Aug. 23, 2026, 7:02 a.m. ET
One former Auburn wide receiver’s dream of picking up his first win as a high school head coach became a reality on Saturday night. Auburn legend Sammie Coates took over the program at Columbia High School in Huntsville before the 2025 season and was tasked with digging the Eagles out of a losing streak that spanned over 10 seasons and over 90 games. After a grueling 0-10 campaign last season, Coates and the Eagles earned their first win since Oct. 16, 2015, by knocking off Greensboro High School, 41-14. The win not only gives Columbia a 1-0 record for the sixth time in program history, but it also snaps a 101-game losing streak.
Despite what the scoreboard said at the end of the game, the win did not come easy for Columbia. The Eagles trailed Greensboro, 14-0, with just over seven minutes remaining in the 1st quarter before finding the end zone. Columbia’s Christian Richey ran 30 yards for a score to cut Greensboro’s lead to one score with 5:38 remaining in the opening stanza. That score would kick-start a 41-0 run by the Eagles to end the game.
With the win, Sammie Coates becomes the first Columbia head coach to win a game since Chris Hancock, who won six games as the Eagles’ head coach from 2014-16. A total of four head coaches held the role at Columbia High School between the Hancock and Coates eras. Coates will now look to lead Columbia to more wins this season, beginning next week against East Limestone High School. Columbia competes in AHSAA Class 5A Region 8 alongside several notable North Alabama programs including Fort Payne, Boaz, and Albertville, and will need to keep its good fortune alive to push for a playoff berth.
Contact/Follow us @ TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
