RALEIGH — The first Associated Press North Carolina state football polls released Tuesday, and for the fifth consecutive season, teams in Robeson County were absent in the rankings.

Lumberton and East Bladen were each in the "receiving votes" category for the 4A and 2A polls, respectively.

Butler, out of Charlotte, received the most first-place votes for any top-ranked team in the state. The Bulldogs are atop the 4A rankings with 12 of a possible 14 first-place votes.

Jack Britt, a Cumberland County squad that topped Lumberton in the third round last season, sits at No. 4 in the 4A poll behind Richmond and Mallard Creek. Durham Hillside, Purnell Swett's eliminator in 2009, appears in the rankings at No. 10.

Garron Warwick’s South Robeson Mustangs host one of the state’s highest-rated 1A squads Friday in Pender. The Patriots come to Rowland with an unblemished record and are ranked fourth overall in the poll. Whiteville, Lumberton’s opponent Friday, is in the “receiving votes” category in the 2A poll and is also unbeaten.