The Social Circle High School wrestling team built a dynasty through grit, unity and elite coaching. Led by Randy Prater, the Redskins have become the envy of programs across the state with a championship culture forged through hard work, lifelong bonds and unshakable commitment.
High school wrestling has been described as the most difficult of all amateur sports, as it demands every ounce of strength, energy and fortitude one can muster to achieve success. Six minutes on the mat can seem like an eternity, even for the most accomplished wrestlers.
The Social Circle High School wrestling team knows all about enjoying and sustaining an elite level of success on the mat. Guided by longtime head coach Randy Prater, the Redskins can point to the numerous state championship banners hanging in the rafters of the school’s gymnasium as evidence of their hard work. While sitting atop the mountain has become a common occurrence, no one involved with the program takes it for granted.
High school wrestling teams in Georga compete for duals and traditional state titles each season. The duals championship focuses on the overall strength of a team. Two schools compete head-to-head in each round, with a wrestler from each squad facing off in every weight class. The winning team advances in a bracket similar to other sports like football or basketball. In the traditional format, wrestlers compete individually in their weight classes, advancing through a series of elimination rounds—region and sectionals—to reach the state championships. Individual state champions are crowned in each weight class. Points are accumulated based on how well each individual wrestler performs, leading to a team state champion being declared, as well.
“It has been a complete buy-in by the entire program. It takes a combined effort to have this level of success.”
Randy Prater
Regardless of the format, the Redskins have remained dominant under Prater, winning both the duals and traditional titles in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024 and 2025. SCHS also won the traditional championship in 2023. The program placed in the top three in its classification from 2020–22.
“It’s just a case where the kids have bought into what we are doing,” said Prater, who has been at SCHS since 2007. “It’s really been a combined effort of the coaches, parents and the wrestlers. It has been a complete buy-in by the entire program. It takes a combined effort to have this level of success.”
While he leads the program, Prater was quick to deflect attention to his assistants, most of whom have been head coaches themselves, as well as the program’s booster club and everyone in between.
“I may be the head coach, but we have a great coaching staff,” Prater said. “Our assistants recently won Staff of the Year. That award does not include me. I believe we have one of the best—if not the best—coaching staffs in the state. I know our bus driver is also important, because you can’t wrestle if you can’t get there.”
Assistant Roger Strom coached with Prater at Loganville High School, and Robert Cline oversees the program’s offseason training. SCHS wrestlers travel to places like Virigina Beach and other out-of-state camps and venues. Following the program’s run from 2015–19, Prater felt the Redskins needed to refocus and get back to the top. Michigan native Nate Ethridge had revived the program at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee. Prater got to know Ethridge and respected what he had accomplished there.
“I reached out to him about coming on board at Social Circle,” Prater said. “He came in with such knowledge that it took our program back to the highest level. He had been a head coach longer than I had.”
Todd Cheney, another assistant from Michigan, was a head coach for almost three decades. He had retired from teaching up north. Prater wanted to add his expertise to the SCHS staff, as well. “Coach Cheney and Coach Ethridge helped us get back on top,” he said. Over time, a finely tuned machine started to take shape. Randall Hooley, a former head coach at Heritage High School in Conyers, has been with SCHS for a few years now, while Nick Fordham, the onetime head coach at Locust Grove High School, brought more than two decades of experience to the Redskins. William Wells and Charles Reynolds oversee the development of Social Circle Middle School wrestlers, while Robert Cline and Emery Cline direct the USA Wrestling and Amateur Athletic Union programs.
Prater also credited the groundwork that had been laid prior to his arrival.
“I didn’t inherit a terrible program,” he said. “There was already a winning tradition in the making. It has just evolved. The kids know they are going to work hard [and that] they will be loved and taken care of. Their parents know that, as well. I tell every wrestler and every parent that will be true, not only for the time they are in the program but from now on. Even after they graduate, these kids are still in our lives. They still come by and visit. It’s all part of the process where we work to prepare these young men for life after wrestling and after school.”
A strong feeder system has been a key ingredient in the program’s championship-level success, too. During the summer months, Social Circle wrestlers travel to compete in some of the toughest tournaments in the country.
“It’s not about winning every match but facing that level of competition,” Prater said. “We want our wrestlers to see the absolute best competition they can. That is how you are going to get better and become a contender at the state level.”
Prater expects a wrestler to be the “total package” on and off the mat, which means taking responsibility in the classroom and in the community. He noted that many employers around Social Circle like to hire young people who are part of the wrestling program because they know they are getting dependable employees who will give their best effort on the job.
Dane Kracht, a senior at Social Circle, trumpets the program’s well-rounded approach.
“Not all of the things I have learned are about wrestling,” Kracht said. “It’s the family that is created within the program and how everybody has your back, between the coaches and wrestlers. It’s good to know that you have coaches who are willing to help you with personal problems and wrestlers who become family and are willing to do anything for you. The bonds that are created will last a lifetime. Wrestling in our program requires hard work, commitment and discipline to be the best version of yourself. When you take care of yourself, you take care of your team.”
Click here to read more stories by Chris Bridges.
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