6 North Carolina High School Football Teams That Made a Statement in Week 1

One week won’t define a high school football season, but it can certainly get everyone’s attention.

Week 1 of the 2026 North Carolina high school football season delivered statement wins, a massive upset, some impressive revenge and one remarkable fourth-quarter comeback.

From Hoggard winning a highly anticipated showdown to Pamlico County avenging a 65-point loss from a year ago, these six teams emerged as some of the biggest winners from opening week.

Hoggard Wins Early-Season Showdown

The Vikings faced a showdown with Richmond, with both teams highly ranked in the Tar Heel state.

Hoggard came away with an impressive 27-13 win on the road. The Vikings jumped to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter and stayed in front all the way.

Senior quarterback Matt Boring turned in a solid performance: 14-of-21 for 170 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Sophomore running back Judah Gillespie had 87 yards on 19 carries.

Pamlico County Pulls a Stunning Upset

When Pamlico County played KIPP Pride last year, the Hurricanes were swamped 72-7.

So, when they hooked up Friday night, Pamlico County was a huge underdog. They couldn’t possibly win. Could they?

Yes, indeed, they could — and did — for second-year head coach Brandon Akins.

Jacob Bennett zoomed for 292 yards and four touchdowns on just 14 carries as the Hurricanes pulled off a 34-26 upset.

That’s what you call turning the corner.

One of Bennett’s touchdowns covered 93 yards. Izir Benjamin caught a 28-yard touchdown pass and corralled an interception on defense.

Providence Day Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Providence Day lost some big-time players to graduation from last year’s North Carolina Independent Schools Athleic Association state championship team.

Did the Chargers lose a step?

Not hardly.

The Chargers overwhelmed Myers Park 49-13 to open the 2026 season. Consider that Myers Park is a highly ranked 8A school in the North Carolina High Schools Athletic Association and it looks even more impressive.

Providence Day led 42-6 at halftime.

Chad Grier has built a national program with sustained success. The Chargers just keep on winning and playing at a very high level.

Senior quarterback Cam Cater, the new starter, was 17-of-21 for 267 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way. Tre Geathers led the defense with a 26-yard pick-six.

Hough Wins Battle of State Champions

The Huskies are the reigning 8A state champions and had a tough draw to open the season with Northwestern, also a reigning state champion from nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Quarterback Ethan Royal threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jahmere Anderson in a tough 15-10 victory. The defense sacked Northwestern quarterback Xavier Means 12 times.

Pisgah Turns the Tables

Pisgah got pounded 48-19 by Mountain Heritage last year.

Well, the Bears sure did turn the tables with a 48-30 win over Mountain Heritage to start the 2026 season.

For a while, a repeat of 2025 appeared to be happening when the visiting Cougars took a 16-6 lead in the first quarter.

But Pisgah had two running backs — Brayden Dayton and Jackson Banks — go over 100 yards. And they did in big chunks. Dayton broke off a 94-yard touchdown run and Banks took one 57 yards to the house.

Fairmont Pulls Off a Comeback to Remember

Let the record show that Fairmont won a 32-31 thriller over Lumberton behind the play of quarterback Joshua Townsend and others.

But the Tornadoes looked dead in the water when Lumberton’s Jeremiah Campbell raced 96 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-14 with 8:45 remaining.

Fairmont bounced back with two touchdown drives sandwiched around a Lumberton punt to get back in it. Then they scored the winning touchdown with 1:15 to go.

Townsend finished with 331 total yards.