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Raleigh, Wake County

Triangle high school football: Middle Creek 27, Cardinal Gibbons 21, and Friday's Week 9 finals

Middle Creek beat Cardinal Gibbons 27-21. A MaxPreps Week 9 preview had listed Gibbons No. 8 in the state. Broughton won 42-41 at Wakefield. Scores are from High School On SI and NCFootballNews, checked against each other.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Downtown Raleigh buildings under a blue sky

File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Middle Creek beat Cardinal Gibbons 27-21 on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. High School On SI and NCFootballNews both list that final. MaxPreps recaps published Saturday also list 27-21.Confirmed by High School On SI finals list; NCFootballNews Week 9 scoreboard; MaxPreps recaps, Oct. 17, 2026
  • A MaxPreps Week 9 preview listed Cardinal Gibbons No. 8 in the statewide computer rankings going into Friday. MaxPreps' rankings page, last updated Thursday, Oct. 15, listed Gibbons No. 10.Confirmed by MaxPreps NCHSAA Week 9 preview; MaxPreps North Carolina football rankings, updated Oct. 15, 2026
  • Broughton beat Wakefield 42-41. High School On SI, NCFootballNews and a MaxPreps recap all list that final.Confirmed by High School On SI; NCFootballNews; MaxPreps recap, Oct. 16, 2026
  • Cleveland beat Southeast Raleigh 38-35. Apex beat Green Level 28-25. Green Hope beat Willow Spring 27-24. Jordan beat Panther Creek 32-21. Holly Springs beat Sanderson 32-19. High School On SI and NCFootballNews list the same finals for those games.Confirmed by High School On SI finals list; NCFootballNews Week 9 scoreboard
  • Other Friday area finals that match on both scoreboards are listed in the story. Scores that did not match, or that we could not confirm, are left out.Confirmed by High School On SI finals list; NCFootballNews Week 9 scoreboard
  • Both scoreboards list the games as Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, finals. NCFootballNews labels the slate Week 9.Confirmed by High School On SI; NCFootballNews
  • NCHSAA football playoff brackets are set Oct. 31, and the first round is Nov. 6.Confirmed by North Carolina High School Athletic Association

Still unknown

  • How each team scored. The scoreboards used here do not include a play-by-play we could verify
  • Records for most teams. This story does not list records except where a cited MaxPreps recap is used in the sources, and even then the body leaves records out
  • Finals that did not match between High School On SI and NCFootballNews, including Pinecrest vs. Pine Forest and the Riverside-Durham opponent name

What happened

Friday's Week 9 high school football slate had several close Triangle games, including a ranked Raleigh team's loss at home.

Scores below appear on both the High School On SI statewide finals list and the NCFootballNews Week 9 scoreboard. A score that did not match, or that we could not confirm on both boards, is left out. We are not listing records, scorers or how teams scored.

Notable Friday finals

  • Middle Creek 27, Cardinal Gibbons 21. MaxPreps recaps published Saturday list the same score. A MaxPreps Week 9 preview listed Gibbons No. 8 in the state going into the game. MaxPreps' rankings page, last updated Thursday, Oct. 15, listed Gibbons No. 10.
  • Broughton 42, Wakefield 41. A MaxPreps recap lists the same final.
  • Cleveland 38, Southeast Raleigh 35
  • Apex 28, Green Level 25
  • Green Hope 27, Willow Spring 24
  • Jordan 32, Panther Creek 21
  • Holly Springs 32, Sanderson 19

Other area finals

These Friday results also match on both scoreboards. The list covers schools in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Harnett, Chatham, Orange, Franklin, Granville, Cumberland and Sampson counties.

Wake County: Cary 37, Felton Grove 24. Garner 49, South Garner 14. Heritage 40, Vance County 7. Leesville Road 37, Corinth Holders 7. Millbrook 49, Enloe 0. Rolesville 58, Athens Drive 0. Wake Forest 42, Knightdale 6. Fuquay-Varina 45, Smithfield-Selma 6. North Raleigh Christian 17, Trinity Christian 14. Cary Christian 60, Faith Christian 30. Asheville Christian 28, GRACE Christian 24. St. David's 67, Arendell Parrott 22.

Durham and Orange: Hillside 49, Chapel Hill 0. Northern Durham 55, East Chapel Hill 0. Orange 48, Carrboro 0.

Johnston and Harnett: Princeton 71, Goldsboro 6. South Johnston 27, Western Harnett 0. West Johnston 48, Southern Lee 0. Harnett Central 62, Lee County 20. Union Pines 34, Triton 13.

Chatham, Franklin and Granville: Chatham Central 35, Bishop McGuinness 7. Northwood 35, North Moore 0. Seaforth 20, South Granville 10. Southwestern Randolph 43, Jordan-Matthews 6. Franklinton 35, East Wake 7. Louisburg 15, Roanoke Rapids 12. J.F. Webb 54, Cedar Ridge 0.

Cumberland and Sampson: Cape Fear 42, Gray's Creek 0. Seventy-First 35, E.E. Smith 6. South View 56, Douglas Byrd 0. Terry Sanford 35, Lumberton 11. Westover 16, St. Pauls 14. East Duplin 35, Clinton 21. Midway 56, Rosewood 21. High Point Christian 28, Harrells Christian 6. West Columbus 44, Hobbton 28.

What we left out

High School On SI listed Pinecrest 65, Pine Forest 18. NCFootballNews listed Pinecrest 44, Pine Forest 7. Those do not match, so that Cumberland-area score is not in this roundup.

High School On SI listed SSEAS 56, Riverside-Durham 0. NCFootballNews listed Southern Durham 56, Riverside-Durham 0. The winner's name does not match, so that Durham score is not in this list.

Thursday games, including Jack Britt's 24-20 win at Overhills, are not repeated here.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association says playoff brackets are set Oct. 31, with the first round on Nov. 6.

Why it matters

Friday was Week 9 for Triangle high school football, with several Wake County games decided by a field goal or less and a ranked Raleigh team falling at home. Families checking scores Saturday morning need a compact, cross-checked list, not a copy of one scoreboard.

Sources

  1. North Carolina High School Football Final Scores, Results - October 16 (High School On SI statewide finals list)

    Published by High School On SI · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  2. North Carolina High School Football Scores and Schedules (2026), Week 9 | Oct. 16, 2026 Games (NCFootballNews scoreboard; sources listed as MaxPreps, HighSchoolOT, VarsityNC, Scorestream, social media)

    Published by NCFootballNews · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  3. North Carolina high school football: NCHSAA Week 9 schedule, live broadcasts, scores, state rankings and statewide statistical leaders (lists Middle Creek at No. 8 Cardinal Gibbons)

    Published by MaxPreps · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  4. North Carolina Football (2026) Rankings, last updated Oct. 15, 2026 (Cardinal Gibbons No. 10; Cleveland No. 16)

    Published by MaxPreps · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  5. Football Recap: Middle Creek Extends Winning Streak to Four (final 27-21 at Cardinal Gibbons)

    Published by MaxPreps · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  6. Football Recap: Cardinal Gibbons Picks Up Their First Blemish in Conference Play (final 27-21 loss to Middle Creek)

    Published by MaxPreps · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  7. Football Recap: Wakefield Keeps It Close Against Broughton (final 42-41 Broughton)

    Published by MaxPreps · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

  8. Football season details

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina High School Athletic Association · Checked Oct 17, 2026, 10:20 AM

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