The 2026 NCHSAA 6A football playoffs move into the second round Friday, Nov. 13, with 32 teams remaining in the chase for the state championship.
Unbeaten J.H. Rose (10-0), the East’s No. 1 seed, and Asheville, the West’s top seed, begin their postseason runs after receiving first-round byes. Rose is the only 6A program in the NC Football News Fabulous 15 composite rankings, while Jacksonville, Northern Nash, Scotland and other contenders are looking to challenge the Rampants in the East.
Defending state champion Watauga survived a 16-8 battle against Olympic in the opening round and now faces a difficult trip to No. 4 Kings Mountain. Last year’s runner-up, Middle Creek, also begins its postseason Friday against Seventy-First, which brings a 10-1 record into the matchup.
Follow the complete 6A playoff bracket, second-round matchups, schedules, scores and results below as the field moves toward December’s state championship game.
🔄 Last Updated: November 13, 2026 11:42 pm
🏈 Quick Links
This Week’s Matchups | Jump to Full 6A Bracket | What to Know
🏈 Explore Other 2026 Brackets
1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A | 7A | 8A
📅 Second-Round 6A Matchups | Friday, Nov. 13, 2026
6A East
Jacksonville 48, Gray’s Creek 7
J.H. Rose 48, South Johnston 0
Middle Creek 35, Seventy-First 26
Northern Nash 33, Westover 6
Scotland 49, Swansboro 7
Southern Alamance 42, Harnett Central 33
Union Pines 48, Terry Sanford 19
Williams 35, Triton 14
6A West
Asheboro 17, Eastern Guilford 7
Ashbrook 29, Mount Tabor 28
Asheville 43, A.C. Reynolds 6
Charlotte Catholic 18, Freedom 14
Dudley 50, Sun Valley 28
Kings Mountain 42, Watauga 0
Northern Guilford 62, Alexander Central 38
T.C. Roberson 31, Ragsdale 13
⏪ First-Round 6A Matchups | Thursday & Friday, Nov. 5-6, 2026
6A East
Gray’s Creek 49, North Durham 20
Harnett Central 54, Western Harnett 14
Seventy-First 48, Lee County 7
South Johnston 55, Felton Grove 22 (Thursday)
Swansboro 19, White Oak 6
Terry Sanford 54, Franklinton 43
Triton 28, South View 24
Westover 44, West Johnston 0
6A West
A.C. Reynolds 10, Statesville 7
Ashbrook 47, Central Cabarrus 21
Charlotte Catholic 48, Piedmont 6
Eastern Guilford 20, Glenn 7
Northern Guilford 63, South Caldwell 0
Ragsdale 37, Phillip O. Berry 6
Sun Valley 41, St. Stephens 7
Watauga 16, Olympic 8
Raise More for Your Football Program or Sports Team
Need to raise money for your team? Hour-A-Thon helps high school athletic programs raise funds through a simple, one-hour event built around players connecting with family, friends and supporters. No products to sell and no weeks-long fundraiser to manage. Learn how Hour-A-Thon can help your program raise more.
🏆 2026 NCHSAA 6A Football Playoff Bracket
Powered by MaxPreps
2026 NCHSAA Football 6A📄 Official NCHSAA Bracket (PDF)
Prefer the original printable bracket? VIEW OFFICIAL NCHSAA BRACKETS released in PDF form.
🔎 2026 NCHSAA 6A Playoff Bracket: What to Know
- Watauga’s title defense gets tougher: The defending 6A champion Pioneers, seeded 13th in the West, survived a 16-8 first-round battle against Olympic. Now Watauga visits No. 4 Kings Mountain (7-3), whose three losses include setbacks against defending state champions Crest (5A) and Shelby (3A). The Mountaineers received a first-round bye.
- Rose stands alone: J.H. Rose (10-0) is the only undefeated team remaining in the 6A bracket and the classification’s lone representative in the NC Football News Fabulous 15. The East’s top seed opens its postseason against South Johnston, which defeated Felton Grove 55-22 in the first round.
- East’s dangerous challengers: Jacksonville, Northern Nash and Scotland occupy the next three seeds behind Rose, while Seventy-First and Triton enter the second round with 10-1 records. Seventy-First faces defending runner-up Middle Creek, and Triton travels to Williams.
- An upset in the East: No. 21 Terry Sanford knocked off No. 12 Franklinton 54-43 in one of the opening round’s highest-scoring games. The Bulldogs now travel to No. 5 Union Pines, looking to continue their postseason run.
- West offers opportunities for surprises: No. 19 Eastern Guilford advanced with a 20-7 victory over No. 14 Glenn and now visits third-seeded Asheboro. Charlotte Catholic, which rolled past Piedmont 48-6, faces No. 7 Freedom in another intriguing second-round matchup.
- An Asheville showdown remains possible: Top-seeded Asheville and No. 2 T.C. Roberson begin their postseason runs Friday after opening-round byes. The two Asheville programs remain on opposite sides of the West bracket, setting up the possibility of a meeting in the regional championship game.
🥇 Defending 6A State Champion: Watauga
Watauga completed a perfect 15-0 season in 2025, defeating Middle Creek 47-25 at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill to capture its second state football championship and first since 1978. The Pioneers built a 33-10 halftime lead and pulled away from a Middle Creek team making its first appearance in a state championship game.
Evan Burroughs delivered a remarkable all-around performance in his final high school football game, rushing for three touchdowns, catching another and returning an interception for a score. The Duke baseball signee also finished with 14 receptions for 149 yards and two interceptions, while quarterback Cade Keller completed 22 of 26 passes for 277 yards.
Looking back: View the complete 2025 NCHSAA 6A playoff bracket, scores and results.
📅 2026 NCHSAA Football Playoff Schedule
- Oct. 30 – Final Friday night of the regular season around the state
- Oct. 31 – NCHSAA playoff brackets finalized and released
- Nov. 6 – First round (higher seeds host)
- Nov. 13 – Second round (higher seeds host)
- Nov. 20 – Third round (higher seeds host)
- Nov. 27 – Fourth round (higher seeds host)
- Dec. 4 – Regional finals (higher seeds host)
- Dec. 10-12 – State championships (neutral sites, TBA)
🏈 Related High School Football Playoff Coverage
NCHSAA Playoff Brackets Center | North Carolina High School Scoreboard | NCISAA Playoffs
Explore Other 2026 Brackets
1A | 2A | 3A | 4A | 5A | 6A | 7A | 8A
