With the high school football season now in the home stretch for teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties, area programs are battling to be in the playoff mix.

In previous seasons, a league championship was the best means of earning a postseason berth. Such also came with the benefit of preferred seeding; first-place teams seeded based on their respective RPI ranking, followed by those earning wild card spots.

This fall’s arrival of the NCHSAA’s eight-class system has also brought a new playoff format, with automatic berths no longer granted to conference champions. Instead, the NCHSAA’s RPI system will be utilized to establish each classification’s playoff field. Forty-eight teams will qualify for 1A-7A playoffs with the top 16 seeds receiving a first-round bye, while 24 of Cla

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