Four weeks into the season, Hough continues to remove all debate from the top of our North Carolina high school football rankings.
The defending 8A champion is the unanimous No. 1 in this week’s NC Football News Fabulous 15, earning the top spot from HighSchoolOT, the Observer Super 25, Massey Ratings and MaxPreps – the four sources of our composite rankings.
Hough is 4-0 this season and has now won 18 consecutive games dating to the beginning of its undefeated 2025 championship run.
A distinct group of challengers is beginning to form behind the Huskies. Grimsley remains No. 2, followed closely by Providence Day and Weddington. All four teams posted composite averages of 4.50 or better, creating some separation between the state’s leading quartet and the rest of the field.
After that, however, stability gives way to movement.
Cardinal Gibbons climbs into a tie with Millbrook at No. 5, Lake Norman and Southeast Raleigh continue their ascent through the top 10 and South Point makes the week’s biggest move into the Fabulous 15. Cleveland also rises four spots after receiving top-eight recognition from both computer systems.
The most dramatic downward movement belongs to Mallard Creek. The Mavericks tumble 14 places to No. 19 after falling to 2-2, although Massey and MaxPreps still consider them a top-13 team statewide.
J.H. Rose and Ambassador Christian are new to our Next Ten list this week. Ambassador Christian shares the final position with Rolesville, creating a tie at No. 25 and expanding this week’s Fabulous 15 and The Next Ten to 26 total teams.
What is the NC Football News Fabulous 15? Our weekly consensus rankings combine two statewide media polls — the HighSchoolOT Top 25 and Charlotte Observer/News & Observer Super 25 — with the computer rankings from Massey Ratings and MaxPreps.
We average each team’s numerical position across all four systems, with the lowest composite average earning the highest ranking. Teams that do not appear in one of the two statewide Top 25 media polls receive 26 points for that poll. Ties in the final average remain ties.
The result is not another subjective ballot. It is a weekly snapshot of where North Carolina’s leading teams stand across four different perspectives — and where human voters and computer rankings agree or sharply differ.
NC High School Football Rankings
After Week 4 games, played on Sept. 10-12. Each team’s composite score is included as well as movement from last week’s rankings.
The Fabulous 15
1. Hough (4-0) – 1.00
2. Grimsley (4-0) – 2.75
3. Providence Day (3-1) – 3.00
4. Weddington (4-0) – 4.50
T-5. Cardinal Gibbons (3-1) – 7.25 ▲2
T-5. Millbrook (3-0) – 7.25
7. Lake Norman (4-0) – 8.25 ▲2
8. Chambers (4-0) – 9.25
9. Reagan (3-1) – 10.00 ▲2
10. Southeast Raleigh (3-1) – 11.75 ▲4
11. West Forsyth (3-1) – 13.75 ▲2
12. Clayton (4-0) – 14.75 ▼2
13. South Point (4-0) – 16.00 ▲6
T-14. Cleveland (4-0) – 16.25 ▲4
T-14. West Charlotte (3-1) – 16.25 ▼2
The Next Ten
16. East Forsyth (3-1) – 16.75 ▼1
17. Hoggard (3-1) – 18.25 ▼1
18. Crest (3-1) – 18.50 ▼1
19. Mallard Creek (2-2) – 18.75 ▼14
20. Myers Park (2-2) – 20.75
21. Garner (3-1) – 23.00 ▲4
22. Jay M. Robinson (3-0) – 24.25 ▼1
T-23. J.H. Rose (4-0) – 24.50 NEW
T-23. Palisades (3-1) – 24.50 ▼2
T-25. Ambassador Christian (3-0) – 25.00 NEW
T-25. Rolesville (0-2) ▼2
👉 Want to see how each of the teams stand with each of the four rankings systems? Visit our Fabulous 15 Hub for the full table.
Notes & Observations
- Hough continues to be the unquestioned No. 1. A unanimous 1-1-1-1 from our four rankings is about as clean as it gets.
- There is a definite top four. Hough, Grimsley, Providence Day and Weddington all have a consensus score of 4.50 or better. There is a meaningful gap to Cardinal Gibbons and Millbrook at 7.25.
- Cardinal Gibbons and Millbrook are an excellent tie. Gibbons is more consistent across the computer rankings while Millbrook is loved by three sources but dragged down by MaxPreps at No. 14.
- Southeast Raleigh is becoming a story. Up four spots to No. 10 despite last week’s loss to Cardinal Gibbons, with MaxPreps at No. 7 and HSOT at No. 8. Massey remains the skeptic at No. 20.
- South Point is the week’s major climber inside the Fabulous 15. Up six to No. 13 and the only 5A team in the top 15.
- Cleveland may be undervalued by the human polls. Massey has Cleveland sixth and MaxPreps eighth, but HSOT has it 25th and the Observer does not rank the Rams.
- Mallard Creek’s fall is dramatic but believable. Massey and MaxPreps still see a top-13 team despite recent losses to Buford (VA) and Myers Park. The consensus view still says this is a dangerous team just not elite at this point.
- Jay M. Robinson is this week’s greatest outlier. HSOT has Robinson ninth and the Observer 13th, but MaxPreps has them 53rd.
- J.H. Rose is a strong newcomer. Unlike several teams near the cutoff, Rose appears in both human polls. That gives its No. 23 placement more substance than a computer-only entry.
- Ambassador Christian is legitimately interesting. The independent school earns the No. 25 tie through the computers despite being absent from both human polls.
Small-School Super Six
North Carolina’s biggest high schools aren’t the only ones playing great football. 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:
1. Shelby (3-1) ▲1
2. Tarboro (3-1) ▲1
3. Corvian Community (2-1) ▲1
4. Lincolnton (3-1) ▼3
5. Hendersonville (4-0) NEW
6. North Stanly (3-0) NEW
Honorable Mention: Midway (4-0), Warren County (3-0), Starmount (3-0), Northside-Pinetown (4-0), Chatham Central (4-0)
Last week’s top team, Lincolnton, suffered its first loss of the season against Burns. As a result the Wolves drop down a few spots, while Shelby, Tarboro and Corvian Community slide up.
Shelby, which competes in the 3A classification, is ranked 36th in the entire state by Massey and 51st by MaxPreps. The Charlotte Observer lists the Golden Lions as the top 3A team in the state.
Hendersonville and North Stanly move into our Super Six this week. Midway and Northside-Pinetown are getting our attention as they keep winning. Chatham Central also is 4-0 at the 1A level.
More North Carolina High School Football
Follow NC Football News high school coverage 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 3 Scores — Review scores and results from across the state from Sept. 3-6.
- North Carolina High School Football News — Catch up on the latest rankings, scores, schedules and stories from around the state.
