Six things to know as NC high school football playoffs approach
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NCHSAA delayed playoff bracket release to Sunday after expanding to eight classes.
- Schools reported five-figure gate losses after district limited ticket sales this season.
- Playoffs start Nov. 7 with state finals Dec. 11-13 at multiple neutral sites.
This is the final week of regular-season play for N.C. high school football teams. That means the playoffs are upon us.
Here’s a few things to know.
1) NCHSAA ‘selection day’ has moved, again
For years, the N.C. public school playoff football brackets have been released on Saturday afternoon. This year, the association announced that pairings were moving to Monday, Nov. 3.
Why?
For the 2025-26 school year, the NCHSAA added four classifications, moving to eight. This move was made at the request of member schools and means there are double the number of state championships on Friday and Saturday, when finals will be held in cross-country in Winston-Salem; in volleyball in Raleigh and Winston-Salem; and in dual-team tennis in Burlington.
That workload would prevent NCHSAA staff from assembling the football bracket.
Football coaches generally didn’t take the news well.
Appearing on The Observer’s Talking Preps show, Cardinal Gibbons coach Steven Wright said a Monday release was “robbing us of almost 48 hours of prep work.”
On Monday, the NCHSAA announced that it would release the pairings on Sunday, meaning weekend work for staffers. The coaches should applaud that effort.
2) What about the new CMS ticketing policy for ‘higher profile’ games?
Earlier this month, the district announced a new formal policy for how it would handle games that it deemed higher profile. Earlier this season, it limited ticket sales to several games before the formal policy was announced.
Schools told The Observer it cost them into the five figures in revenue when tickets were limited and not sold at the gate.
Last week, CMS told The Observer that no games were subject to the “HP/E” policy, but it is not clear whether the policy will extend into the playoffs, when out-of-town teams might be coming to play Mecklenburg County schools.
The Observer reached out to CMS for that information but has not received a response.
3) What’s the best game this week?
It’s rivalry week, so many schools will face off with longtime opponents. CMS games have been moved up to Thursday to avoid playing on Halloween.
— In Matthews, Butler will host Independence in a game that gives a trophy to the winner on Thursday. The two schools have won 10 state championships between them since 2000.
— At Waddell High on Thursday, one of Charlotte’s oldest rivalries renews when South Mecklenburg plays Myers Park. The teams are tied for second place in the new Greater Charlotte conference behind Hough, which is the league champ.
— The biggest game in Charlotte is at Providence on Thursday, where longtime rivals Ardrey Kell and Providence meet for a league title. Providence is one game ahead of Ardrey Kell and Palisades in the Southwestern 4A and can win its first league title, outright, in five years with a win. Ardrey Kell can win a share with a victory.
— A few others to watch: Forest Hills at Monroe in a traditional Union County rivalry on Thursday; Ashbrook at Hunter Huss in Gaston County on Friday; and the “Showdown in Mo-town” goes down in Iredell County, when Mooresville visits Lake Norman. That game is also on Friday.
4) What about the private schools?
Georgia’s Rabun Gap is the top seed in NCISAA Western conference and Providence Day has locked up the Big South 4A title.
The state playoff pairings are expected to be released Sunday afternoon.
Eligible teams will be split into two divisions, and the playoffs begin Nov. 7 and conclude Nov. 21.
5) What are the public school playoff dates?
The playoffs begin Nov. 7 and finish with state finals Dec. 11-13 at UNC, Lenoir-Rhyne and Durham County Memorial Stadium.
The tentative plan, per NCHSAA officials, is to have all teams start Nov. 7.
In 1A and 8A, which have fewer teams, schools would play regional championships on Nov. 28, when other classifications are playing fourth-round games.
Then on Dec. 5, when the other six classes have regional championship rounds, the 1A and 8A schools would receive a bye before playing state finals.
6) What about Mr. Football?
The Observer’s annual award for the best player in North Carolina will be released during the week of the NCHSAA state championships in December. The list of semifinalists will appear next month with finalists named before the regionals on Dec. 5.
In addition, the annual All-Observer football team will return on Christmas Day.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
