HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Lee Generals and Columbia Eagles are two teams hoping to get into the win column in 2025.
The Columbia Eagles ride the nation’s longest losing streak at 91 games; the program’s last win came in October 2015. After several coaching changes without a win, the program turns to former Auburn standout Sammie Coates to lead the team.
Coates says his confidence in the team doesn’t matter; it’s the players who have to believe they can win.
“My confidence don’t matter at all, it’s their confidence and they got it. You know they starting to understand how to work, work for each other, they show up everyday and get their workouts in, they building the confidence they need, my jobs easy when I got them confidence you know i just got to sit back and let them play,” Coates said. “That’s my goal, let them have as much fun as they can and win they get that first win we gonna go turn up.”
Coates says he would love for his players to feel a victory.
“I just want it for them. I want them to feel victory, I want them to understand that it’s bigger than winning and losing, that if you do the right thing, always something good comes with it you know,” Coates said. “Being disciplined, understanding what we preach every day, and just doing the right things off the field, it helps you win on the field.”
Columbia will look to break the streak starting on August 22 against Priceville.
The Lee Generals welcome in head coach Antonio Ford for his first season with the school. Lee went 0-10 last season.
Ford says the program isn’t focused on last year.
“In our program, we don’t do a lot of looking back; we’re looking straight ahead, and we are attacking each day one at a time,” Ford said. “Structurally, getting things in order, putting the right people in the right place, that’s huge for us, whether that’s coaches, you know, our support staff, or even our players.”
Ford says he wants this team’s identity to be built on unity.
“We do things together. Players play multiple positions, coaches coach multiple players, and we make sure we have connections and relationships across the board,” Ford said.
The Generals open the season against Grissom on August 22.
The post Football Friday Countdown: Columbia and Lee appeared first on WHNT.
