Did Cleveland hold on to the top spot in the Raleigh area Sweet 16 football rankings?
There were a lot of lopsided games across the Triangle this week, but they did little to sort out any more poll teams in this week’s Sweet 16, which remained largely unchanged.
Perhaps a victim of a lesser opponent, Fuquay-Varina, who played in — and won — the featured game this week in their first game at their “real” home stadium in two years. The Bengals’ reward? Dropping two spots in the latest Sweet 16. Go figure.
Cleveland, which was idle in Week 3, remains at the top of the head behind the stellar play of Omarion Hampton.
Cardinal Gibbons posted a solid win on the road against Charlotte-area Sweet 16 stalwart Richmond, posting a 30-22 win to move to 2-1 on the season. The Crusaders’ lone loss is to Charlotte-area No. 1 Julius Chambers.
Of note this week, Rolesville earned its first win of the season with a blowout win over East Wake to hang on to a Top 5 position. Hillside was the big mover this week, vaulting from No. 14 to No. 9, while Wakefield jumped from No. 15 to No. 11. Two new teams — Chapel Hill and Southern Durham — found their way into the poll.
Triangle area Sweet 16
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. | Week 3 result |
| 1 | Cleveland | (2-0) | 1 | Idle |
| 2 | Cardinal Gibbons | (2-1) | 2 | Def. Richmond, 30-22 |
| 3 | Wake Forest | (3-0) | 3 | Def. Hoggard, 23-8 |
| 4 | Leesville Road | (2-0) | 4 | Idle |
| 5 | Rolesville | (1-2) | 5 | Def. East Wake, 58-6 |
| 6 | Millbrook | (3-0) | 6 | Def. Garner, 41-13 |
| 7 | Princeton | (3-0) | 7 | Def. Rosewood, 56-28 |
| 8 | Heritage | (3-0) | 8 | Def. Broughton, 61-12 |
| 9 | Hillside | (2-1) | 14 | Def. Dudley, 30-14 |
| 10 | Panther Creek | (2-1) | 9 | Def. Knightdale, 39-34 |
| 11 | Wakefield | (2-1) | 15 | Def. Clayton, 28-17 |
| 12 | Green Hope | (2-0) | 10 | Idle |
| 13 | South Garner | (3-0) | 13 | Def. Enloe, 29-0 |
| 14 | Fuquay-Varina | (3-0) | 12 | Def. Holly Springs, 17-10 |
| 15 | Chapel Hill | (2-0) | NR | Def. Northwood, 36-29 |
| 16 | Southern Durham | (1-2) | NR | Def. Terry Sanford, 34-32 |
This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 7:00 AM.