Here are Gastonia, Shelby high school football's most dominant programs the past 20 years

No matter one’s view, there’s no getting around the fact that high school football in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties is a big deal.

With the exception of an abbreviated spring 2021 campaign, a team from the tri-county area has advanced to the NCHSAA regional final round each year since 2001. By and large, however, a familiar group of perennial winners have separated themselves from others locally, and in some cases their peers statewide.

A survey of records over the past 20 seasons finds Shelby far and away the winningest football team in the tri-county with 238 wins and an .801 winning percentage. The Golden Lions’ tally is 38 more than their nearest challenger, Crest.

RED RAIDERS' 2016 TITLE WIN: South Point beats Rocky Mount 16-7 to win fifth state title in school history

HOW SWEET IT IS: East Lincoln wins 3A state football title, beating Northern Nash

Tradition also has a home in Belmont, South Point remaining the gold standard among teams in Gaston County. The Red Raiders’ 199 wins are 84 more than any other Gaston team since the 2004 season. They are also responsible for the county’s last three NCHSAA titles (2003, 2009 and 2016).

East Lincoln has held things down in Lincoln County the past 20 years, its 193 victories 28 more than rival Lincolnton. Each have experienced championship bliss during the stretch; the Mustangs on three occasions (2012, 2014 and 2022), while Lincolnton claimed its last title in 2007.

Here are the four area bluebloods, each with better than a .700 win percentage over the past 20 years and multiple state titles on their resumes, followed by breakdowns of the tri-county’s other 15 teams during the stretch.

Shelby

Record: 238-59 (.801)

State titles: 9 (2005-06, 2013-16, 2018-19, fall 2021)

League championships: 10 (2004, 2006-07, 2009, 2016, 2018-21, 2023)

A bonafide blueblood in North Carolina high school football, Shelby has won 10 games or more 14 times over the past 20 years, including undefeated 2006 and 2016 campaigns. During a run in which it won four consecutive titles, Shelby went 57-7 under former coach Lance Ware. Its 2021 title extended a run of six consecutive decades in which the Golden Lions have won a championship.

Crest

Record: 200-69 (.743)

State titles: 3 (2004, 2014-15)

League championships: 8 (2004, 2006, 2013-15, 2019, 2021, 2023)

Crest has won 10 games or more on 11 occasions the past two decades. The Chargers enjoyed a six-year run from 2010-15 in which they won 79 games and qualified for five state finals. Crest finished the stretch with 32 consecutive wins and back-to-back NCHSAA titles. NFL veterans Johnathan Bullard and Brandon Spikes are among those to come through the school during this era.

South Point

Record: 199-65 (.754)

State titles: 2 (2009, 2016)

League championships: 10

Relying on its own version of the triple-option called the “Redbone,” it has won 10 conference titles and appeared in three state championship games, winning two. The Red Raiders have been close to adding to their tally, particularly since their last title in 2016. In 2017, the Red Raiders won their first 12 games before falling to Shelby in the state playoffs. South Point’s fall 2021 and 2022 seasons both ended in the regional final round.

East Lincoln

Record: 193-73 (.726)

State titles: 3 (2012, 2014, 2022)

League championships: 8

East Lincoln emerged first as a major player on the state scene with an undefeated run in 2012 to the NCHSAA 2A championship. The program took things to a new level the next three years with Chazz Surratt under center, the Mustangs winning 39 games, three league championships and its second state crown in three years following the 2014 season. East Lincoln ascended back to the top in 2022, defeating opponents by an average of 32 points on its way to a 16-0 season.

Lincolnton

Record: 165-97 (.630)

State titles: 1 (2007)

League championships: 5 (2005, 2007, 2010-11, 2016)

Burns

Record: 157-94 (.625)

League championships: 5 (2010-12, spring 2021, 2022)

Kings Mountain

Record: 155-95 (.620)

League championships: 4 (2008, 2017, spring 2021, 2022)

Hunter Huss

Record: 115-119 (.491)

League championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Forestview

Record: 114-120 (.487)

League championships: 2 (2009, 2014)

West Lincoln

Record: 108-123 (.468)

Bessemer City

Record: 106-130 (.449)

League championships: 5 (2013-14, 2016-17, 2019)

North Lincoln

Record: 104-125 (.454)

League championships: 1 (2019)

Ashbrook

Record: 102-128 (.443)

League championships: 2 (2004, 2005)

East Gaston

Record: 87-138 (.387)

League championships: 1 (2006)

Cherryville

Record: 74-157 (.320)

League championships: 1 (2013)

Mountain Island Charter

Record: 67-39 (.632); program began playing varsity football in 2015.

League championships: 1 (2019)

North Gaston

Record: 61-160 (.276)

Stuart Cramer

Record: 42-67 (.385); program began playing varsity football in 2014.

Highland Tech

Record: 35-168 (.148)

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Here are Gastonia, Shelby high school football's most dominant programs the past 20 years