Forgive us if you’ve heard this before, but Hough High School is really good at football. So too is Providence Day, Grimsley and Weddington.
We’ve been assembling all-North Carolina high school power rankings since the beginning of the season – we call them the Fabulous 15 and The Next Ten – and these four teams have been at or near the top of the mountain the entire time.
Hough started No. 1 this summer and has cemented itself in that spot with a perfect 6-0 record. Grimsley (5-0) and Providence Day (5-1) have flip-flopped between the No. 2 and 3 positions – sometimes tied. This week, Weddington (6-0) has joined Grimsley in a tie for third.
Like we said, Hough, Providence Day, Grimsley and Weddington are good at football, and all the models we use to create our rankings affirm that. Providence Day’s only loss is to Hough.
What is the Fabulous 15 and Next Ten?
Our Fabulous 15 and Next Ten rankings are a little different than everyone else’s. Our method is to use a composite of four of the most trusted ranking systems already out there.
Two of those systems employ human voters – HighSchoolOT’s Statewide 25 and the NC Super 25 from the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer. The other two use computer models – MaxPreps and Massey Ratings.
We take an average of where each school shows up in those four rankings and then create a composite list based on the best numbers – presto, the Fabulous 15 and Next Ten!
Here is this week’s list:
NC High School Football Rankings
After Week 6 games (Sept. 25). Each team’s composite score is included along with movement from last week’s rankings.
The Fabulous 15
1. Hough (6-0) – 1.00
2. Providence Day (5-1) – 2.50
T-3. Grimsley (5-0) – 3.25
T-3. Weddington (6-0) – 3.25 ▲1
5. Lake Norman (5-0) – 6.25
6. Chambers (6-0) – 6.75
T-7. Cardinal Gibbons (3-2) – 10.25 ▲1
T-7. Millbrook (4-0) – 10.25
9. Reagan (4-1) – 11.00
10. West Forsyth (4-1) – 13.25 ▲1
11. Mallard Creek (4-2) – 15.50 ▲2
12. South Point (6-0) – 16.00
T-13. Clayton (6-0) – 16.75 ▲1
T-13. Southeast Raleigh (5-1) – 16.75 ▼3
15. Cleveland (5-0) – 17.25
The Next Ten
16. Palisades (4-1) – 17.50 ▲2
17. Myers Park (3-2) – 17.75 ▲2
18. Crest (4-1) – 18.25 ▼2
19. Hoggard (4-1) – 20.50
20. Rolesville (2-2-1) – 21.25 ▲4
21. Jay M. Robinson (5-0) – 22.00 ▲1
22. Garner (3-2) – 23.25 ▲1
23. West Charlotte (3-3) – 23.50 ▼6
24. East Forsyth – 23.75 ▲2
25. Ambassador Christian – 24.00 ▼4
👉 Want to see where each team stands in all four ranking systems? Visit our Fabulous 15 Hub for the complete HighSchoolOT, Charlotte Observer, MaxPreps and Massey rankings.
When computers and humans disagree, continued
It has been fascinating all season to watch how human voters and the computer models handle certain schools. The computers love Mallard Creek (4-2) and Myers Park (3-2) for example.
Massey ranks Mallard Creek fifth in the state (!) and Massey has them at No. 9. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are No. 23 in the HighSchoolOT voting and No. 25 in the Observer’s Super 25.
Similarly, Myers Park is No. 7 in the state according to MaxPreps but ranks in the 20s in both human polls.
On the flip side you have Palisades (4-1). The Pumas are ranked 12th and 14th, respectively by the Observer 25 and HighSchoolOT, but are considered the 22nd best team in both computer systems.
Clayton (6-0) is 34th in the MaxPreps rankings but No. 7 in the Observer 25. Southeast Raleigh (5-1) is ranked in the low 20s by both computer models but comes in No. 9 in the HighSchoolOT poll and 14th in the Observer’s rankings.
Overall rankings have been remarkably stable in recent weeks
High school football rankings can be volatile. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall from week to week. But our rankings have been amazingly stable thus far in 2026.
The same 15 teams in last week’s Fabulous 15 remain there this week, with some mild movement up and down. Lake Norman and Chambers are still at No. 5 and 6, respectively. Cardinal Gibbons (+1), Millbrook, Reagan and West Forsyth (+1) round out the top 10.
The only team to drop out of the Next Ten is J.H. Rose. East Forsyth moves in at No. 24. West Charlotte (-6) and Ambassador Christian (-4) fell this week but not enough to drop completely out of our top 25 list entirely.
Rolesville’s unpredictable season
Rolesville doesn’t have the record of a traditional Top 25 team, but the Rams have had an unconventional season thus far. Weather delays have been an issue – there was a three-week gap between games back in August-early September – and Rolesville’s game at Millbrook this past Friday was suspended due to incidents among fans.
Rolesville and Millbrook were tied 10-10 and headed for overtime when play was halted. It is unclear when or if the contest will be made up. MaxPreps lists Rolesville’s record at 2-2-1, with the Rams picking up win No. 2 on Monday night in a makeup game against Richmond Senior, 35-0.
The Rams continue to climb in our rankings despite all the noise and disjointed scheduling. Massey ranks Rolesville 14th and MaxPreps has the Rams 19th, helping them jump four spots to No. 20 in this week’s composite.
More Notes and Observations
- Jay M. Robinson is another team producing wildly different opinions. The unbeaten Bulldogs are No. 10 at HighSchoolOT and No. 11 in the Observer poll, but MaxPreps has them 43rd. Massey ranks Robinson 24th, resulting in a No. 21 composite ranking.
- Hoggard has a similar divide. The Vikings are ranked 10th by the Observer and 18th by HighSchoolOT, compared with 35th at MaxPreps and 19th according to Massey. They land at No. 19 overall.
- J.H. Rose is the odd team out this week. The Rampants fall from a tie for No. 24 to No. 27 despite remaining unbeaten. East Forsyth moves back into the Next Ten at No. 24.
- There is a fairly clear dividing line after the Top 25 this week. Cannon/Concord Academy is next at No. 26 with a 24.25 composite, followed by J.H. Rose (25.00), Page (26.50), New Bern (27.25) and Marvin Ridge (27.50).
Big Games to Watch This Friday
- Grimsley will take aim at Virginia’s top ranked team on Friday night, visiting Varina from Richmond.
- No. 18 Crest will visit No. 12 South Point in a Big South 5A/6A conference showdown.
- Marvin Ridge is 5-0 and just outside of our Next Ten at No. 30. The Mavericks will play at No. 3 Weddington in a battle of unbeatens.
- No. 7 Millbrook travels to Leesville Road (3-2)
- Hough and Providence Day both have this week off from game action.
Small-School Super Six
North Carolina’s largest 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 fewer). Here is this week’s Super Six, with last week’s results:
1. Shelby (5-1) – beat 4A Stuart Cramer 21-14
2. Tarboro (4-1) – did not play Friday
3. Corvian Community (4-1) – beat Lincoln Charter 44-0
4. Lincolnton (5-1) – beat Highland Tech 72-6
5. Hendersonville (5-0) – did not play Friday
6. North Stanly (4-0) – won by forfeit over Thomas Jefferson Classical
Honorable Mention:
- Whiteville (5-0) – did not play Friday
- Midway (5-0) – did not play Friday
- Warren County (5-0) – beat Roanoke Rapids 28-0
- Starmount (5-0) – beat previously unbeaten Alleghany 43-14
- Northside-Pinetown (5-0) – did not play Friday
- Chatham Central (6-0) – beat North Stokes 35-0
- Martin County (4-1) – lost to 5A Hunt 35-21
We’re not inclined to move anyone this week. Several teams had a Friday off from game action, while those at the top of our list who did play took care of business (some by wide margins).
But several teams in our honorable mention group are putting pressure on those currently in the Super Six. Starmount and Warren County are no strangers to football success, and both are now 5-0. Starmount handed previously unbeaten Alleghany its first loss, while Chatham Central improved to 6-0 with a shutout victory.
Martin County was the only team in our rankings to lose, falling 35-21 to 5A Hunt. It’s tough to punish a 3A team too severely for stepping up two classifications and losing a competitive game.
Teams like Mount Airy, James Kenan, Northeastern, Holmes and North Rowan certainly have our attention as we move into the back stretch of the season.
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 News — Catch up on the latest rankings, scores, schedules and stories from around the state.
