North Carolina
Top 25 North Carolina high school football rankings (10/29/2024)
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 undefeated Weddington followed by the Grimsley, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee and then Providence Day.
Here’s the complete breakdown of North Carolina’s elite high school football teams, heading into Week 11 of the 2024 season, as we see it.
The Warriors had another dominant performance last week to improve to 8-0 on the season when they rolled to a 33-7 win over Cuthbertson.
There’s not many running backs in the Tar Heel State playing better than Mitchell Summers right now. The tailback has rushed for 1,091 yards and has scored an eye popping 27 touchdowns.
Reynolds football Rabun Gap Max Guest / Josh Bell / USA TODAY NETWORK
There’s honestly an argument to be had that this Rabun Gap-Nacoochee club could be the best team right now in North Carolina. The Eagles only two losses have come to Hun (New Jersey) and top-ranked Baylor out of Tennessee.
Providence Day’s only two losses this season have come up against top ranked Weddington and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee. Not bad losses if you ask us.
Not many signal callers can boast the kind of stat line Jackson Byrd has through nine games. The senior has completed 163-of-259 passes for 2,579 yards and 28 touchdowns.
The Rams looked impressive in last week’s 49-0 thrashing of Wake Forest. Now they’ll prepare for the regular season finale with Heritage.
Ralph Trey Blakeney has been a big reason why the Huskies are playing well, with the senior throwing for 1,867 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Another quarterback that’s been playing really well in North Carolina is Bryce Baker, who has thrown for 2,392 yards and 28 touchdowns to just two picks.
The Mavericks this season had totaled three shutout victories. Only losses have come to Grayson (Georgia) and Hough.
Quarterback Gannon Jones has been a steady cog in the Crusaders’ success this season, throwing for over 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns.
The Panthers’ defense has really been getting after opposing quarterbacks, racking up 68.5 sacks through nine games. Don’t forget about the 195 tackles that have for a loss.
Not many teams have run the ball as effectively as the Falcons this season. Seventy-First has totaled 3,016 yards and 39 touchdowns on the ground so far.
Not many opposing teams are able to put it altogther against Hickory’s stingy defense, which has only allowed 96 points and recorded three shutouts.
The Vikings started off the season with a 35-32 loss to Cleveland and all they’ve done since then is continue to win eight straight games.
Jaylen Hewitt is one of the leaders in the state in the passing, with 3,174 yards and 31 touchdowns. Pretty solid numbers.
Another week and another big victory for the Patriots as they cruised to a 44-0 win over Rocky River.
After a gritty Week 1 victory over T.C. Roberson, the Pioneers have followed it up in the several weeks with several dominant wins and of course, remaining undefeated.
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 202-65 through five games.
Hard to fault the Spartans too much when it comes to the losses they’ve had so far this season. Only two losses have come against Grimsley and East Forsyth.
Hard to drop a team too far after suffering a 24-9 losses to Providence Day and a talented Crest squad. Still hanging in the Top 25 this week.
West Forsyth took care of business last week in a 56-20 rout of R.C. Reynolds. Now they have the big tilt this week against East Forsyth.
The Bulldogs through the first nine games has out-scored opponents 413-45. Not too shabby when it comes to the defensive side of things.
Chargers’ running back Aiden Carson has played really this season, despite the impact the team has taken from Hurricane Helene. Carson leads the team with over 700 yards rushing.
The Knights only three losses on the season have come against Independence, Providence Day and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, all teams ranked ahead of Charlotte Christian.
Taking the final spot is the Nighthawks, who are comingoff a 49-14 rout of Western Guilford.
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An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 15-year-old New Bern boy after police say he was abducted at gunpoint from a motel early Saturday morning.
According to the New Bern Police Department, officers responded around 3:15 a.m. to the Palace Motel, located at 1901 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., after receiving a report of a child abduction.
Police said two adults inside the motel room told officers they had been asleep with two boys — 15-year-old Isaiah Kavon Owens and 13-year-old Kenneth Brantley Jr. — when they were awakened by someone banging on the door.
According to investigators, Larry Tompkins opened the door and encountered multiple people, including Kenneth Lee Brantley Sr., the father of Kenneth Brantley Jr.
Police said Brantley pointed a gun at Tompkins before taking both boys from the room and leaving in a black 2012 GMC Yukon Denali XL with South Carolina license plate XFH752.
Authorities said Brantley may be traveling to his residence in Marion, South Carolina. A statewide BOLO (Be On the Lookout) has been issued for the vehicle.
The North Carolina Center for Missing Persons issued an AMBER Alert Friday morning at the request of the New Bern Police Department.
Isaiah is described as a Black male, 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 100 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, black pants and red-and-blue sneakers.
Police said Isaiah is autistic and has a speech delay.
Investigators said arrest warrants have been obtained for Brantley charging him with the abduction and endangerment of Isaiah Owens.
The New Bern Police Department said it is working with local, state, out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies to locate Isaiah and ensure his safe return.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Bern Police Department at 252-633-2020, their local law enforcement agency, or call 911 immediately.
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Authorities advise the public not to approach Brantley.
A man once given the nickname Cardiac Kemba due to his heart-stopping heroics at the University of Connecticut, Kemba Walker is back to breathe life into the 704’s youth basketball community.
The Charlotte Hornets’ legend officially opened the Kemba Walker Sports Academy in Concord, North Carolina this afternoon, a multi-sport facility just north of Charlotte that’s mission is “to provide a safe, fun, and inclusive environment for athletes to learn, grow, excel and compete.”
At a ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the 54,000 square foot facility, Walker took some time to answer questions from assembled media about his latest venture that was created with community in mind.
“It’s really bigger than, you know, basketball,” said the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer this afternoon when talking about the academy. “We want the kids to have some discipline and really teach them how to work hard you know? That’s what we’re chasing. We’re chasing something that’s much bigger than the actual sport.”
It’s a bold vision, and one that Walker has dreamed of fulfilling since he was a kid suiting up for his childhood AAU program, the New York Gauchos.
“(The Gauchos’ facility) is probably not quite like this. It’s not as big as this. But that was my safe space, you know? That was the place I was able to go to, to enjoy the game of basketball and meet some of my closest friends that I still have to this day who actually run this place.”
Walker has been a pillar of the grassroots basketball community in Charlotte since he was a baby-faced, 20-something-year-old suiting up for the Bobcats. And even though he spent some time playing elsewhere in his professional basketball career, the four-time All-Star has considered the Queen City his domain since draft night.
“I never left, first of all” said Walker when asked about returning to the Hornets as an assistant coach and being able to now give back to the community that embraced him with open arms when he was drafted in 2011. “Obviously, I went to a couple of different teams and, you know, my path took me to a couple of different places, but I always kept my house here, and my family was always here, and whenever I had time in the summer, something like that, I was always here.”
“But it is amazing to be back. I love Charlotte.”
And Charlotte loves him back.
Walker stamped his name in the franchise record books with a successful career on the court, but he forever endeared himself into the community by embracing the basketball-crazed city he didn’t have a single tie to until he was drafted there.
The Kemba Walker Sports Academy will host its first grassroots basketball event this weekend, the Kemba Walker Invitational, where AAU teams from across the country (including Walker’s own New York Gauchos) will convene in Concord to christen the facility.
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Home sales in western North Carolina have increased since last year, according to the latest report from a realtor group.
Canopy MLS, a subsidiary of the Canopy Realtor Association, reports that May home sales across the four-county Asheville area (Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison counties) reflected a spring market that remains “active and competitive.”
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A total of 592 homes closed in May, representing a 6.3 percent increase compared to May 2025 and a 2.1 percent gain over April, the report said. Buyer demand continued to strengthen, with pending sales, a leading indicator of future closings, surging 22.4 percent year over year as 728 properties went under contract during the month.
“The strength of buyer demand in May is encouraging and reflects continued confidence in the Asheville region as a place to live, work and invest,” said Dave Noyes, a Realtor/Designated Managing Broker with eXp Realty and Canopy MLS Board of Director, in a news release. “
ASHEVILLE HOUSING MARKET SHOWS STEADY STRENGTH AS INVENTORY RISES ACROSS REGION
Contract activity also increased 7.1 percent compared to April, signaling that buyers remained engaged despite mortgage rates averaging approximately 6.5 percent throughout May, the report said.
“Buyers are adapting to today’s mortgage rates and taking advantage of the increased inventory we’ve seen over the past year. Although fewer new listings came onto the market in May, homes continue to attract strong interest, which is helping maintain a healthy balance between supply and demand as we head into the summer months,” Noyes said.
While buyer activity increased , new listing activity moderated. Sellers introduced 1,165 homes to the market in May, a 6.7 percent decline compared to the same month last year and a 7.7 percent decrease from April. Even so, the region’s inventory of homes for sale continued to expand, rising 3.2 percent year over year to 3,092 properties at report time. Months of supply, however, declined from six months in May 2025 to 5.4 months this past May, suggesting that the pace of buyer demand is absorbing available inventory faster than new listings are being added.
The report said that although buyers have more choices than a year ago, the market remains relatively balanced, with strong contract activity continuing to support overall sales momentum.
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