Top 25 North Carolina high school football rankings (9/12/2024)

Weddington continues as the No. 1 team in North Carolina
Hoggard's #21 Reagan Printy sacks #12 Tyler Budge as Hoggard took on Weddington High School in the 4A Football Championship at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. Weddington beat Hoggard 56 -21 to win the State Championship. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS
Hoggard's #21 Reagan Printy sacks #12 Tyler Budge as Hoggard took on Weddington High School in the 4A Football Championship at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. Weddington beat Hoggard 56 -21 to win the State Championship. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

North Carolina high school football is in full swing and so are our power rankings.

The No. 1 team in the Tar Heel State remains Weddington followed by the Grimsley then Providence Day.

Here’s the complete breakdown of North Carolina's elite high school football teams, heading into Week 4 of the 2024 season, as we see it.

2024 SBLive Football Top 25 North Carolina high school football rankings

1. Weddington (3-0)

Weddington football
Hoggard's #0 Kamar Fulton makes a tackle as Hoggard took on Weddington High School in the 4A Football Championship at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. Weddington beat Hoggard 56 -21 to win the State Championship. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Warriors had another dominant performance last week to improve to 3-0 on the season when they rolled to a 48-13 win over West Forsyth.

2. Grimsley (3-0)

There’s not many running backs in the Tar Heel State playing better than Mitchell Summers right now. The tailback has rushed for 420 yards and scored nine touchdowns.

3. Providence Day (2-1)

The Chargers bounced back from their season-opening loss to Weddington and soundly defeated Charlotte Catholic, 24-9.

4. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (3-1)

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee
AC Reynolds sophomore running back Max Guest runs the ball against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Friday night at AC Reynolds High School in Asheville, NC. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee defeated AC Reynolds 37-28. A Reynolds football Rabun Gap Max Guest / Josh Bell / USA TODAY NETWORK

Through four games, Eagles’ quarterback Gavin Owens has been on pinpoint. Owens completed 81-of-123 passes for 906 yards and six touchdowns.

5. Cleveland (3-0)

Not many signal callers can boast the kind of stat line Jackson Byrd has through three games. The senior has completed 49-of-79 passes for 768 yards and nine touchdowns.

6. Rolesville (2-1)

Rolesville
Oct 21, 2011; Wake Forest, NC, USA; Wake Forest-Rolesville Cougars running back Casty St. Louis (28) carries the ball against the Millbrook Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-Imagn Images / Mark Dolejs-Imagn Images

The Rams looked impressive in last week’s 52-0 thrashing of East Wake. Now they’ll prepare for a strong matchup with Cardinal Gibbons.

7. Hough (2-1)

Ralph Trey Blakeney has been a big reason why the Huskies are playing well, with the senior throwing for 829 yards and 11 touchdowns.

8. East Forsyth (3-0)

Another quarterback that’s been playing really well in North Carolina is Bryce Baker, who has thrown for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns to just one pick.

9. Independence (3-0)

Another week and another big victory for the Patriots as they cruised to a 34-14 win over Charlotte Christian.

10. Cardinal Gibbons (2-0)

Cardinal Gibbons
Hoggard's #45 Jaret Austin returns a fumble as Hoggard took on Cardinal Gibbons in the 4A State Playoff Semi Final game Friday Dec. 1, 2023 at Hoggard's Scott Braswell Stadium in Wilmington, N.C. Hoggard won 41-20 to become the 2023 NCHSAA 4A East Champions. KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

Quarterback Gannon Jones after one game had a strong passing wise in the Crusaders' opener, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.

11. Mallard Creek (1-1)

We can’t drop Mallard Creek down too far after its first loss of the season. A Week 3 28-14 loss to Grayson (Georgia) is a respectable loss.

12. Dudley (3-0)

The Panthers' defense has really been getting after opposing quarterbacks, racking up 14 sacks through the first three weeks.

13. Seventy-First (2-0)

Not many teams have run the ball as effectively as the Falcons this season. Seventy-First has totaled 528 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground so far.

14. Hickory (2-0)

Two games and two shutout victories for the Red Tornadoes and has out-scored opponents 82-0.

15. Reidsville (3-0)

Jariel Cobb has been the bellcow for the Rams' offense so far this season, rushing for 552 yards and seven touchdowns.

16. Hoggard (1-1)

The Vikings started off the season with a 35-32 loss to Cleveland and bounced back with a 48-14 win over Wallace Rose-Hill.

17. Havelock (2-0)

Jaylen Hewitt is one of the leaders in the state in the passing, with 715 yards and 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

18. Watauga (3-0)

After a gritty Week 1 victory over T.C. Roberson, the Pioneers followed it up with a 56-7 thrashing of Avery County and 24-13 win over Maiden.

19. Porter Ridge (3-0)

Sophomore quarterback Keenan Sullivan has looked solid through three games for the Pirates, throwing for 231 yards and four touchdowns.

20. Asheville School (2-0)

There's no 'blues' over at Asheville School as they've been playing lights out to start the season. The Blues has out-scored opponents 91-7 through two games.

21. Charlotte Catholic (2-1)

Hard to drop a team too far after suffering a 24-9 loss to Providence Day. Still hanging in the Top 25 this week.

22. West Forsyth (2-1)

It was a bit of a tough time last week against No. 1-ranked Weddington, falling 48-13.

23. Robinson (3-0)

The Bulldogs through the first three games has out-scored opponents 129-21 in wins over Concord, Hickory Ridge and West Cabarrus.

24. Crest (2-0)

Chargers are off to a 2-0 start after wins over Burns and Shelby, but now have their toughest test when they face Charlotte Catholic this week.

25. Charlotte Christian (1-1)

The Knights fall to the last spot in the rankings after a 34-13 loss to Independence last week.


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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivenc


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Andy Villamarzo

ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.