The 2025 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Top Ten Teams

There are 21 football teams in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg High School system, and we're going to recap the top ten teams very briefly with a key player who was instrumental in their success this season. We may replicate this format for some other areas close to Charlotte as well to bring some closure to another fun year of high school football in the 704/980! This article will be done in the order of a ranking I do on a weekly basis during the regular season called the CMS Best To Last. We'll start at the top, and then work our way through these ten teams. Ok, here we go.   1. Hough Huskies - The state champions of the first-ever 8A class in North Carolina, the Huskies were dominant all year long. Choosing one player to highlight from these guys is a challenge because of the absolute bevy of talent all over the field here, but this couldn't have been done without QB [player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal'] being the incredible dual-threat player he is. With him returning next season, you can expect Hough to be a highly ranked team to start 2026.   2. West Charlotte Lions - The Lions had a great season, making it to the 8A Western Finals, but losing the battle for the Kings of Charlotte was a bitter pill to swallow. Still, a ton of talent on a very good team, and this is another hard choice here to pick just one guy, but I'm going to go with ATH [player_tooltip player_id='422544' first='Jamil' last='Watson'], who ended up being a major contributor on both offense and defense. He's got a very high ceiling, and I think he's just scratching the surface of how good he can be. Big question mark obviously is who will coach the Lions next season, with Head Coach Sam Greiner no longer in the big chair.   3. Independence Patriots - The Patriots got exponentially better as the season went along, and made a run all the way to the very tough 7A Western Semifinals, ultimately losing to Weddington, but this was an excellent coaching job by Head Coach DJ McFadden and his staff. As with the other top teams, it is a difficult task to narrow down to one player, but I can't ignore RB [player_tooltip player_id='1124842' first='Jayden' last='Jones']. A lot of people think he is an all-time talent at the RB position in Charlotte history. When Jayden went on to rush for over 180 yards in the Queen City Senior Bowl, it cemented his legacy in my eyes as one of the best ever to come through Charlotte.   4. Myers Park Mustangs - Making the 8A Western Semifinals was a nice bounce-back year for the Mustangs, and Head Coach Chris James probably doesn't get enough credit for that. The Mustangs had a lot of good talent, but it is tough getting everyone on the same page week in and week out. I like a lot of the Myers Park roster, so this is an extremely tough decision, but I don't think they go as far as they do without RB Josh Falzarano. He had a great senior year and maximized his talent and output for a good Mustangs offense. It will be interesting to see how the Mustangs reload for next season.   5. Mallard Creek Mavericks - The Mavericks will tell you that losing at home to West Forsyth in the 2nd round was a disappointing way to end the season after earning a bye in the playoff brackets. The good thing for them, though, is that the vast majority of this team will return next season, making them a big favorite for a high early-season ranking in most polls throughout the state. Mallard Creek is a very good TEAM, so this choice is difficult, but the development of their young QB [player_tooltip player_id='1616115' first='Cailen' last='Napier'] has them excited for the next two years for sure.   6. Providence Panthers - This was a good season for the Panthers, breaking through and winning their conference, defeating their rival Ardrey Kell twice, including in the playoffs, and definitely meeting some goals for Head Coach Wes Ward. It was an interesting season for them, but the player that I really think made the most difference was ATH Keland Shelton Jr. There were some very good impact players on this team, but I don't think Providence beats Ardrey Kell both times without what Shelton did in those games. That was really fun to watch overall.   7. Palisades Pumas - The Pumas made the 2nd round of the playoffs, and their first-round playoff win against South Mecklenburg was a fun game to watch overall. Like most of these top teams, there was a lot of talent on this squad, and it's hard to say one guy was essential, but I liked the development of QB [player_tooltip player_id='525514' first='Cole' last='Hough'] this season. The Pumas found some ways to make some big plays in the passing game downfield on a consistent basis, thanks to Cole's development overall as a player. He'll be one to watch for sure coming into 2026.   8. South Mecklenburg Sabres - The Sabres had a very good season, with some fun games and big victories along the way to get them back into the state playoffs. A very talented group of seniors made this team competitive, but ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1751631' first='Callaway' last='Williams'] impact on both sides of the ball simply can't be ignored. Williams was a dynamic wide receiver and player who was dangerous on special teams with the football in his hands. Defensively, he was a defensive back who had some range and tackled well in space. Callaway made BOTH sides of the ball much better for the Sabres. They will return some talented players up front next season, also.   9. Olympic Trojans - Winning their conference in 6A in its first year was a good start to a new classification for Head Coach Brandon Thompson. The Trojans won this season on the strength of finding ways to win in a lot of close games -their seniors consistently rose up and played well in the conference to win when it mattered the most. A lot of critical players were important to their success, but I don't think they would have won the conference without ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1610634' first='Kenyan' last='White'], who was incredible, most notably on defense all season long. Coming back in his senior year, he's one of the most underrated players in Charlotte.   10. Chambers Cougars - Chambers earns this spot on the strength of one of the most impressive comeback victories I've seen in a while in the playoffs, on the road at Pinecrest in Round One. And the guy who helped lead it is the player I'll highlight here in QB [player_tooltip player_id='402307' first='Zyon' last='Hailey']. A dual-threat player, Zyon led that comeback with his arm, showing his potential as a player on the next level. When Zyon played well, the Cougars were at their best this past season. There's always talent at Chambers, and it will be fun to see in Captain Munnerlyn's second season if he's able to build on Year 1 here.   <ol class="wp-block-list"></ol>

There are 21 football teams in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg High School system, and we're going to recap the top ten teams very briefly with a key player who was instrumental in their success this season. We may replicate this format for some other areas close to Charlotte as well to bring some closure to another fun year of high school football in the 704/980! This article will be done in the order of a ranking I do on a weekly basis during the regular season called the CMS Best To Last. We'll start at the top, and then work our way through these ten teams. Ok, here we go.