Northside's Hilliker Returning After Announcing Retirement

SAMANTHA, AL — Northside High School football has come a long way in the last decade thanks in no small part to head coach Chris Hilliker. Everything from facilities and community buy-in, to the win-loss column, have undergone a noticeable evolution during his tenure as he has transformed the Rams into a bonafide contender among a slew of Class 4A powerhouses.

Spurred by optimism amid the sustained success, the winningest football coach in Northside history will now return to the sidelines next year after initially announcing last August that he would retire following the 2020 season. Hilliker and the Rams are coming off one of the best seasons in school history, finishing 10-3 and advancing to the 4A quarterfinals in back-to-back years.

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Hilliker, a head coach at Northside and Hale County High School for nearly two decades, told Patch on Friday that he felt like the Rams still have the opportunity to improve and achieve further success, which inspired him to forego retirement for now.

"Not satisfied with the way last season ended," he said. "[We] want to continue to improve."

Going in to the 2020 campaign, he was initially set to retire in June 2021. However, the Rams would go undefeated at home en route to an 8-2 regular season. This season included rivalry wins over Berry and Fayette County, before the Rams notched a pair of playoff wins against Deshler and Madison Academy, eventually falling to Etowah County 49-14 in Attalla.

Hilliker left Hale County in 2012 to take over a historically unsuccessful Northside football program with only a handful of playoff appearances since 1959 and not a single postseason win. In his time at the helm, though, the Rams have posted a 67-25 record and made the playoffs each year. Even in his first season, Hilliker led the Rams to a 5-5 record and the first round of the playoffs, securing the school's best record since 2003 and its first playoff appearance since 1991.

But it would be 2019 that would see the program break through, shattering records and winning the school's first region title in nearly three decades. Northside finished the season undefeated in 4A Region 5 play, winning the program's first playoff game in a 35-21 home victory over Hokes Bluff. The Rams finished the historic 2019 season 11-2 with an appearance in the quarterfinals.

Hilliker attributes the success to a culture developed over time in the Northside community, ranging from inside the locker room to the fans cheering in the stands on Friday nights.

"We came in with a good plan and the kids bought in," Hilliker said. "We preach team, toughness and effort. The kids work hard and we have great community support."

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