The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced on Tuesday the average daily membership (ADM) numbers that will be used to arrange football teams in the playoffs.

Each classification (4A, 3A, 2A and 1A) advances 64 teams to the football playoffs. The largest 32 schools among each classification’s qualifiers will play in 4AA, 3AA, 2AA or 1AA while the smaller qualifiers in each classification will play in 4A, 3A, 2A or 1A.

The ADM numbers are supplied to the NCHSAA by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and reflect the schools’ enrollments.

Eight of the 11 largest high schools in the state are in Wake County. Enloe is the largest with 2,912 students. Charlotte Myers Park (2,844) and South Mecklenburg (2,579) are second and third and are followed by Apex (2,578), Millbrook (2,560), Wakefield (2,501), Charlotte Ardrey Kell (2,471), Broughton (2,418), Garner (2,382), Cary (2,362), and Panther Creek (2,334).

At the other end of the 4A classification are Smithfield-Selma (1,194) and Southern Durham (1,076). A majority of the NCHSAA’s 3A schools have larger enrollments than SSS and Southern Durham.

Southern Durham and Smithfield-Selma will be 3A schools in the next NCHSAA alignment.

Scotland (1,782), which won the 4A football championship in 2011, was projected to be in 4AA this season, but is likely to be in the 4A bracket again.

Richmond County and 2011 4AA champion Greensboro Page may land in the 4AA Mideast this season.

The NCHSAA will bracket the football playoffs on Saturday morning and announce the pairings on Saturday afternoon.

SSS, Fike forfeit: Smithfield-Selma has forfeited its only football victory of the season because it used an ineligible player in the victory over Harnett Central and Wilson Fike has forfeited its win over Bunn for using an ineligible player.

SSS, which did not win a game in 2011, seemed to break the losing streak on Oct. 5 when it defeated Harnett Central 21-16. SSS used an ineligible player in the game, according to SSS athletic director Chase Crocker, and will forfeit the win.

“There was an oversight in the enrollment process of one of our student athletes, due to this we must forfeit our win over Harnett Central,” Crocker said in a statement. “Mr. (Mike) Taylor (SSS principal) and myself take full responsibility in the oversight and will put checks into place to prevent this from ever happening again.”

The forfeit makes Harnett Central 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the Greater Neuse River 4A Conference. The Trojans are now part of a four-way tie for fourth with Southeast Raleigh, West Johnston and East Wake.

Smithfield-Selma is 0-10 overall, 0-6 in the league. SSS completes its season Friday against Southeast, while Harnett Central hosts Garner.

Bunn, which forfeit its season-opening win against Rocky Mount, now picks up a forfeit. The Wildcats are 7-2 overall and 6-0 in the Northern Carolina 2A.

Bunn completes its regular season Friday night against Louisburg.

Differing opinion: Veteran Sanford Central High and Lee County football coach Paul Gay differs with my pick of Steve Jones as the best athlete ever at the school. Gay said Jones, a former Duke University and NFL standout, was the best football player he ever coached.

“The best ball carrier, the best linebacker, the best punter and the best receiver,” Gay said.

“But having said that, R.D. Carson was the best athlete I ever coached.”

Carson was a football all-America selection, led Sanford to an undefeated season in basketball and was an outstanding pitcher and shortstop in baseball.

Carson went to Duke on a basketball scholarship and later transferred to Lenoir Rhyne where he played basketball and baseball.

Stevens: 919-829-8910