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.
