Top 25 most dominant North Carolina high school football programs of last 20 years

Based on our methodology, the Cougars amassed 471 points from 2004 to 2023 to edge Butler (Matthews), which narrowly finished second with 441 points.

Butler won all three of its state championship opportunities and finished in the state top 25 in 18 seasons.

Our methodology includes:

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps state computer rankings (25 points awarded to the No. 1 team, 24 for No. 2 and so on).

• Top 25 finishes in the MaxPreps national computer rankings (50 points for No. 1, 49 for No. 2 and so on).

• State championships (20 points).

• State championship game appearances (10 points). 1. Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte), 471
State championships: 2004 (2AA), 2005 (3AA), 2015 (4A), 2017 (3A), 2018 (3A), 2019 (3A), 2020 (3A)
State runner-up: 2006 (3AA), 2007 (3AA), 2012 (3AA), 2014 (4A)
State top 25: 2004 (12), 2005 (3), 2007 (14), 2010 (10), 2011 (10), 2012 (7), 2013 (5), 2014 (3), 2015 (3), 2016 (4), 2017 (2), 2018 (3), 2019 (9), 2020 (5), 2022 (14), 2023 (21)
Nationally ranked: N/A

2. Butler (Matthews), 441
State championships: 2009 (4AA), 2010 (4AA), 2012 (4AA)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2005 (8), 2006 (8), 2007 (19), 2008 (9), 2009 (1), 2010 (1), 2011 (8), 2012 (1), 2013 (6), 2014 (12), 2015 (6), 2016 (11), 2017 (24), 2018 (13), 2019 (19), 2020 (8), 2022 (15), 2023 (5)
Nationally ranked: 2009 (8), 2012 (7)

3. Shelby, 352
State championships: 2004 (2A), 2005 (2AA), 2006 (2AA), 2013 (2A), 2014 (2A), 2015 (2A), 2016 (2AA), 2018 (2AA), 2019 (2AA), 2021 (2A)
State runner-up: 2007 (2AA)
State top 25: 2004 (6), 2005 (18), 2006 (6), 2007 (17), 2014 (22), 2015 (9), 2016 (6), 2017 (17), 2018 (20), 2019 (8), 2021 (5)
Nationally ranked: N/A

4. Mallard Creek (Charlotte), 330
State championships: 2013 (4AA), 2014 (4AA), 2015 (4AA)
State runner-up: 2017 (4AA)
State top 25: 2009 (12), 2010 (4), 2011 (4), 2012 (5), 2013 (1), 2014 (1), 2015 (1), 2016 (12), 2017 (3), 2018 (9), 2019 (3), 2020 (25), 2021 (16), 2022 (11), 2023 (23)
Nationally ranked: N/A

5. Reidsville, 322
State championships: 2007 (2AA), 2008 (2AA), 2009 (2AA), 2016 (2A), 2018 (2A), 2019 (2A), 2020 (2A), 2023 (2A)
State runner-up: 2005 (2AA), 2017 (2A), 2022 (2A)
State top 25: 2006 (12), 2007 (6), 2008 (8), 2009 (3), 2016 (14), 2018 (18), 2019 (21), 2020 (6), 2021 (3), 2022 (25), 2023 (18)
Nationally ranked: N/A

6. Dudley (Greensboro), 294
State championships: 2007 (3AA), 2008 (3AA), 2013 (4A), 2016 (4A), 2021 (3A)
State runner-up: 2004 (3AA)
State top 25: 2004 (14), 2005 (16), 2006 (19), 2007 (10), 2008 (2), 2009 (16), 2013 (2), 2015 (10), 2016 (1), 2020 (17), 2021 (7), 2023 (14)
Nationally ranked: N/A

7. Independence (Charlotte), 281
State championships: 2004 (4AA), 2005 (4AA), 2006 (4AA)
State runner-up: 2007 (4AA)
State top 25: 2004 (1), 2005 (1), 2006 (1), 2007 (5), 2008 (1), 2009 (2), 2012 (17), 2013 (19), 2014 (8), 2022 (12), 2023 (8)
Nationally ranked: N/A

8. Tarboro, 267
State championships: 2009 (2A), 2010 (2A), 2011 (2A), 2017 (1AA), 2018 (1AA), 2020 (1AA), 2021 (1A)
State runner-up: 2008 (2A), 2012 (2A), 2019 (1AA), 2022 (1A), 2023 (1A)
State top 25: 2008 (25), 2009 (9), 2010 (9), 2011 (20), 2012 (25), 2017 (18), 2018 (14), 2020 (11)
Nationally ranked: N/A

9. Weddington (Matthews), 256
State championships: 2016 (3AA), 2018 (3AA), 2019 (3AA), 2023 (4A)
State runner-up: 2014 (3AA)
State top 25: 2013 (23), 2014 (15), 2015 (17), 2016 (17), 2018 (4), 2019 (2), 2020 (4), 2021 (6), 2022 (5), 2023 (1)
Nationally ranked: N/A

10. Wake Forest, 252
State championships: 2016 (4AA), 2017 (4AA), 2018 (4AA)
State runner-up: 2010 (4AA), 2013 (4AA), 2014 (4AA)
State top 25: 2007 (25), 2008 (14), 2009 (19), 2010 (5), 2013 (11), 2014 (4), 2015 (25), 2016 (2), 2017 (1), 2018 (1), 2019 (23), 2022 (6)
Nationally ranked: N/A

11. Chambers (Charlotte), 240
State championships: 2019 (4AA), 2020 (4AA)
State runner-up: 2018 (4AA), 2021 (4A)
State top 25: 2010 (15), 2014 (13), 2015 (20), 2016 (9), 2017 (14), 2018 (7), 2019 (1), 2020 (1), 2021 (1), 2022 (10), 2023 (15)
Nationally ranked: N/A

T-12. Charlotte Christian (Charlotte), 238
State championships: 2017 (NCISSA I), 2018 (NCISSA I), 2019 (NCISSA I), 2020 (NCISSA I)
State runner-up: 2016 (NCISSA I), 2022 (NCISSA I)
State top 25: 2007 (16), 2008 (16), 2012 (16), 2013 (3), 2014 (7), 2017 (5), 2018 (2), 2019 (20), 2020 (19), 2022 (18)
Nationally ranked: N/A

T-12. New Bern, 238
State championships: 2007 (4AA), 2012 (4A), 2014 (4A), 2022 (4A)
State runner-up: 2005 (4AA)
State top 25: 2004 (18), 2005 (10), 2007 (4), 2010 (16), 2011 (9), 2012 (3), 2013 (25), 2014 (2), 2021 (24), 2022 (1)
Nationally ranked: N/A

14. Richmond (Rockingham), 224
State championships: 2008 (4AA)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2004 (5), 2005 (12), 2006 (15), 2007 (12), 2008 (3), 2009 (5), 2010 (6), 2011 (21), 2012 (13), 2013 (21), 2014 (21), 2015 (15), 2018 (8), 2019 (4), 2021 (25)
Nationally ranked: N/A

15. Havelock, 217
State championships: 2011 (3A), 2013 (3A)
State runner-up: 2014 (3A), 2017 (3A), 2020 (3A)
State top 25: 2011 (5), 2012 (4), 2013 (7), 2014 (11), 2016 (20), 2017 (8), 2018 (16), 2020 (10)
Nationally ranked: N/A

16. East Forsyth (Kernersville), 208
State championships: 2018 (4A), 2019 (4A)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2008 (21), 2012 (6), 2013 (22), 2015 (2), 2016 (8), 2018 (5), 2019 (6), 2020 (22), 2021 (4), 2022 (6), 2023 (16)
Nationally ranked: N/A

17. Crest (Shelby), 203
State championships: 2004 (3AA), 2011 (3AA), 2014 (3A), 2015 (3AA)
State runner-up: 2010 (3AA), 2013 (3AA)
State top 25: 2004 (3), 2006 (17), 2010 (18), 2011 (24), 2013 (17), 2014 (5), 2015 (4), 2023 (17)
Nationally ranked: N/A

18. Wallace-Rose Hill (Teachey), 177
State championships: 2009 (1A), 2010 (1A), 2014 (1AA), 2015 (1AA), 2016 (1AA), 2017 (2A)
State runner-up: 2004 (1AA), 2005 (1AA), 2021 (2A)
State top 25: 2005 (15), 2015 (24), 2016 (25), 2017 (13)
Nationally ranked: N/A

19. Northern Guilford (Greensboro), 174
State championships: 2010 (3AA), 2011 (3AA), 2012 (3AA), 2014 (3AA)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2010 (17), 2011 (3), 2012 (2), 2013 (8), 2014 (6)
Nationally ranked: N/A

20. Scotland (Laurinburg), 167
State championships: 2011 (4A)
State runner-up: 2013 (4A), 2017 (4A), 2018 (4A)
State top 25: 2011 (1), 2012 (8), 2013 (4), 2014 (17), 2015 (12), 2016 (16), 2017 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

21. Hough (Cornelius), 161
State championships: N/A
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2013 (16), 2014 (9), 2015 (8), 2017 (9), 2018 (12), 2019 (25), 2020 (7), 2021 (2), 2022 (4), 2023 (7)
Nationally ranked: N/A

22. South Point (Belmont), 145
State championships: 2009 (3AA), 2016 (3A)
State runner-up: 2015 (3A)
State top 25: 2007 (9), 2008 (13), 2009 (14), 2011 (15), 2012 (18), 2013 (10), 2015 (21), 2016 (13)
Nationally ranked: N/A

23. Grimsley (Greensboro), 142
State championships: 2020 (4A)
State runner-up: 2005 (4A), 2022 (4A)
State top 25: 2005 (13), 2006 (24), 2019 (15), 2020 (2), 2021 (19), 2022 (3), 2023 4)
Nationally ranked: N/A

24. Charlotte Latin (Charlotte), 137
State championships: 2016 (NCISAA 1), 2017 (NCISAA II)
State runner-up: N/A
State top 25: 2005 (14), 2006 (7), 2007 (1), 2009 (8), 2014 (19), 2016 (10)
Nationally ranked: N/A

25. West Rowan (Mt. Ulla), 136
State championships: 2008 (3A), 2009 (3A), 2010 (3A)
State runner-up: 2011 (3A)
State top 25: 2008 (5), 2009 (4), 2010 (3)
Nationally ranked: N/A