CHAPEL HILL—North Carolina High School Athletic Association member schools from all eight regions made their marks in the inaugural Wells Fargo State Cup cycle, including eight classifications. A landmark achievement by Hoggard (Wilmington) – the first 8A State Cup winner – will bring a state cup to New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) for the first time since state cups were awarded beginning in the 1979-1980 school year.

“The Wells Fargo State Cup shines in its annual newness for fostering comprehensive, competitive excellence opportunities,” NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker said. “The 2025-2026 school year’s achievements by multiple schools in LEAs among eastern and western areas of the state reaffirmed how our student-athletes and educator-coaches, together, are even stronger torchbearers for our state’s education-based athletics tradition as a national model.”

Local education agencies’ (LEA) or school systems’ collective excellence was realized most uniquely by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) and Union County Public Schools (UCPS). Each NCHSAA member school from CHCCS – Chapel Hill (7A), East Chapel Hill (6A), and Carrboro (4A) – finished among its state classification’s top five. UCPS member schools Marvin Ridge (Waxhaw), Weddington (Matthews), and Cuthbertson (Waxhaw) placed second, third, and fourth, respectively, in 7A.

North Lincoln (5A) joined Hoggard as a first-time state cup winner. Charlotte Catholic (6A) secured its first state cup in 17 years. Community School of Davidson (2A) earned its third overall cup (including for 2018-2019) in the 10^th anniversary year of the school’s first cup. Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, 7A) and Lake Norman Charter (Huntersville, 4A) were repeat winners from last school year. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Morganton, 1A) and Pine Lake Preparatory (Mooresville, 3A) earned Region Seven a pair of state cups.

State cup points are earned for top eight finishes and playoff qualifications relative to a school’s own classification. Schools accumulate points through each academic year’s fall, winter, and spring seasons, after which each classification’s collective exemplars are recognized. Additional information about the Wells Fargo Cup is available at www.nchsaa.org/wells-fargo-cup.

2025-2026