Dante Lombardi steps down as Ashley football coach

After spending four seasons as the football coach at Ashley, Dante Lombardi announced his resignation on Thursday.

“The decision comes with mixed emotions, but after much thought, I know it’s time for me to focus more on my family and the next chapter of my life,” he said in a post on social media. 

Lombardi finished with a record of 21-25, which made him the second winningest coach in program history behind Dylan Dimock (29-64 from 2001-08). His winning percentage of .456 is the best among the program’s seven coaches. 

Prior to Lombardi’s arrival, the Screaming Eagles finished with a winning record just once in 21 seasons. They went 1-9 during his first year in 2022 before going 7-5 in 2023. The 2024 season was the best in school history, as the team finished 9-3 and outscored its opponents 369-189.

Ashley finished 4-8 in the fall, but still managed to secure a first round playoff win for the third consecutive postseason. The JV team won the Carolina Coast Conference title by going 9-1, including the program’s first-ever victory over Hoggard at either the JV or varsity level.

Lombardi, who will remain on staff, is the third coach from the CCC to resign. Laney’s Steve Brooks and Topsail’s Chris Schmidt lasted just one season.