West Iredell football makes its Sweet 16 debut. Who else made the rankings?
Welcome, West Iredell to The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 high school football rankings.
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West Iredell is off to a 5-0 start, led by 6-foot-4, 180-pound junior quarterback Ja’braylan Patterson, 6-1, 230-pound senior running back Amario Spence and 6-0, 190-pound defensive end Trae Clyburn.
Clyburn, who also plays baseball and basketball, is tied for the team-lead with 29 tackles and leads the team in tackles for losses (seven) and sacks (four). Spence has rushed 49 times for 631 yards and nine touchdowns. He averages nearly 13 yards per carry. And Patterson, a Power 4 recruit, has thrown for 1,082 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he’s run for three more scores.
Patterson has college scholarship offers from Arkansas, Kent State and Toledo and has lots of other D1 interest.
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West Iredell has outscored opponents 218-33 and is off this west. West Iredell has a big showdown at home against East Lincoln (5-0) on Oct. 2. East Lincoln is No. 14 in this week’s poll. West Iredell debuts at No. 16.
1. Hough 5-0 Prev. 1
2. Providence Day 4-1 Prev. 2
3. Lake Norman 5-0 Prev. 3
4. Chambers 5-0 Prev. 4
5. Weddington 5-0 Prev. 5
6. Robinson 4-0 Prev. 6
7. Palisades 4-1 Prev. 7
8. South Point 5-0 Prev. 9
9. West Charlotte 3-2 Prev. 8
10. A.L. Brown 4-0 Prev. 13
11. Marvin Ridge 5-0 Prev. 14
12. Myers Park 2-2 Prev. 10
13. Mallard Creek 3-2 Prev. 11
14. East Lincoln 5-0 Prev. 12
15. Corvian Community 3-1 Prev. 16
16. West Iredell 5-0 Prev. NR
The rankings include NCHSAA or NCISAA teams in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln and Union counties.
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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 11:51 AM.
