NC high school football teams prep for the playoffs as the statewide polls get tighter
With the regular season in the rear view mirror, the teams still playing have all now officially a chance to win a state title, though this year’s chances have been cut in half with the return to four state championship games instead of eight.
In the top classification, Grimsley slipped past Cleveland into the Top 3 this week, and Northern Guilford swapped places with New Bern, but the core of the Top 10 remained intact.
The big mover of the week was in 3A, where Crest vaulted from No. 8 to No. 3 with a big win in the final week of the regular season.
We also have a few new teams making Top 10 appearances this week. Let the second season begin!
4A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Hough | (10-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Chambers | (9-1) | 2 |
| 3 | Grimsley | (10-0) | 4 |
| 4 | Cleveland | (9-0) | 3 |
| 5 | Northern Guilford | (9-1) | 6 |
| 6 | New Bern | (9-1) | 5 |
| 7 | Richmond | (9-1) | 7 |
| 8 | East Forsyth | (8-1) | 8 |
| 9 | Cardinal Gibbons | (8-2) | 9 |
| 10 | Glenn | (7-2) | 10 |
3A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Dudley | (9-1) | 2 |
| 2 | Seventy-First | (10-0) | 1 |
| 3 | Crest | (7-2) | 8 |
| 4 | Statesville | (9-0) | 7 |
| 5 | Northern Nash | (9-1) | 4 |
| 6 | Kings Mountain | (8-2) | 3 |
| 7 | Southern Nash | (8-1) | 5 |
| 8 | West Charlotte | (6-3) | 10 |
| 9 | Eastern Alamance | (7-1) | 9 |
| 10 | North Davidson | (6-3) | 11 |
2A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Reidsville | (9-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Shelby | (9-1) | 3 |
| 3 | Salisbury | (9-0) | 2 |
| 4 | Northeastern | (9-0) | 4 |
| 5 | Whiteville | (9-0) | 6 |
| 6 | Maiden | (10-0) | 5 |
| 7 | St. Pauls | (8-0) | 8 |
| 8 | Hendersonville | (9-1) | 7 |
| 9 | Princeton | (9-0) | 9 |
| 10 | Burns | (7-3) | 12 |
1A
| Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Eastern Randolph | (9-0) | 1 |
| 2 | Mount Airy | (10-0) | 2 |
| 3 | Tarboro | (9-1) | 3 |
| 4 | Northside | (9-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Mitchell | (8-2) | 5 |
| 6 | Mountain Island Charter | (9-1) | 6 |
| 7 | Robbinsville | (6-3) | 7 |
| 8 | Mountain Heritage | (7-2) | 11 |
| 9 | North Moore | (9-1) | 9 |
| 10 | Thomasville | (7-2) | 10 |