BOONE, N.C. — Two area high school football teams, the Watauga Pioneers and the Avery County Vikings, have officially qualified for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) playoffs. The playoff brackets were unveiled on Saturday, the Watauga Democrat reported, setting the stage for postseason competition across the state.
The Watauga Pioneers, fresh off a strong finish to their regular season and a share of their ninth-straight Northwestern Conference championship, earned the No. 13 seed in the 6A West bracket. With a 5-5 overall record, the Pioneers will kick off their playoff journey at home this coming Friday. Their opening-round opponent will be the No. 20 seed Charlotte Olympic, who enters the postseason with a 4-6 record.
Should Watauga advance past the first round, their path would lead them to a second-round game scheduled for November 13. That contest would be an away game against the No. 4 seed Kings Mountain, a team that posted a 7-3 record during their regular season.
Meanwhile, the Avery County Vikings secured the No. 17 seed in the 2A West playoffs. The Vikings, who finished their regular season with a 3-7 record, will be traveling for their initial playoff matchup this coming Friday. They are set to face the No. 16 seed Langtree Charter Academy. Langtree Charter Academy also concluded their season with a 3-7 record, and their football program is in only its second year, having gone 0-10 in its inaugural 2025 season.
If Avery County is victorious in their first-round game, they would then travel to play against the top-seeded Corvian Community School in the second round. Corvian Community School enters the playoffs with a formidable 9-1 regular-season record.
Beyond Watauga, the Northwestern Conference saw strong representation in the 6A playoffs, with five of its six 6A/7A football teams qualifying, all in the 6A bracket. Alexander Central earned the No. 6 seed, and Freedom secured the No. 7 seed, both receiving first-round byes. Other NWC teams in the 6A playoffs include South Caldwell, seeded No. 22, and St. Stephens, who received the No. 24 seed.
In the Western Highlands 2A/3A Conference, several teams also earned berths in their respective playoff brackets. Mitchell was seeded No. 10 in 2A. In the 3A bracket, Mountain Heritage received the No. 9 seed, Owen was seeded No. 13, and Polk County secured the No. 20 seed. Hendersonville, as the No. 3 seed in 3A, and Mountain Heritage (referred to as the Mountaineers) each received first-round byes.
The NCHSAA playoff schedule continues with the third round slated for November 20 and the fourth round for November 27. The fourth round will additionally serve as the regional finals for the 1A and 8A classes. Regional finals for the 2A through 7A classes are scheduled for December 4. The state championship games are set to take place between December 10-12, with potential host sites including UNC-Chapel Hill, Campbell, or Lenoir-Rhyne.
