Garrett Wingate promoted to Ayden

Days after former head coach Paul Cornwell was promoted within the county, Ayden-Grifton High School has filled the role.Copyright 2025 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Ayden-Grifton High School Principal Casey Hyatt expressed confidence in Wingate’s leadership, stating, “Since joining the staff at Ayden-Grifton, Coach Wingate has fully embraced Charger culture, building strong connections with students, staff, and families. With 18 years of coaching experience, he has shown dedication to developing skilled athletes and disciplined young men who excel on and off the field. With a strong focus on hard work, integrity, and teamwork, Coach Wingate holds himself and his players to the highest standards. I am confident he will uphold and build upon the proud tradition established by Coach Paul Cornwell. We look forward to an exciting future for Ayden-Grifton football under his leadership.”

Ayden-Grifton is coming off of an 8-5 overall campaign in 2024. The Chargers advanced to the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A East playoffs, where they got knocked out at home by Kinston.In addition to his coaching experience, Wingate holds a Doctor of Education in Kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master of Arts in Education from East Carolina University. He is also an active member of the American Football Coaches Association and the North Carolina Football Coaches Association, where he currently serves as President of the Eastern North Carolina Football Coaches Association.Additionally, he interned for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under head coach Greg Schiano. A former player for Coach Cornwell at North Pitt High School, Wingate understands the impact of a strong coaching legacy. He expressed his desire to continue the foundation that was established under Coach Cornwell, building upon the values and traditions that have shaped the football program.

Wingate will begin preparations for the upcoming 2025 season immediately, focusing on player development, team culture, and building a championship-caliber program.With an average daily membership of 748 students this school year, the Chargers will be moved to the 3A classification when the NCHSAA realigns into eight classes later this year.The North Pitt High School alum played under Cornwell during his days as a Panther. Earlier in his coaching career, Wingate served as the interim coach at North Pitt. He also has experience working for the East Carolina University football program and was an intern for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Wingate was the offensive coordinator at J.H. Rose in 2021 and Northern Nash in 2022 and led both teams to a 3A eastern regional championship and a state runner-up finish.“I’m honored and excited to take on this role at Ayden-Grifton High School,” said Wingate. “This program has a strong tradition, and I look forward to building on its success. Our goal is to continue to develop not only great athletes but also outstanding young men who will succeed on and off the field. Coach Cornwell has laid the foundation for this program, and my main goal is to carry on what he started.”Here is the full statement that was released by Ayden-Grifton High School:Cornwell thought Wingate would be a good candidate to fill his old job when he accepted the county athletic director position at Pitt County Schools.Offensive coordinator Garrett Wingate has been promoted to head coach, making him the seventh leader of the Charger football program in its history.Wingate has served as the offensive coordinator at Ayden-Grifton since 2023, helping to develop the offense and guiding the team to a conference championship and a third-round playoff appearance in the 2024 season. Prior to joining Ayden-Grifton, Wingate held coaching positions at Northern Nash, J.H. Rose, and North Pitt High School, where he also served as interim head coach in 2017. While at J.H. Rose and Northern Nash, Wingate helped lead both programs to back-to-back 3A Eastern Championships and two NCHSAA 3A State Championship appearances in 2021 and 2022. Wingate also spent time working for the East Carolina University football team under head coaches Skip Holtz and Ruffin McNeill.Ayden-Grifton was placed in the Eastern Plains 2A/3A Conference with fellow 3As Beddingfield, Farmville Central, Greene Central, and Kinston as well as 2A Tarboro.In its history, Ayden-Grifton has reached five regional finals and won one of them. In the 2011 1AA state championship game, the Chargers fell to Swain County by a touchdown.