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GREENSBORO -- Scandal-plagued Northern Guilford has hired a new athletics director and renewed the contract of football coach Johnny Roscoe, school officials said.

Chapel Hill High School athletics director Ronnie Hayes was hired Thursday night for the same position at Northern Guilford, the school's new principal said. Will Laine also said Roscoe will return as the Nighthawks' football coach for the 2009 season, an indication the football team could be cleared in the school system's investigation of the program.

"We're ready to move on and we've got the right people to do that," said Laine.

Hayes has yet to be formally introduced to Northern Guilford's coaches, but he's already been charged with addressing one of the school's -- and county's -- pressing issues: non-faculty coaches.

Letters were mailed this week to Northern Guilford's 26 non-faculty coaches, informing them they would need to reapply for their jobs for the upcoming school season. Non-faculty contracts typically expire June 30. Hayes will interview those coaches, according to sources at Northern Guilford.

Guilford County School Board members are expected to vote this summer on a policy requiring schools to hire faculty members as athletics coaches whenever possible.

Laine said Northern Guilford will try to hire faculty members for coaching positions whenever possible, but added he expects a majority of those non-faculty coaches will he hired back. "Any successful program needs a good mixture of (faculty and non-faculty) coaches," said Laine. "The key will be finding the right balance."

Hayes, who did not return phone calls Thursday, replaces Derrel Force who resigned in April along with principal Joe Yeager when Guilford County Schools System officials announced they were investigating Northern Guilford's athletics program for eligibility issues.

The investigation, which is expected to conclude next week, has already determined that five students living outside Northern Guilford's attendance zone played sports at the school.

Those findings resulted in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association stripping Northern Guilford of its 3-A state basketball title last month. Northern Guilford's most popular non-faculty coach, boys basketball coach Stan Kowalewski, will not have his contract renewed, Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green said.

The school also forfeited victories in baseball, wrestling and junior varsity softball.

School system officials are still investigating Northern Guilford's football program. Jill Wilson, the school system's attorney who is leading the investigation, said this week the probe could end next week.

Laine said Thursday he believed there will be no more penalties handed out by the school system. "At this point I believe all of our coaches have been cleared of wrongdoing and we're ready to move forward," he said.

Roscoe and baseball coach Johnny Smith have not spoken publicly since the school system announced its investigation more than nine weeks ago. Laine said Smith would have to re-apply for his position like every other non-faculty coach, but he stopped short of saying Smith would be back as head coach. "He will be involved with our baseball team in some capacity," Laine said.

Smith could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

Contact Robert Bell at 373-7055 or robert.bell@news-record.com