Ashbrook names new football coach

GASTONIA — Ashbrook’s new football coach has competed against the best of the best in North Carolina. He’s spent the last five years in a conference with Independence and Butler.

Ashbrook on Friday announced the hiring of East Mecklenburg’s Greg Hill, and school officials are hoping his high-level experience will help transform the Green Wave back into a perennial winner.

Hill, 44, has spent the last six years as head coach at East Mecklenburg, where the Eagles have joined North Carolina’s biggest 4A powers since the 2005 realignment. He said Ashbrook was one of the few schools that could lure him away.

“I think everything that they have here at this school — the climate, the players, facilities — I mean, I think you can be successful here,” Hill said.

Hill turned down the Winston-Salem Reynolds job before accepting the Ashbrook position.

He compiled a 37-39 record over his six years at East Mecklenburg. He previously coached as an assistant at three other high schools.

Although Hill has been successful as a head coach, his reputation took a hit after the 2007 season, when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools punished the East Mecklenburg football program for illegal recruiting and violation of a rule that bans Sunday practice, according to The Charlotte Observer. Hill served a two-game suspension and the team had to forfeit each of its nine wins.

Maurice Green, then the Deputy Superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said a volunteer coach was involved in recruiting three football players, according to The Charlotte Observer.

“I did not have knowledge of the situation that occurred; however, because I was the head coach, I took full responsibility of the program and I felt that was the professional thing to do,” Hill said Friday.

Ashbrook principal Page Carver investigated the suspension before offering Hill the job, and shared the information with the selection committee.

“He was not directly involved in anything, and that was confirmed with everyone I talked to,” Carver said.

The coach’s 37-39 record reflects the nine forfeited victories in 2007. Hill’s last team went 8-6 and reached the third round of the 4AA state playoffs. Prior to that, the Eagles went 10-3 in 2008, 9-4 in 2007, 7-5 in 2006, 7-5 in 2005 and 5-7 in 2004.

His new challenge is to turn around an Ashbrook program that went 4-8 each of the past two seasons under Mike Briggs, who resigned in March after five seasons and a 27-35 record.

Hill considers a program successful if it consistently wins eight or more games per season and advances to the playoffs — as long as the school also sends its players to college.

“If you’re not getting kids in school, I think you lose sight of why you’re there to start with,” Hill said.

A spread offense and pressure 4-3 defense have defined Hill’s past teams, but he hasn’t locked into a system for Ashbrook, saying he’ll install “what the kids do well.”

Ashbrook introduced Hill to a room full of players eager to meet their new coach. He told them he’ll get going right away, starting with a strength evaluation workout Monday.

“As we come in, some things are going to change, and some things may not because I don’t know what’s been done here,” Hill told his new players. “But I can promise you this: there will not be a team in the state of North Carolina that will outwork us.”

Hill addressed his former East Mecklenburg players Friday morning prior to the Ashbrook press conference. He will complete the school year at East Mecklenburg before officially going on the payroll at Ashbrook, where he will teach physical education.

Friday was too early for Hill to reveal which Ashbrook assistant coaches would stay on staff, but he did say he’ll have a few vacant positions to fill.

Hill graduated in 1984 from Wilson Beddingfield High School, where he played center. He played one year at Elon before a knee injury ended his playing career. After graduating from Elon in 1988, he served as an assistant coach at Western Alamance from 1988 to 1992, Eastern Alamance from 1992 to 1999 and West Charlotte from 2000 to 2003 before taking his first head coaching job at East Mecklenburg in 2004.

Hill, his wife Fran and 11-year-old son Jaret live in Charlotte. He doesn’t plan to relocate to Gastonia immediately but said that could be a possibility down the road.

You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.

Greg Hill at East Mecklenburg

2004: 5-7

2005: 7-5

2006: 7-5

2007: 0-13*

2008: 10-3

2009: 8-6

Total: 37-39

*Team went 9-4 but later forfeited all victories due to rules violations.