Understanding RPI, Seeds, and Championship Dreams
The coastal communities of Northeast North Carolina will be well-represented in the 2025 NCHSAA football playoffs, with nine local teams earning spots across four different classifications. From the Albemarle Athletic Conference champions to road warriors seeking upsets, local teams are positioned for exciting playoff runs.
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the brackets for the football and men’s soccer playoffs on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 2.
Playoff Schedule
- Round 1: November 7, 2025
- Round 2: November 14, 2025
- Round 3: November 21, 2025
- Round 4: November 28, 2025
- Regionals: December 5, 2025
- State Championships: December 11-13, 2025
2A Football: The Albemarle Athletic Conference Battle
John A. Holmes -No. 6 Seed, 2A East (BYE)
Conference Champions – Beat Manteo on Oct. 30
The Aces dominated their conference championship game and enter the playoffs with tremendous momentum. Despite being seeded one spot below Manteo in the RPI rankings, Holmes showed they’re a force to be reckoned with. They’ll host a second-round game against the No. 11-ranked Perquimans, which also earned a bye for the first week. During the regular season, the Aces defeated Perquimans, 59-21.
Game tickets will cost $10. The school will post online ticket options closer to the game on the Aces Athletics social media account.
Manteo – No. 5 Seed, 2A East (BYE)
The Redskins earned the highest seed among local 2A teams thanks to their RPI numbers. While the 43-7 loss to Holmes in the conference championship was painful, their entire season’s body of work earned them a bye week and home-field advantage. They’ll need to rebound quickly, because on Nov. 14 they host the winner of the Northampton County/Lejeune first-round game.
Gates County – No. 7 Seed, 2A East (BYE)
The Red Barons earned a first-round bye and will host a second-round game. Their No. 7 seed gives them home field advantage to start, which is crucial in playoff football. They will face East Carteret in the second round.
Perquimans – No. 11 Seed, 2A East (BYE)
The Pirates hit the road for a second-round matchup at No. 6 Holmes. As an 11-seed, they’re underdogs, but playoff upsets happen when teams play their best football.
Camden County – No. 16 Seed, 2A East
The Bruins drew the toughest possible matchups: a first-round game against No. 17 West Columbus. If they move on to the second round, they’ll face No. 1-ranked Tarboro in Tarboro. Camden will be heavy underdogs, but they’ve earned their spot in the playoffs and have nothing to lose.
2025 NCHSAA Football Championships 2025 2A Football Bracket1A Representation
Columbia – No. 9 Seed, 1A East
Columbia High School in Tyrrell County will face No. 8-ranked Sallie B. Howard in the first round. If they win, Columbia will face No. 1-ranked KIPP Pride in the second round.
Washington County – No. 6 Seed, 1A East
Washington County will host No. 11-ranked North Edgecombe in the first-round playoff game. The winning team will face No. 3-ranked Bear Grass Charter in the second round.
2025 NCHSAA Football Championships 2025 1A Football BracketLocal 3A Representation
Hertford County – No. 15 Seed, 3A East
The Bears face a daunting first-round task: facing No 18-ranked Northwood on Nov. 7. The winner of that game will face No. 2 Pender, which earned a first-round bye, so they’ll be well-rested. Hertford County will need their best performance of the season.
Martin County – No. 5 Seed, 3A East (BYE)
Martin County will have a bye coming into the playoffs. The team will face the winner of the No. 12 Wake Prep Academy vs. No. 21 Bartlett Yancey game in the second round.
Pasquotank County – No. 6 Seed, 3A East (BYE)
The Panthers will kick off the playoffs with a much needed rest. They will play the winner of the No. 11 Princeton vs. No. 22 Beddingfield in the second round.
Northeastern – No. 7 Seed, 3A East (BYE)
Northeastern will also have a bye to kick off their playoff journey. In the second round, they will face the winner of the No. 10 South Columbus vs. No. 23 West Bladen game.
2025 NCHSAA Football Championships 2025 3A Football Bracket5A Representation
Currituck County – No. 5 Seed, 5A East (BYE)
The Knights earned a bye and will host a second-round game against the winner of Havelock vs. Richlands. Currituck has shown they can compete with 5A powerhouses and could make serious noise in this bracket.
2025 NCHSAA Football Championships 2025 5A Football BracketUnderstanding RPI
If you’re wondering why some teams are ranked higher than others in the football playoffs, you’re not alone. The answer lies in understanding how the NCHSAA’s RPI system works.
What is RPI?
RPI stands for Ratings Percentage Index, a mathematical formula used by the NCHSAA to rank all teams and determine playoff seedings. The formula is:
RPI = (0.4 × WP) + (0.4 × OWP) + (0.2 × OOWP)
Here’s what each component means:
1. Winning Percentage (WP) – 40% of your RPI
- Your wins divided by total games played
- A tie counts as half a win
- This is the only part you directly control
2. Opponents’ Winning Percentage (OWP) – 40% of your RPI
- Averages the winning percentages of all your opponents
- Games against YOU are excluded from their records
- Rewards teams for playing tough schedules
3. Opponents’ Opponents’ Winning Percentage (OOWP) – 20% of your RPI
- Same calculation, but for your opponents’ opponents
- Measures overall schedule strength two levels deep
Why Holmes Beat Manteo But Is Seeded Lower
Even though Holmes defeated Manteo decisively, Manteo likely earned a higher RPI by:
- Playing a tougher overall schedule – Manteo’s opponents may have had better records
- Strength of schedule depth – The teams Manteo played may have faced tougher opponents themselves
- No score differential – A 43-7 loss counts the same as a 44-43 loss in RPI calculations
The key takeaway: RPI looks at your entire body of work over the season, not just one game. A team that goes 8-2 against tough opponents can rank higher than a team that goes 9-1 against easier opponents, even if that one loss was head-to-head.
The NCHSAA recently adjusted the formula to give more weight to a team’s own performance (increased from 30% to 40%) while reducing the opponents’ opponents factor (from 30% to 20%), but schedule strength still matters significantly.
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