After a dominant playoff run through the 4A classification, Weddington has finished as North Carolina's No. 1 football team in the HSOT Top 25.

Weddington's impressive playoff stretch concluded with a 56-21 championship game victory over 4A East champ Hoggard. The Warriors lost two regular season games by one score. However, metrics show that Weddington played the toughest schedule of any team in the state by a wide margin.

Providence Day finished in the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year. The Chargers once again won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's Division I state championship. The Chargers lost to Georgia-based Rabun Gap in the regular season and got revenge with a win over the Eagles in the title. Ultimately, it was deemed by our staff that Weddington played a tougher schedule.

Every N.C. High School Athletic Association state champion landed in the top seven. 3A champion Hickory is ranked No. 3 in the state, 2A champ Reidsville is No. 4, and 1A victor Mount Airy is No. 7. The Granite Bears of Mount Airy have won 30-straight games.

HighSchoolOT's Area Code Top 15 rankings have also been finalized for the 2023 football season. Northeastern was ranked first in the 252, Reidsville in the 336, Weddington in the 704, Hickory in the 828, Seventy-First in the 910, and Cardinal Gibbons in the 919.

Here are a few things about how our rankings work in football:

• All high schools in the state of North Carolina, excluding athletic training academies, are eligible for the statewide top 25
• There is a separate top 15 for the state's six area codes that is also updated weekly
• Rankings are paused during the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs
• Final rankings are released the week after the state championships

To compare the final rankings to the final regular season rankings, see the link below:

Rankings Updated: Dec. 11

HSOT Statewide Top 25

1. Weddington 14-2 (4A Champ)
2. Providence Day 12-1 (NCISAA D1 Champ)
3. Hickory 16-0 (3A Champ)
4. Reidsville 15-1 (2A Champ)
5. Seventy-First 15-1
6. Dudley 14-1
7. Mount Airy 16-0 (1A Champ)
8. Grimsley 13-1
9. Hough 11-2
10. Independence 11-4
11. Butler 12-2
12. Hoggard 14-1
13. Clinton 15-1
14. Chambers 8-4
15. Cardinal Gibbons 12-3
16. Rolesville 12-2
17. Crest 13-1
18. East Forsyth 10-2
19. West Henderson 13-1
20. Cleveland 13-1
21. Watauga 12-1
22. West Charlotte 9-4
23. Mallard Creek 7-5
24. Clayton 10-3
25. Northeastern 14-1

Area Code Top 15 Rankings

In the final area code rankings, Northeastern is ranked first in the 252, Cardinal Gibbons in the 919, Seventy-First in the 910, Reidsville in the 336, Weddington in the 704, and Hickory in the 828.

252 area code

Eligible counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson.

1. Northeastern 14-1
2. Tarboro 13-1
3. Northern Nash 13-2
4. Southern Nash 10-2
5. Havelock 13-1
6. Nash Central 11-3
7. Hertford County 10-3
8. New Bern 6-7
9. Vance County 10-1
10. Wilson Prep 11-2
11. J.H. Rose 6-7
12. SouthWest Edgecombe 10-3
13. West Craven 8-4
14. Fike 9-4
15. Currituck County 8-4

336 area code

Eligible counties: Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Caswell, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin.

1. Reidsville 15-1
2. Dudley 14-1
3. Mount Airy 16-0
4. Grimsley 13-1
5. East Forsyth 10-2
6. Southern Alamance 12-2
7. Williams 9-3
8. Eastern Alamance 8-3
9. Eastern Randolph 12-2
10. West Forsyth 8-4
11. Mount Tabor 8-5
12. Oak Grove 11-2
13. Davie County 7-4
14. Eastern Guilford 8-3
15. Cummings 9-3

704 area code

Eligible counties: Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Union.

1. Weddington 14-2
2. Providence Day 12-1
3. Hough 11-2
4. Independence 11-4
5. Butler 12-2
6. Chambers 8-4
7. Crest 13-1
8. West Charlotte 9-4
9. Mallard Creek 7-5
10. Charlotte Catholic 9-4
11. Jay M. Robinson 12-1
12. Mooresville 11-1
13. Kings Mountain 10-2
14. Shelby 11-4
15. Monroe 11-2

828 area code

Eligible counties: Alexander, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Yancey.

1. Hickory 16-0
2. West Henderson 13-1
3. Watauga 12-1
4. Bunker Hill 13-1
5. A.C. Reynolds 9-4
6. Robbinsville 13-2
7. Swain County 11-2
8. T.C. Roberson 9-3
9. Brevard 10-3
10. Christ School 4-7
11. Maiden 8-4
12. Asheville School 8-3
13. Pisgah 9-3
14. Mountain Heritage 10-3
15. Murphy 9-4

910 area code

Eligible counties: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland

1. Seventy-First 15-1
2. Hoggard 14-1
3. Clinton 15-1
4. Pinecrest 11-1
5. Jacksonville 9-2
6. Scotland 10-3
7. Laney 10-3
8. Cape Fear 9-3
9. West Columbus 12-2
10. Whiteville 11-3
11. Trinity Christian 10-2
12. Richmond 5-6
13. White Oak 9-2
14. Wallace-Rose Hill 8-4
15. East Duplin 10-2

919 area code

Eligible counties: Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Lee, Orange, Wake, Wayne.

1. Cardinal Gibbons 12-3
2. Rolesville 12-2
3. Cleveland 13-1
4. Clayton 10-3
5. Leesville Road 9-3
6. Millbrook 9-3
7. Jordan 8-4
8. Apex Friendship 9-3
9. Southern Durham 7-5
10. Heritage 4-7
11. Wake Forest 7-5
12. Holly Springs 9-2
13. Middle Creek 6-5
14. Fuquay-Varina 6-7
15. Apex 7-4