PHOTO | TROY HULL

Vance High quarterback Austin Grier looks for running room in the Cougars’ 27-7 win against rival Mallard Creek Feb. 26. The Cougars are No. 1 in the Magnificent Seven rankings.

Vance High is No. 1 in The Post’s first Magnificent Seven rankings of the abbreviated high school football season.

The Cougars, who rolled to the state 4AA championship, opened the spring campaign with a 27-7 win against rival Mallard Creek in Mavericks’ head coach Kennedy Tinsley’s debut. Another head coach in his first game with a new team was Mark Harmon, who led No. 3 Myers Park to a 49-0 romp against Garinger.

The rankings after week 1:

1. Vance (1-0): The Cougars took care of their annual goal by rolling past Mallard Creek with ease. Could Vance run the truncated table with an unbeaten mark? Next game: Hopewell.

2. Butler (1-0): The Bulldogs are poised to have a good season, which opened with a 42-0 win against Rocky River that got out of hand quickly enough. Butler will get an opportunity to determine how much potential the season has on March 12 when they square off against Myers Park.

3. Myers Park (1-0): Mark Harmon takes over for Scott Chadwick as head coach, but the Mustangs are still one of Mecklenburg County’s best teams. They go to Porter Ridge Friday.

4. Ardrey Kell (1-0): The Knights are looking to build on a surprisingly good 2019 campaign. Topping South Mecklenburg 30-14 is a good first step. A road date at Harding is next.

5. Providence (1-0): The Panthers want to get into the conversation as one of the county’s best programs and that 33-0 walloping of West Mecklenburg is a fair start. Providence goes to Berry Academy and will likely exit 2-0.

6. Olympic (1-0): Watch out for the Trojans. They’re poised to take a leap forward in the spring after opening with a 49-0 pasting of Harding. South Meck is the next test.

7. Hough (1-0): If the Huskies are going to compete for second in the I-Meck 4A behind Vance, they need to do way better than last week’s 7-0 victory against Hopewell.

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