Two weeks into the North Carolina high school football season, Hough remains the one team everyone agrees on.
The defending 8A state champion Huskies remain the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest NC Football News Fabulous 15, holding the top spot in all four statewide rankings used to create our weekly composite.
Providence Day moves into sole possession of No. 2, breaking a tie with Grimsley from a week ago, while Mallard Creek and Weddington share the No. 4 spot. Southeast Raleigh makes one of the week’s biggest moves, climbing four spots into the Top 10.
And the timing couldn’t be better: No. 1 Hough hosts No. 2 Providence Day on Friday night in a showdown between defending state champions.
The Fabulous 15 combines two statewide media polls — HighSchoolOT and the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer Super 25 — with the computer rankings from Massey Ratings and MaxPreps to provide a weekly snapshot of North Carolina’s top high school football teams.
NC Football News Fabulous 15
(After Week 1 games, played Aug. 27-31)
1. Hough (2-0), 8A – 1.00
2. Providence Day (2-0), NCISAA D1 – 2.25
3. Grimsley (2-0), 7A – 3.00
T-4. Mallard Creek (2-0), 8A – 5.75
T-4. Weddington (2-0), 7A – 5.75
6. Millbrook (2-0), 8A – 7.25
7. Cardinal Gibbons (1-1), 7A – 7.50
8. Lake Norman (2-0), 7A – 9.75
9. Hoggard (2-0), 8A – 11.00
10. Southeast Raleigh (2-0), 7A – 12.75
11. Clayton (2-0), 7A – 14.75
12. Reagan (2-0), 7A – 15.00
13. West Forsyth (1-1), 8A – 15.75
T-14. Chambers (2-0), 8A – 16.25
T-14. West Charlotte (1-1), 8A – 16.25
The Next Ten
T-16. Cleveland (2-0), 7A – 18.25
T-16. Crest (2-0), 5A – 18.25
T-18. East Forsyth (2-0), 7A – 22.25
T-18. Myers Park (0-2), 8A – 22.25
T-20. Rolesville (0-2), 8A – 23.00
T-20. South Point (2-0), 5A – 23.00
22. New Bern (2-0), 7A – 24.00
23. J.M. Robinson (2-0), 5A – 24.75
24. T.C. Roberson (2-0), 6A – 25.75
T-25. Independence (0-2), 7A – 26.00
T-25. Page (2-0), 7A – 26.00
Notes and Observations
Hough Huskies continue to lead the way
Hough continues to be the one team everyone agrees on. After wins over Northwestern (S.C.) and Cardinal Gibbons, the Huskies remain the unanimous No. 1 team in all four rankings used to compile the Fabulous 15.
The top nine spots remain largely stable from Week 1. Providence Day and Grimsley were tied for No. 2 last week, but Providence Day takes sole possession of second this week, with Grimsley at No. 3.
Grimsley’s one-spot drop certainly wasn’t performance related. The Whirlies rolled past then-No. 10 West Forsyth 39-3 last week to improve to 2-0. The change is simply the result of Providence Day breaking last week’s tie for second.
Mallard Creek and Weddington are tied at No. 4, while Lake Norman and Hoggard traded places at Nos. 8 and 9.
Chambers moves into Fabulous 15; four newcomers join Next Ten
Chambers has been steadily climbing since the preseason, jumping into our top 25 last week and making a move inside the Fabulous 15 this week. Chambers climbed four spots from No. 18 to a tie for No. 14 after improving to 2-0 with a 48-8 victory over Hopewell.
Four undefeated teams also make their first appearances in the Next Ten: South Point (T-20), New Bern (22nd), J.M. Robinson (23rd) and T.C. Roberson (24th).
South Point beat Charlotte Latin 42-20, New Bern topped Havelock 34-26, J.M. Robinson shut out West Cabarrus 37-0 and T.C. Roberson rolled past Watauga 41-14.
East Forsyth, Southeast Raleigh make big moves
East Forsyth made the biggest jump anywhere in this week’s rankings, climbing five spots to No. 18 after rolling past Northern Guilford 49-14.
Southeast Raleigh also continues its early-season rise. The Bulldogs climbed four spots to No. 10 after a convincing 38-12 victory over Dudley, moving into the Fabulous 15 for the first time this season.
When humans and computers disagree
West Charlotte continues to confound our four rankings systems. The Lions (1-1) were not ranked in either of the two Top 25 media polls, HighSchoolOT or the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer Super 25. But West Charlotte appears at No. 7 in the Massey Ratings and No. 6 with MaxPreps.
Cleveland (2-0) has a similar resume – not ranked in the top 25 by HighSchoolOT or the Charlotte Observer but pulling a No. 10 ranking from Massey and No. 11 from MaxPreps.
On the flip side, our human pollsters are more bullish on Jay M. Robinson (2-0) and T.C. Roberson (2-0). Both teams appear between No. 12 and No. 16 in the HighSchoolOT and Charlotte Observer assessments. But both schools rank between 24-40 by the computer rankings.
Hoggard (2-0) also has a solid lean from the human voters compared to the computers.
Private vs. Public matchup headlines Week 3
Week 3 of the North Carolina high school season brings a clash between the top two teams in our Fabulous 15 – No. 1 Hough hosting No. 2 Providence Day.
Hough won a state championship in the NCHSAA’s largest classification (8A) a year ago, while Providence Day claimed the title in the North Carolina independent school’s top division. The marquee matchup is slated to kickoff at 7 p.m.
Other headliners this week include:
- No. 3 Grimsley at No. 18 East Forsyth
- No. 9 Hoggard at No. 11 Clayton
- No. 12 Reagan at Reidsville (defending 5A champs)
Small-School Super Six
Each week, we rank who we believe are the top football teams in the state competing at the 1A, 2A and 3A levels (schools with roughly 800 students or less). Here is this week’s Super Six after several of our schools punched above their weight in Week 2:
1. Lincolnton (2-0) ▲2
2. Corvian Community (2-0) ▲4
3. Tarboro (1-1) ▼2
4. Shelby (1-1) ▼2
5. Hendersonville (2-0) ▼1
6. Starmount (2-0) NEW
Honorable Mention: Northeastern, James Kenan, Whiteville, Warren County, Robbinsville
There is a new No. 1 after Tarboro’s 26-game winning streak came to an end, but the Vikings didn’t exactly go quietly. The 2A powerhouse fell 35-32 to 5A Hunt and remains firmly among the state’s top small-school programs.
Lincolnton takes over the top spot after improving to 2-0 with a 55-15 victory over North Lincoln, while Corvian Community makes the week’s biggest move. The 2A Cardinals shut out 7A Independence 19-0 to remain unbeaten.
Shelby also stays in the Super Six despite its first loss. The defending 3A champion fell 27-24 to defending 5A champion Crest in a Cleveland County showdown.
Hendersonville rolled past West Henderson 33-7, while Starmount joins the Super Six after following its Week 1 victory over Mount Airy with a 43-26 win over East Surry.
Northeastern drops out of the six after a 29-22 loss, but the Eagles also played considerably above their classification against 7A D.H. Conley.
More North Carolina High School Football
Follow NC Football News throughout the 2026 season:
- North Carolina High School Football Scores & Schedules — Find this week’s statewide schedule, scores and results.
- Fabulous 15 Rankings Hub — See the complete composite rankings, including how HighSchoolOT, the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer, Massey Ratings and MaxPreps rank each team.
- North Carolina High School Football Week 2 Scores — Review scores and results from across the state from Aug. 27-31.
- North Carolina High School Football News — Catch up on the latest rankings, scores, schedules and stories from around the state.
