Former Pisgah High standout hired as head football coach at Brevard
A former Western North Carolina high school football standout is finally coming back home to the mountains he grew up in.
At a special school board meeting on Monday night, the Transylvania County Board of Education officially approved the hire of Luke Coleman as Brevard High's football coach. Coleman, a 1999 Pisgah High graduate, played for the late Eddie Reneau, who coached at Pisgah and then at East Henderson before his passing in 2002.
Coleman, a Canton native, has been coaching high school football in Georgia since 2012. He served as the defensive coordinator at Sequoyah High and then most recently as the defensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach at Hart County under Rance Gillespie, a former assistant at Georgia Southern University.
Having played for Pisgah, Coleman and the Black Bears had several nail-biting games against Brevard.
"Brevard s a special place with outstanding tradition," he said in a press release. "The community is very supportive, and I look forward to serving the players and the community as head coach."
Having served as an assistant several years, Coleman said it's been a dream to land a head coaching position.
"Being a head coach has always been my goal, my dream. I have had the opportunity to work for some great coaches and I am honored to be at Brevard," he said. "I love the mountains and the football here. The standard is to transform young men's lives through the game of football.
"We want to compete on and off the field. We are going to compete each day to put a product on the field that represents this school and the community, upholding and elevating the lasting tradition that makes Brevard so special."
Gillespie, who left Hart County earlier this year to take over at Brookstone High in Columbus, Ga., had high praise for his former assistant.
"Luke Coleman is an outstanding football coach. He will be a great asset to Brevard in his new leadership role," Gillespie said in a press release. "I am really anxious to follow all the great things Coach Coleman and Brevard will collectively accomplish."
Brevard Athletic Director Mick Galloway said Coleman "has all the tools to become a successful head coach."
"His knowledge, passion, intensity and experience will be an asset to Brevard football. We are excited that Coach Coleman will bring toughness, a strong work ethic and excitement to Brevard High football.”
Coleman replaces Craig Pritchett, who resigned in December to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Ridgeland High in Georgia. During his seven years at Brevard, Pritchett had a record of 47-34, leading Brevard to two conference titles in 2016 and 2019. Brevard was also regional runner-up to eventual state champion Reidsville in 2018.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Former Pisgah High standout hired as head football coach at Brevard
