Prep football set to begin in the Charlotte area. What to know about the season

Berry High football coach Darius Robinson said he always gets excited this time of the year.

The 2026 high school football season begins Thursday. At Berry, and throughout the Carolinas, teenagers, parents, fans, and coaches all have the same dream: to win that first game — and to win the last game, taking home the state championship that everyone will remember forever.

Right now, each team has the same chance, and everybody hopes all the hard work they have put in since June will pay off.

Thursday night, it’s showtime.

“It’s football season,” Robinson said. “Guys have been out here all summer grinding, getting their work in, and now they can finally get to go against other teams. It’s just the joy of seeing them having that opportunity, flying around and making plays. It’s football season. We made it.”

Here’s a look at the upcoming football season, including player and team rankings, predictions, links to coverage and photo galleries, the Sweet 16 rankings and the top 50 teams in the region.

And finally, we introduce the preseason All-Observer team.

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OFFENSE

QB: Ethan Royal, Hough: The state championship MVP threw for 2,272 yards and 29 touchdowns and he ran for 721 yards and 14 touchdowns.

RB: Kaveaun Pless, South Point: At 6-foot, 200-pounds, Pless is blessed with great size for a player at his position and comes off a sophomore season when he ran for 1,803 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging more than 8 yards per carry.

RB: Damourion Thomas Wright, Butler: The 6-2, 220-pound senior running back was all-conference last season, when he ran 197 times for 1,367 yards and 11 touchdowns. He said his goal this year is 2,000.

WR: Jaxon Dollar, East Lincoln: A 6-5, 235-pound wide receiver, Dollar had 54 catches for 1,190 yards and 20 touchdowns as a tight end last season. He had 38 tackles and five sacks on a defense. A Georgia recruit, Dollar is a 5-star national recruit and the top player in the state.

WR: Khy’lieb Rodriguez, Ardrey Kell: Senior receiver burst onto the scene last season and vaulted up the recruiting rankings. He had 52 catches for 755 yards receiving and 9 TDs. He has committed to N.C. State.

TE: Qualteau Hawkins, Stuart Cramer: Last season, as a junior, Hawkins was all-conference. At tight end, he caught 26 passes for 602 yards and 9 touchdowns. On defense, he had 28 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss and 4 sacks.

OL: Austin Ballou, Mallard Creek: The 6-8, 340-pound junior offensive lineman anchors one of the area’s biggest front lines. Ballou was all-conference as a sophomore in arguably the state’s toughest conference, the Meck Power 6, last season.

OL: Ephraim Holmes, Palisades: The 6-4, 290-pound offensive tackle returns for his senior year after being all-conference in 2025. He’s got offers from schools like App State, East Carolina, South Florida and Temple.

OL: Coop Hudson, Providence Day: A 6-foot-3, 315-pound senior committed to Delaware, Hudson is another in a long line of top tier offensive lineman in the Chargers’ program.

OL: Moreno Fisher, Hough: The 6-7, 270-pound senior anchors one of the region’s top offensive attacks. He’s committed to Virginia.

OL: Sammy Wooten, Lake Norman: A 6-4, 275-pound senior offensive lineman, Wooten is an Appalachian State commit who anchors the line for a strong Wildcats’ offense.

SPEC: Aury Greenfield, JM Robinson: Greenfield, a senior QB, threw for 2,574 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, and he ran for 1,040 yards and nine more scores.

K: Ford Fehling, Marvin Ridge: The senior kicker has committed to Tennessee. He put 40 of 44 kickoffs out of the end zone for touchbacks last season and was 11 of 14 on field goal attempts with a long of 45.

KR/PR: Steele Fletcher, Providence Day: The Wake Forest recruit and son of former Washington NFL legend London Fletcher, Steele Fletcher is one of the most dangerous players in Mecklenburg County with the ball. A year ago, he averaged 12 yards a catch, 42.3 yards per kick return and 13.5 per punt return.

DEFENSE

DL: Cory Cunningham, Hough: A Providence High transfer, Cunningham is a 6-3, 265-pound senior ranked by 247 Sports as the nation’s No. 17 recruit at defensive line in his class. He has offers from Auburn, Georgia, Michigan and Miami, among others.

DL: Griff Galloway, Providence Day: The 265-pound senior defensive lineman, committed to Kentucky, had 66 tackles, including 13 for a loss and 10.5 sacks last season.

DL: Makai Henriquez, Weddington: The Porter Ridge transfer is a 6-3, 215 pound junior defensive end. As a sophomore, Henriquez had 69 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss and nine sacks.

DL: Nate Kamba, Corvian Community: The Auburn commit was heavily double-teamed last season, finishing with 28 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss and three sacks.

LB: Jalaythan Mayfield, Lincolnton: The Army All-American is a two-time all-state and two-time All-Observer first team pick. Last season, the two-time conference defensive player of the year had 152 total tackles, 26 tackles for a loss and six sacks. He’s committed to Indiana.

LB: Kaden Smith, West Charlotte: A 6-1, 225-pound senior linebacker/defensive end, Smith had 49 tackles, including 28 solo last season. He had 14 tackles for a loss and 9 sacks for one of the state’s best defenses.

LB: Ryan Peterson, Hough: The 6-0, 220-pound junior was named his team’s defensive MVP in the state championship game, Peterson finished the season with 72 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. He was a first-team All-Observer pick as a sophomore.

DB: Braylon Clark, Providence Day: A 5-star transfer from Country Day, Clark had 1,093 yards receiving as a sophomore plus 12 tackles. At defensive back, Clark wasn’t tested much but is one of the nation’s best. He’ll team with former Country Day teammate and 4-star Nate Dollard, Florida commit Tre’ Geathers and Penn State commit Caleb Cooper in a Providence Day defensive backfield that could be one of the best in Mecklenburg County history.

DB: Joshua Dobson, Hough: A 5-star defensive back committed to South Carolina, Dobson has a $1.4 million NIL evaluation and is top 5 nationally for high school players.

DB: Tre’ Geathers, Providence Day: The senior defensive back had 72 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss and two interceptions last season. He has committed to Florida.

DB: Davion Jones, Hough: A 4-star safety committed to South Carolina, Jones had 59 tackles, 27 pass breakups and 4 interceptions at West Charlotte last season. He is a two-time first-team All-Observer pick.

P: Jake Harms, Stuart Cramer: The senior averaged 44.6 yards per punt last season and punt six inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

SPEC: Jerome Newman, Statesville: A 6-1, 200-pound athlete, Newman had 348 yards receiving, averaging nearly 30 yards per catch last season. On defense, he had 59 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

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