Who’s the best high school football team in the Triangle? Our weekly rankings revealed
In the big matchup this week, No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons took down unbeaten No. 4 Leesville Road.
Was it enough for the Crusaders to launch an attack at the top spot while Cleveland sat idle?
Not quite. Cleveland remains atop the Raleigh-Durham Sweet 16 for at least one more week, while Gibbons, unbeaten Heritage (7-0) and Leesville Road slot into the Top 4..
Middle Creek was the big gainer this week, jumping from No. 12 to No. 8 after a win over Rolesville, which dropped from No. 5 to No. 9.
Here’s how the rest of the area shakes out, with an expanded list to 20 teams.
The Raleigh-Durham Sweet 16
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. | Result |
| 1 | Cleveland | (6-0) | 1 | OPEN |
| 2 | Cardinal Gibbons | (5-2) | 2 | Def. #4 Leesville Rd. 13-3 |
| 3 | Heritage | (7-0) | 3 | Def. #12 Knightdale 57-55 |
| 4 | Leesville Road | (5-1) | 4 | Lost to #2 Gibbons 13-3 |
| 5 | Millbrook | (6-1) | 6 | Def. #9 Rolesville 41-34 |
| 6 | Princeton | (6-0) | 7 | Def. Goldsboro 71-8 |
| 7 | Wake Forest | (5-2) | 8 | Def. #13 Wakefield 40-24 |
| 8 | Middle Creek | (5-2) | 12 | Def. #10 Panther Creek 27-21 |
| 9 | Rolesville | (4-3) | 5 | Lost to #5 Millbrook 41-34 |
| 10 | Panther Creek | (5-2) | 9 | Lost to #8 Middle Creek 27-21 |
| 11 | Hillside | (5-2) | 13 | Def. Riverside 61-0 |
| 12 | Knightdale | (3-3) | 10 | Lost to #3 Heritage 57-55 |
| 13 | Wakefield | (4-3) | 11 | Lost to #7 Wake Forest 40-24 |
| 14 | Garner | (3-2) | 14 | Def. SE Raleigh 41-14 |
| 15 | West Johnston | (4-1) | 15 | #19 Smithfield-Selma (Monday) |
| 16 | South Johnston | (6-1) | Def. Southern Wayne 62-14 | |
| 17 | Sanderson | (3-2) | Def. Broughton 57-13 | |
| 18 | Fuquay-Varina | (5-3) | Def. Corinth Holders 28-14 | |
| 19 | Smithfield-Selma | (3-3) | #15 West Johnston (Monday) | |
| 20 | Chapel Hill | (5-2) | 16 | Lost to Jordan 48-28 |