Sammie Coates, shown in his days at Auburn, is in his second season as coach at Columbia High in Alabama. Kevin C. Cox / Getty ImagesAug. 23, 2026 Updated 11:24 am EDTThe message on the scoreboard after the game was simple.“WE WON,” it read.A losing streak that stretched 101 games over more than a decade ended Saturday night when Columbia High (Ala.) beat Greensboro 41-14 in the season opener.Former NFL receiver and Auburn star Sammie Coates was hired as head coach in January 2025 and endured an 0-10 season last year, including a 4-point loss in September that nearly ended the streak.Saturday, Coates and the Eagles tasted victory for the first time since Oct. 16, 2015.“Everything they’ve done, they deserve every moment of this,” Coates told reporters after the win.And Coates enjoyed a chilly Gatorade shower after the win.
Let the celebration begin… pic.twitter.com/FvlTI29BNS
— Alabama High School Sports (@IOfferYouThis1) August 23, 2026Greensboro scored the game’s first two touchdowns and led 14-0 midway through the first quarter after an interception was returned for a score. Columbia scored the game’s final 41 points for a runaway victory. As the clock expired, fans flooded onto the field to celebrate.“I’m just happy for the kids, man. It ain’t nothing about me,” Coates said. “It’s about the kids that worked their tail off. I’m glad these kids can experience this. It’s a great experience for them. Now they see what it feels like. They can add to it, and we can go back to work next week.”Red Lake (Minn.) is believed to be the only school with a longer losing streak in high school football. The Minnesota school has lost 150 consecutive games dating back to 1999.Coates was the leading receiver for an Auburn program that reached the national championship game in the 2013 season under coach Gus Malzahn, who posted a note of congratulations Sunday.
