Preseason rankings are officially out for North Carolina, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are making a strong showing across the board. Click the link below to see which CMS schools made the list.
Football
Boys CC
Girls CC
Girls Golf
Boys Soccer
Girls Tennis
Football
Five CMS football teams ranked in preseason North Carolina Top 25
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will enter the 2026 high school football season with five teams ranked among the best in North Carolina, including the defending state champion.
Hough leads the MaxPreps preseason North Carolina Top 25 at No. 1 after completing a perfect 14-0 season and winning the 2025 N.C. High School Athletic Association 8A state championship. The Huskies defeated Millbrook 21-0 in the championship game.
Four other CMS programs appear in the rankings.
West Charlotte is No. 5 after finishing 10-3 last season, while Independence earned the No. 8 ranking following another 10-3 campaign. Mallard Creek is ranked No. 10 after going 7-4, giving CMS four teams among the top 10.
Myers Park rounds out the district’s ranked teams at No. 15. The Mustangs finished the 2025 season with a 9-3 record.
CMS teams in the preseason MaxPreps Top 25:
No. 1 Hough — 14-0 in 2025
No. 5 West Charlotte — 10-3
No. 8 Independence — 10-3
No. 10 Mallard Creek — 7-4
No. 15 Myers Park — 9-3
No other public school district placed as many teams in the preseason rankings. With five ranked programs—including four in the top 10—CMS will once again be home to several of the state’s most closely watched football teams in 2026.
Boys CC
HighSchoolOT has released their 2026 preseason Statewide Top 25 for boys cross country. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had two teams total in the top 25 with Myers Park Boys Cross Country being the top team in CMS at No. 5.Â
No. 5 Myers Park
No. 18 Ardrey Kell
Girls CC
HighSchoolOT has released their 2026 preseason Statewide Top 25 for girls cross country. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had one teams total in the top 25 with Myers Park Girlss Cross Country being the top team in CMS at No. 11.Â
No. 11 Myers Park
Girls Golf
HighSchoolOT has released their 2026 preseason Statewide Top 25 for girls golf. Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools had two teams total in the top 25 with Ardrey Kell Girls Golf being the top team in CMS at No. 7.Â
No. 7 Ardrey KellÂ
No. 15 Hough
Boys Soccer
One Charlotte-Mecklenburg boys soccer teams will begin the 2026 season ranked among the top programs in North Carolina. The highest ranked in CMS is Providence at No.2
No. 5 – Providence (5-1-1)
Girls Tennis
HighSchoolOT has released their 2026 preseason Statewide Top 25 for girls tennis. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had three teams total in the top 25 with Myers Park Girls Tennis being the top team in CMS at No. 1. Records shown are the final records last season.
No. 1 Myers Park (16-0)
No. 5 Ballantyne Ridge (17-8)
No. 9 Providence (12-3)
