On the eve of the NC high school football state finals, a shuffle in The N&O Sweet 16
And then there were eight.
Region champions have been crowed in the NCHSAA playoffs, and this Saturday, West will meet East for state titles in four classifications. That means we’re a week away from crowning our Sweet 16 champions, as well.
A stunning loss in 2A and a stunning comeback in 4A have helped shuffle the lineup a bit near the top of this week’s penultimate edition.
The Triangle Sweet 16
Rank | School | Record | Prev. |
| 1 | Cardinal Gibbons | (13-2) | 1 |
| 3 | Rolesville | (9-6) | 3 |
| 2 | Princeton | (13-1) | 2 |
| 4 | Cleveland | (11-1) | 4 |
| 5 | Leesville Road | (10-3) | 5 |
| 6 | Panther Creek | (10-4) | 6 |
| 7 | Millbrook | (11-2) | 7 |
| 8 | Cary Christian | (9-2) | 8 |
| 9 | Knightdale | (6-6) | 9 |
| 10 | Heritage | (10-2) | 10 |
| 11 | Wake Forest | (8-4) | 11 |
| 12 | Hillside | (8-3) | 12 |
| 13 | Smithfield-Selma | (8-4) | 13 |
| 14 | Sanderson | (5-4) | 14 |
| 15 | Middle Creek | (8-3) | 15 |
| 16 | Holly Springs | (7-4) | 16 |