3 new teams join NC statewide polls. Will Kendre Harrison’s Reidsville return tip scale?
.jpg "Reidsville football’s Kendre Harrison outmuscles a pair of Shelby tacklers on his way to the end zone during their Dec. 1, 2023 high school football game.")
Three new teams join this week’s N.C. statewide high school football rankings, sponsored by The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh.
In the biggest N.C. high school news of the week, MaxPreps national male athlete of the year Kendre Harrison left Providence Day and returned to his home school, Reidsville, which he helped lead to the public school 2A state title last season.
Reidsville (4-0) was No. 1 in the 2A poll last week and Harrison’s return should only further cement its spot at the top.
In fact, all five No. 1 teams — Reidsville, Providence Day (private), Tarboro (1A), Hickory (3A) and Weddington (4A) — remained the same.
There are three new teams in the polls, however:
▪ Watauga, off to a 4-0 start, joins the 4A poll at No. 9. The Pioneers have outscored opponents 142-41 this season, led by QB Maddox Greene (846 total yards, 9 total TDs) and RB James Merchant (836 total yards, 9 total TDs). Both players have more than 400 passing and 400 rushing yards.
▪ In the 2A poll, Maiden (2-1) is in at No. 8. Maiden lost 24-13 to Watauga on Sept. 6 but beat Hickory’s St. Stephens High 29-6 last week. Maiden has two quarterbacks, sophomore Keyahjae Smyre and junior Grant Lawing, who have each passed for 359 yards and four touchdowns.
▪ Finally in the 1A poll, East Wilkes (4-0) joins at No. 10. The Cardinals — from Ronda, N.C., a small town near Winston-Salem — threw just two passes in their first three games but are outscoring opponents 146-49.
Note: The polls are compiled by longtime prep football expert 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.
Class 4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Weddington | (4-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Grimsley | (3-0) | 2 |
| 3 | East Forsyth | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Mallard Creek | (2-1) | 7 |
| 5 | Independence | (4-0) | 4 |
| 6 | Rolesville | (3-1) | 5 |
| 7 | Hough | (2-1) | 8 |
| 8 | Cardinal Gibbons | (2-1) | 6 |
| 9 | Watauga | (4-0) | NR |
| 10 | Cleveland | (3-0) | 9 |
Class 3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Hickory | (3-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Havelock | (3-0) | 5 |
| 3 | Dudley | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Seventy-First | (3-0) | 2 |
| 5 | West Charlotte | (2-0) | 4 |
| 6 | Northern Nash | (4-0) | 7 |
| 7 | Crest | (3-0) | 6 |
| 8 | J.M. Robinson | (4-0) | 8 |
| 9 | Cape Fear | (3-0) | 9 |
| 10 | Jacksonville | (2-0) | 10 |
Class 2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Reidsville | (4-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Monroe | (3-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Northeastern | (3-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Shelby | (2-2) | 5 |
| 5 | Randleman | (4-0) | 8 |
| 6 | James Kenan | (4-0) | 7 |
| 7 | SouthWest Edgecombe | (3-1) | 4 |
| 8 | Maiden | (2-1) | NR |
| 9 | Farmville Central | (4-0) | 9 |
| 10 | Nash Central | (2-1) | 10 |
Class 1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Tarboro | (4-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Mount Airy | (4-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Mountain Heritage | (4-0) | 3 |
| 4 | Eastern Randolph | (3-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Starmount | (3-0) | 5 |
| 6 | Murphy | (3-1) | 6 |
| 7 | North Duplin | (3-0) | 7 |
| 8 | Robbinsville | (1-3) | 8 |
| 9 | Bishop McGuinness | (3-0) | 9 |
| 10 | East Wilkes | (4-0) | NR |
NCISAA
| No. | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Providence Day | (3-1) | 1 |
| 2 | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee | (3-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Charlotte Christian | (2-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Asheville School | (3-0) | 4 |
| 5 | High Point Christian | (4-0) | 6 |
| 6 | Charlotte Latin | (4-0) | 8 |
| 7 | Christ School | (1-2) | 5 |
| 8 | Trinity Christian | (2-1) | 7 |
| 9 | Charlotte Country Day | (2-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Hickory Grove Christian | (4-0) | 10 |
