Who is No. 1 in The Charlotte Observer Sweet 16 high school football poll?

Nationally ranked Providence Day starts the season at No. 1 in The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 high school football poll.

The Chargers, 12-1 last season, are attempting to win a fourth straight N.C. private school state championship. They have also won the past two Sweet 16 titles, which included getting large banners from the media company.

Providence Day is ranked No. 46 in MaxPreps’ national top 100, the highest of any team in the Carolinas.

This year, Providence Day lost two-time N.C. Mr. Football Jadyn Davis, now a quarterback at Michigan, but returns 14 starters and 34 lettermen.

Three of those starters are ESPN top 300 talents: Senior offensive tackle David Sanders (No. 4, class of 2025); junior offensive tackle Leo Delaney (No. 53, class of 2026); and receiver Gordon Sellars (No. 117, class of 2026).

Also back for the Chargers are all-state defensive back Cairo Skanes, first-team all-conference lineman Miles Funderburk and first-team all-conference defensive back Braxton Winston. And earlier this month, Reidsville High junior Kendre Harrison, a tight end ranked No. 3 nationally by ESPN in the class of 2026, transferred to the school. Harrison was MaxPreps’ 2023-24 national male athlete of the year.

Why national football player of the year Kendre Harrison transferred to Providence Day

There are some question marks, though, as many of the returning players will have to play bigger roles, but the Chargers probably have more star power than any team in the region. That includes quarterback Zaid Lott, who has committed to North Carolina without ever being a regular starter, and running back Ian Cline, another first-team all-conference pick who committed to Army last week.

No. 2 Weddington (14-2 last season): The Warriors won the 4A state championship last season and return 10 starters to chase a repeat. Stars like Nick Diamond (991 yards rushing, 11 TDs) and receiver Javon Barber (611 yards receiving, seven touchdowns) will carry the offense. The Weddington defense, which allowed 13 points per game last season, will again be as good as any in North Carolina, led by juniors Aiden Harris (93 tackles), Thomas Davis Jr. (92 tackles) and Drew Hill (104 tackles). The Warriors also got a high-profile transfer in Ohio State commit Trajen Odom, a defensive lineman who had 54 tackles and 22 tackles for a loss at Cary’s Panther Creek High School last season.

3. Independence (11-4 last season): The Patriots reached the N.C. 4A semifinals and return 14 starters and 27 lettermen from that team. Among them? Senior QB Justin Little (2,722 yards passing, 29 TDs) and promising junior RB Jayden Jones (1,830 yards rushing, 19 TDs). Also returning are senior receiver Brian Crowder, senior lineman Sidig Cabaniss-Ali and a trio of defensive stars in Dallas Brannon, Nick Reddish and Cam Martin, all college recruits.

No. 4 West Charlotte (9-4 last season): West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner returns 14 starters from a third- round NCHSAA 3A playoff team and believes this could be the best team he’s coached. Greiner, who led Harding to the 2017 4A state title, will feature multi-position star KD Cotton, a junior, along with junior receiver Donte Nicholson and Rock Hill South Pointe (SC) transfer Justin Wilson, who rushed for 1,025 yards last season. The Lions are young but stout on defense. A tough conference schedule against mostly 4A teams may bruise the record a little, but in the playoffs, West Charlotte has a real shot for its first state title since 1995.

No. 5 Rock Hill Northwestern (11-2 last season): The Trojans, who have won 42 games in the past four years, return 32 lettermen and 15 starters, including QB Finley Polk (2,902 yards passing, 38 touchdowns). On defense, Northwestern returns eight of those starters, including seniors Mason Grier, Danijay McMullen, Andre Pickett and Dmitri Putman, who combined for 23.5 sacks last season.

No. 6 Hough (11-2 last season): The Huskies have 30 lettermen and 13 starters coming back. A streak of three straight seasons with at least 12 wins could continue. Senior QB Trey Blakeney, an Austin Peay commit, returns after throwing for 1,543 yards and 19 touchdowns. On defense, Charlotte 49ers recruit Reggie Rainer and junior 5-star recruit Samari Matthews form a potentially dominant defensive back group.

No. 7 Charlotte Christian (8-4 last season): The Knights return 17 starters and 27 lettermen and have added a pair of high-impact transfers in running back Jamal Rule (from Salisbury High) and former West Charlotte defensive end Elijah Littlejohn, The Observer’s preseason Mecklenburg County private school defensive player of the year. Rule rushed for 2,712 yards and 36 touchdowns last season. Littlejohn had 12 sacks. They’ll pair with returning stars like QB Owen Farrell (1,962 yards passing, 18 TDs) and junior DB LJ Porter (91 tackles).

No. 8 Butler (12-2 last season): Legendary coach Brian Hales retired and former Chambers High coach and two-time state champion Glenwood Ferebee takes over a team that returns 14 starters, including QB Zach Lawrence, a Massachusetts commit. Lawrence threw for 1,900-plus yards and 24 touchdowns last season. The Bulldogs’ defense, which allowed 11.7 points last season, will feature Charlotte 49ers commit Jadyn Farmer, a defensive lineman, and linebacker Ian Coleman, who had six sacks last season.

No. 9 Mallard Creek (7-5 last season): The Mavericks return nine starters but a massive 48 lettermen. Coach Kennedy Tinsley, who is 25-17 in four seasons with Mallard Creek, believes he has nearly a dozen high-impact newcomers. Anticipation is high around Mallard Creek this season that the Mavericks are ready to again compete for a place among the state’s elite.

10. Myers Park (7-4 last season): With 29 lettermen and 10 starters back, second-year coach Chris James’ team is the favorite in the SoMECK conference. And he’s got some high-level talent, like Porter Ridge transfer QB Jared Lockhart (1,321 yards passing, 12 TDs), junior receiver Brody Keefe (559 yards receiving, 11 TDs) and Power 5-recruited junior defensive end Rodney Dunham (58 tackles, four sacks).

11. Rock Hill South Pointe (8-4 last season): The Stallions have averaged nine wins a year in the past five seasons. Coach Bobby Collins believes he has the talent to win at least nine more and go deep into the playoffs. Junior QB J’Zavien Currence, a four-star recruit, returns with senior 1,000-yard running back Mason Pickett-Hicks and a big offensive line. On defense, Currence, a two-way star, will team with senior Aaki Brown (42 tackles).

12. East Lincoln (8-4 last season): East Lincoln could be a legitimate challenger for its second NCHSAA 3A state title in three seasons. Junior QB Grant Lawless (1,599 yards passing, 20 TDs), senior RB Chris Daley II (710 yards, eight touchdowns) and receiver Jackson Beam (750 yards, 10 touchdowns) give the Mustangs lots of offense punch. On defense, senior LB Brody Hager (80 tackles) and DL Kaleb Lauffer (six sacks) will lead the unit.

No. 13 Charlotte Catholic (9-4 last season): New coach Keith Emery is promising to take the Cougars back to their Wing-T offensive roots, which means Catholic is going to run, run, run. The Cougars return 40 lettermen and 11 starters. Emery is Catholic’s fourth coach in 50 years and he said he plans for this to be his final job.

No. 14 JM Robinson (12-1 last season): There are 16 starters, including nine on defense, returning on a team that has legitimate 3A state title aspirations. Robinson averaged 42 points a game last season and brings back senior receivers Xavier Burnett and South Carolina commit Brian Rowe, who each topped 1,000 yards in 2023, to work with QB Tyler Kluttz. Both lines are strong, too. In the past three years, the Bulldogs are 32-5. Expect them to add to that this year.

No. 15 Monroe (11-2 last season): The Redhawks are 31-6 over the past three seasons and should be strong again, led by defensive back Jordan Young, the preseason Union County defensive player of the year. Young is a five-star recruit with 31 scholarship offers, including Alabama, Clemson and Michigan. Also back? Senior QB Kaegan Chambers (2,000-plus yards total offense, 25 touchdowns), senior DB Quay Knotts (49 tackles) and RB/DL Zion Lindsey (646 yards rushing, 12 TDs, 91 tackles, six sacks).

No. 16 Mooresville (11-1 last season): The Blue Devils have a new coach, 26-year-old Zach Mayo, and return 15 starters. In the past three seasons, the Blue Devils are 28-7 but haven’t gotten past the second round of the 4A playoffs. With QB Brody Norman, running back Eric Heal, all-conference receiver Dom Morin and Indiana-bound senior LB Jamari Farmer all returning, the Blue Devils look ready for a deep playoff push.

The next 16

Here are rankings for the next best 16 teams in the area:

No. 17. Rock Hill; No. 18 Ardrey Kell; No. 19 AL Brown; No. 20 Chambers; No. 21 Forest Hills; No. 22 Statesville; No. 23 Sun Valley; No. 24 Lake Norman; No. 25 South Point; No. 26 Providence; No. 27 Palisades; No. 28 Porter Ridge; No. 29 Marvin Ridge; No. 30 North Lincoln; No. 31 Northwest Cabarrus; No. 32 South Mecklenburg

▪ Rankings compiled by Chris Hughes. Hughes, 47, has been going to N.C. high school football games since 1979. He began coaching high school football in 1998 and began covering the sport professionally in 2002 when he launched a statewide website. In 2007, he started CarolinaPreps.com, when he began to do football rankings. Hughes, who has also done color commentary for Shrine Bowl broadcasts, has visited every school stadium in North Carolina.