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh.
After beating former No. 1 Greensboro Dudley in a state semifinal Friday, Hickory moves to No. 1.
And there is movement in all four polls, positioning the top two teams to face off in state championship games Friday and Saturday in the Triangle.
▪ The NC polls are compiled by longtime NC football expert Chris Hughes. Hughes, 47, has been going to NC 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.
North Carolina statewide rankings
NCHSAA 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Mount Airy | (15-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Tarboro | (13-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Robbinsville | (13-2) | 3 |
| 4 | West Columbus | (12-2) | 4 |
| 5 | Eastern Randolph | (12-2) | 5 |
| 6 | Swain County | (11-2) | 6 |
| 7 | North Rowan | (11-3) | 7 |
| 8 | Wilson Prep | (11-2) | 8 |
| 9 | Mountain Heritage | (10-3) | 9 |
| 10 | East Bladen | (8-6) | 10 |
NCHSAA 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Clinton | (15-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Reidsville | (14-1) | 3 |
| 3 | Northeastern | (14-1) | 2 |
| 4 | Shelby | (11-4) | 4 |
| 5 | Bunker Hill | (13-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Forest Hills | (12-2) | 6 |
| 7 | Whiteville | (11-3) | 7 |
| 8 | Nash Central | (11-3) | 8 |
| 9 | Monroe | (11-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Salisbury | (12-1) | 10 |
NCHSAA 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Hickory | (15-0) | 3 |
| 2 | Seventy-First | (15-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Dudley | (14-1) | 1 |
| 4 | Northern Nash | (13-2) | 4 |
| 5 | Crest | (13-1) | 5 |
| 6 | West Henderson | (13-1) | 6 |
| 7 | Southern Alamance | (12-2) | 7 |
| 8 | Havelock | (13-1)* | 8 |
| 9 | J.M. Robinson | (12-1) | 9 |
| 10 | West Charlotte | (9-4) | 10 |
NCHSAA 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Weddington | (13-2) | 1 |
| 2 | Hoggard | (15-1) | 3 |
| 3 | Cardinal Gibbons | (12-3) | 2 |
| 4 | Independence | (11-4) | 4 |
| 5 | Grimsley | (13-1) | 5 |
| 6 | Rolesville | (12-2) | 6 |
| 7 | Butler | (12-2) | 7 |
| 8 | Cleveland | (13-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Hough | (11-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Clayton | (10-3) | 10 |
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
