Gray Stone Day School and Concord both earned first-round byes in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) boys soccer state playoffs, according to brackets the NCHSAA released Thursday, Oct. 29.

Gray Stone is the No. 3 seed in the 2A West bracket. Concord is the No. 5 seed in 5A West. Both teams will sit out the first round Monday, Nov. 2, and open their postseason runs in the second round Thursday, Nov. 5.

Gray Stone rides conference title into 2A bracket

The Knights won the Yadkin Valley Conference (YVC) championship with a perfect 10-0 conference record and an 18-3-3 overall mark in the regular season, the Stanly News & Press reported. It is Gray Stone's sixth league title in eight seasons.

Gray Stone had finished as runner-up to Union Academy in each of the past two seasons. The Knights clinched the crown Oct. 22 with a 2-1 home victory over Union Academy, which finished second in the YVC at 8-2.

The team has outscored opponents 105-17 this season, according to the Stanly News & Press. Gray Stone won 13 of its past 14 matches heading into the playoffs.

That run came after a slow start. The Knights opened the fall 5-3-2 through their first 10 matches, coming off a 16-4-4 campaign and an appearance in the 2A state championship game last season. Gray Stone won the 1A state title in 2023 before finishing as the 2A runner-up in 2025.

Concord earns No. 5 seed in 5A West

The Spiders finished 16-5-2 overall and 13-0-1 in South Piedmont Conference play, according to MaxPreps. Concord won the South Piedmont title.

Forward Colt Celetti paced the attack, averaging 0.8 goals per game this season, per MaxPreps.

Concord's final regular-season game was a 2-0 loss at Gray Stone on Oct. 26.

Other area teams in the field

Several other Cabarrus County programs made the state brackets, according to the NCHSAA seeds published by Neuse News Sports. In 7A West, Hickory Ridge earned the No. 4 seed with a first-round bye, and West Cabarrus landed the No. 8 seed with a bye. Cox Mill is the No. 9 seed and will play in the first round Nov. 2. Jay M. Robinson is seeded 14th in 5A West.

Playoff schedule

Second-round games are set for Nov. 5. The third round follows Nov. 9, with regional finals Nov. 17. State championships run Nov. 19-21 at Durham County Memorial Stadium.