November 6 Charlotte area high school football top 25 results

Former Independence QB Joe Cox (above) and other Patriots fans were
disappointed last night as their team fell to Matthews Butler, 31-24 in a
battle for the Southwestern 4A title (Photo credit: AP/Stephen Morton).

In last night's action, Charlotte High School Sports Examiner top 25 teams were bracing for playoff lives. The biggest game the region has seen in decades played up to its billing, with top-ranked Matthews Butler beating #2 Charlotte Independence, 31-24. The host Patriots had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, but Butler's Bulldogs staved off the rally to preserve their perfect season. The nationally ranked teams exchanged blows early, only to see Butler flex their collective muscles to hold off their biggest rival. Both teams will inevitably have the top two seeds in the playoffs, which begin next week. However, with this home loss, perhaps Independence will have a #3 or #4 seed. The loss by the Patriots was the first by head coach Tom Knotts, while on the field coaching, to a Mecklenburg County team since 1992.

Outside of the big game from last night, what we do know is this - the playoffs have arrived, and the state 4AA championship goes through Butler's home field. There were only two upsets in the top 25 this week, with Huntersville Hopewell upsetting #21 North Mecklenburg, and #5 Gaffney (SC) falling to Rock Hill (SC) Northwestern. The playoff matchups will be announced as soon as the NCHSAA has them sorted out, and actually, the South Carolina playoffs have begun in some divisions.

The following list of results from this week's top 25 games will contain this week's ranking, school, classification (for football), record, and the game result. Without further adieu, here is your Charlotte High School Sports Top 25 Football Results (symbol key: * - SC 1A Division 1 Upper State playoffs; ** - NCISAA Division I quarterfinal playoffs):

Charlotte High School Sports Examiner Top 25 Results, 11/6/09
	School	Rec	Class	Next Game
1	Matthews Butler	10-0	4A	beat #2 Charlotte Independence, 31-24
2	Charlotte Independence	10-1	4A	lost to #1 Matthews Butler, 31-24
3	Rock Hill (SC)	11-0	4A	beat #4 Rock Hill (SC) South Pointe, 34-29
4	Rock Hill (SC) South Pointe	8-3	4A	lost to #3 Rock Hill (SC), 34-29
5	Gaffney (SC)	8-3	4A	lost to #15 Rock Hill (SC) Northwestern, 34-23
6	Charlotte Mallard Creek	9-1	4A	Regular season complete
7	West Rowan	11-0	3A	beat North Iredell, 55-6
8	Chesterfield (SC)	11-0	1A	beat Lewisville (SC), 70-0 *
9	Charlotte Latin	9-1	Ind	Regular season complete
10	Clover (SC)	8-3	4A	beat York (SC), 35-7
11	Charlotte Providence	7-4	4A	beat Charlotte Ardrey Kell, 21-14
12	Lenoir Hibriten	11-0	3A	beat #24 Alexander Central, 48-7
13	Charlotte Country Day	10-1	Ind	beat Clt Victory Christian, 58-12 **
14	Blythewood (SC)	8-3	4A	beat Columbia (SC) Ridge View, 41-6
15	Rock Hill (SC) Northwestern	6-5	4A	beat #5 Gaffney (SC), 34-23
16	Newton-Conover	10-1	2A	beat West Caldwell, 49-28
17	Gastonia Forestview	9-2	3A	beat Kings Mountain, 24-17
18	East Mecklenburg	6-5	4A	beat South Mecklenburg, 38-7
19	Belmont South Point	9-2	3A	beat Boiling Springs Crest, 42-21
20	Charlotte Vance	5-6	4A	beat West Charlotte, 26-7
21	North Mecklenburg	6-5	4A	lost to Huntersville Hopewell, 42-7
22	South Rowan	9-2	3A	beat East Rowan, 27-20
23	Monroe	11-0	1A	beat Marshville Forest Hills, 40-9
24	Alexander Central	10-1	4A	lost to #12 Lenoir Hibriten, 48-7
25	Catawba Bandys	10-1	2A	beat Claremont Bunker Hill, 46-17

For more information on the rankings, please visit "Charlotte Observer releases its Sweet 16 football poll: week of September 7, 2009"

Stay tuned for more of the high school sports experience in later articles. Until then, see you in the stands!

Also, don't forget to check out Keith Cooke's other column, the Charlotte Cruise Ships Examiner, a great resource for taking that vacation after your high school sports' season!

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To contact Keith Cooke directly, please email him at charlottehighschoolsports@gmail.com. He will return your email within 24 hours in most cases. If you have story ideas on teams, players, coaches, administrators, recruiting visits, or anything high school sports related, please contact him at any time. Photos are also very welcome!