Friday’s prep football rewind: NC scores, how the Super 25 fared, upcoming schedule
What a night of high school football in the greater Charlotte-area:
— West Charlotte rallied for a late win at home on Homecoming when Emory McClain’s touchdown and a McClain 2-point conversion lifted the Lions to a 15-14 victory over Butler (tap here for complete coverage from the game).
— Providence, which just recently ended a four-game losing streak, pulled off the upset of the season, taking down a Palisades team riding a three-game win streak and ranked among the state’s top 20 teams (story below).
— AL Brown got a monster special-teams play that ended an offensive-heavy showdown with Hickory Ridge that could decide a league champ (story below).
— South Point went to Cleveland County and upset another top-25 statewide team, taking down Kings Mountain, 34-13.
— And Mooresville, which started the season 0-4, won its fourth straight game, overwhelming Davie County, 67-28. The teams came into the game tied with Lake Norman for first place in the North Piedmont conference. Lake Norman won big Friday,so the Wildcats (8-0, 3-0) and Mooresville (4-4, 3-0) are each just one win away from setting up a conference championship game that will shut down Mooresville (city of) and Doolie.
NOTE: Scroll down for complete coverage, upcoming schedule, NC statewide scores.
NC high school football playoff bracketology
Providence upsets No. 15 Palisades on Causey’s big kick
Providence notched the biggest win of first-year coach Perry Osbey’s career Friday night.
The Panthers got a 24-yard field goal from Jamison Causey, with 4.5 seconds left, to upset Palisades 23-22 at home on Senior Night. Palisades (6-2, 2-1 Southwestern 7A/8A) is ranked No. 16 in the NC Super 25. And the Pumas had a three-game win streak snapped on a night when they had a chance for a statement win and a potential elevation into the Mecklenburg County elite team tier.
Instead Providence (4-4, 3-0) won its third straight game.
The Panthers were up 20-6 in the second before a couple turnovers gave Palisades extra possessions and 16 points. Those kinds of mistakes was what hurt the Panthers after a season-opening win over a Hickory Ridge team that is now 6-2.
Providence beat Hickory Ridge, 24-21, on the road, but then lost four straight game. But after Causey’s big kick, the Panthers have beaten Rocky River (46-0), East Meck (41-21) and now Palisades. A win next week at Ballantyne Ridge will give them at least a share of a second straight league title.
AL Brown gets big sack, holds off Hickory Ridge’s upset bid
It was probably fitting that Friday’s Greater Metro conference championship game between AL Brown and Hickory Ridge came down to one big defensive stop.
That’s because in Brown’s 35-28 win, Each team had a lot of trouble stopping the other.
But with the game tied at 28-28, and Hickory Ridge facing a third and long, Brown coach Justin Hardin gambled with an all-out blitz.
It worked.
The Wonders’ defenders got home and slammed Hickory Ridge QB Colby Cornelius to the ground. Cornelius, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more, had to be helped off the field.
The Ragin Bulls punted, with 1:47 left, and Brown’s Chad Taylor, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound junior, darted up the middle and then down the right sideline for a 59-yard score and the game-winner with 81 seconds to play.
Hickory Ridge (6-2, 4-1) — which had a six-game win streak snapped — was chasing an upset against a Brown team (8-0, 5-0 Greater Metro) ranked No. 16 in the N.C. Super 25.
And there were lots of offensive fireworks before the final one via the punt return:
In the first half, RB Lemar Grier and QB AJ Settles scored for Brown, which also got a pick-6 from Faison Manning. Cornelius had two rushing touchdowns for Hickory Ridge.
To start the third quarter, Cornelius hit Jayce Curtis with a 58-yard TD that tied the game. After Brown pushed the lead back to 28-21, Hickory Ridge struck again. After a bad snap pushed the Ragin Bulls to their 1, Cornelius threw his second touchdown pass — 99 yards to Colton Laskowski — to tie the game with 9:26 to play.
But after the big punt return, Hickory Ridge turned to backup QB Meyer Passino, a freshman, who replaced the injured Cornelius. The Bulls went backwards 7 yards.
No. 2 Providence Day rolls past Latin on Thursday
Providence Day, ranked No. 2 among all teams in North Carolina, got a relatively easy win on the road on Thursday night, taking down rival Charlotte Latin 49-7.
The Chargers and the Hawks were the two top-ranked teams in the latest N.C. private-school poll and both teams were playing their conference opener.
It was over pretty quickly.
The Chargers jumped out to a 35-7 halftime lead and cruised as backup QB Gavin Bronikowski had another strong game. Bronikowski, who has played for starter Cole Cater since Sept. 4, threw for six touchdown passes in last week’s 51-14 win over Ambassador Christian.
Against Latin, Bronikowski’s early-third-quarter scoring pass to Ethan Dempsey opened up a 35-point lead and started a running clock. Just a few plays later, Providence Day’s Ashton Gibbs got a 57-yard interception return.
Providence Day (7-1, 1-0 Big South) won its fourth straight game. Charlotte Latin (3-5, 0-1) lost for the third time in four weeks.
Friday’s multimedia
NC Super 25 results
Rk., School, Rec., Friday
1. Hough 8-0: d. South Meck 47-0
2. Providence Day 7-1: d. Charlotte Latin 49-7 Thurs.
3. Grimsley 8-0: d. Page 43-12
4. Weddington 9-0: d. Porter Ridge 42-0
5. Clayton 8-0: idle
6. Chambers 8-0: d. North Meck 29-0
7. Lake Norman 8-0: d. North Iredell 59-0
8. Reagan 7-1: d. Parkland 41-6
9. Millbrook 7-0-1: d. Enloe 49-0
10. Hoggard 7-1: d. Laney 36-0
11. Northside 8-0: d. Dixon 39-6
12. Robinson 8-0: d. West Rowan 45-21
13. West Forsyth 7-1: d. RJ Reynolds 47-0
14. Crest 7-1: d. North Gaston 35-0
15. Palisades 6-2: lost 23-22 to Providence
16. A.L. Brown 8-0: d. Hickory Ridge 35-28
17. Cardinal Gibbons 5-3: lost 27-21 to Middle Creek
18. Southeast Raleigh 6-3: lost 38-35 to Cleveland
19. Rose 8-0: d. White Oak 62-0
20. Hunt 7-1: lost 45-0 to Northern Nash
21. Page 7-1: lost 43-12 to Grimsley
22. Garner 6-2: d. South Garner 49-14
23. Kings Mountain 6-2: lost 34-13 to South Point
24. Cleveland 7-1: d. Southeast Raleigh 38-35
25. Myers Park 6-2: d. West Mecklenburg 47-6
This week’s picks
Charlotte-area scores
A.L. Brown 35, Hickory Ridge 28
Ardrey Kell 44, Ballantyne Ridge 21
Ashbrook 46, Forestview 7
Asheville School 56, Covenant Day 0
Bradford Prep 34, Lincoln Charter 20
Burns 49, Cherryville 20
Cannon 45, Metrolina Christian 7
Central Cabarrus 28, Berry Academy 7
Chambers 29, North Mecklenburg 0
Charlotte Christian School 25, Charlotte Country Day 20
Christ The King 47, Pine Lake Prep 6
Corvian Community 26, Community School of Davidson 15
Crest 49, North Gaston 0
East Lincoln 42, Hickory 39
East Mecklenburg 44, Rocky River 12
East Rowan 28, Jesse Carson 21
Hopewell 43, Garinger 6
Hough 47, South Mecklenburg 0
Jay M. Robinson 45, West Rowan 21
Lake Norman 59, North Iredell 0
Lake Norman Charter 49, Langtree Charter 27
Mallard Creek 35, Independence 8
Marvin Ridge 24, Charlotte Catholic 7
Monroe 40, Anson County 7
Mooresville 67, Davie County 28
Mount Pleasant 17, Parkwood 16
Myers Park 47, West Mecklenburg 6
Northwest Cabarrus 49, Concord 3
Olympic 38, Harding 14
Providence 23, Palisades 22
Shelby 62, East Gaston 12
South Point 34, Kings Mountain 13
SouthLake Christian Academy 38, Hickory Grove Christian School 6
Statesville 40, South Iredell 0
Stuart Cramer 41, Lincolnton 21
Sun Valley 35, Piedmont 21
Union Academy 53, Mountain Island Charter 39
Weddington 42, Porter Ridge 0
West Cabarrus 56, Cox Mill 27
West Charlotte 15, Butler 14
West Iredell 42, Newton-Conover 28
West Lincoln 51, Highland Tech 6
West Stanly 9, Forest Hills 7
Next week’s Charlotte-area schedule
POWER SIX • 7A/8A
Mallard Creek at Butler — Friday, 7 p.m.
North Mecklenburg at Independence — Friday, 7 p.m.
Chambers at West Charlotte — Friday, 7 p.m.
SOUTHWESTERN • 7A/8A
Providence at Ballantyne Ridge — Friday, 7 p.m.
Ardrey Kell at East Mecklenburg — Friday, 7 p.m.
Rocky River at Palisades — Friday, 7 p.m.
GREATER CHARLOTTE • 7A/8A
West Mecklenburg at Hopewell — Friday, 7 p.m.
Myers Park at Hough — Friday, 7 p.m.
Garinger at South Mecklenburg — Friday, 7 p.m.
GREATER METRO • 6A/7A
A.L. Brown at Cox Mill — Friday, 7 p.m.
Harding at Hickory Ridge — Friday, 7 p.m.
Berry at Olympic — Friday, 7 p.m.
Central Cabarrus at West Cabarrus — Friday, 7 p.m.
NORTH PIEDMONT • 6A/7A
Lake Norman at Davie County — Friday, 7 p.m.
North Iredell at South Iredell — Friday, 7 p.m.
Mooresville at Statesville — Friday, 7 p.m.
SOUTHERN CAROLINA • 6A/7A
Cuthbertson at Charlotte Catholic — Friday, 7 p.m.
Sun Valley at Marvin Ridge — Friday, 7 p.m.
Weddington at Piedmont — Friday, 7 p.m.
BIG SOUTH • 5A/6A
Ashbrook at Crest — Friday, 7 p.m.
South Point at Forestview — Friday, 7 p.m.
Kings Mountain at Hunter Huss — Friday, 7 p.m.
ROCKY RIVER • 4A/5A
Anson at Forest Hills — Friday, 7 p.m.
Mount Pleasant at Monroe — Friday, 7 p.m.
Parkwood at West Stanly — Friday, 7 p.m.
SOUTH PIEDMONT • 4A/5A
West Rowan at Northwest Cabarrus — Friday, 7 p.m.
Carson at Robinson — Friday, 7 p.m.
Concord at Salisbury — Friday, 7 p.m.
WESTERN FOOTHILLS • 4A/5A
Bandys at West Iredell — Friday, 7 p.m.
Maiden at East Lincoln — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Bunker Hill at North Lincoln — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
CATAWBA SHORES • 2A/3A/4A
Lake Norman Charter at Bradford Prep — Friday, 7 p.m.
Corvian Community at Christ the King — Friday, 7 p.m.
Community School of Davidson at Langtree Charter — Friday, 7 p.m.
Pine Lake Prep at Lincoln Charter — Friday, 7 p.m.
SOUTHERN PIEDMONT • 2A/3A/4A
Shelby at Bessemer City — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Highland Tech at Burns — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Cherryville at Stuart Cramer — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
East Gaston at West Lincoln — Friday, 7:30 p.m.
BIG SOUTH • NCISAA
Charlotte Country Day at Charlotte Latin — Friday, 7 p.m.
Charlotte Christian at Providence Day — Friday, 7 p.m.
BIG 6 • NCISAA
Hickory Grove Christian at High Point Christian — Friday, 7 p.m.
Asheville School at SouthLake Christian — Friday, 7 p.m.
WESTERN • NCISAA
Christ School at Metrolina Christian — Friday, 7 p.m.
Cannon School at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Ga.) — Friday, 7 p.m.
NONCONFERENCE
The First Academy (Fla.) at Ambassador Christian — Friday, 7 p.m.
South Stanly at Mountain Island Charter — Friday, 7 p.m.
Union Academy at Thomas Jefferson Classical — Friday, 7 p.m.
Covenant Day at TBA — Friday, 7 p.m.
OPEN DATES: Lincolnton, North Gaston, Porter Ridge
Charlotte-area scores/schedule
Raleigh-area scores/schedule
NC statewide scores/schedules
This story was originally published October 15, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Friday’s prep football rewind: NC scores, how the Super 25 fared, upcoming schedule."
