Wildcats Make History as 1st Georgia High School to Win Boys and Girls Wrestling State Titles in the Same Year
Camden County Girls Wrestling Captures State Duals Title
The Camden County High School girls wrestling team captured the GHSA Division 1 duals wrestling state championship this season in just its second year of existence.
This season Camden County became the first Georgia high school program to win both the boys and girls wrestling state titles in the same year.
The girls wrestling team followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the traditional state tournament, with five Wildcat wrestlers qualifying for state.
That’s not bad for a program in only its second season of competition, whose wrestlers had little-to-no prior experience.
Building From Scratch: The Program’s 1st Year
“Last year, I had 14 girls come out to wrestle, and we finished up the season with 11,” said Abe Fernandez, Camden County girls wrestling head coach.
He knew that starting up a team of girls who had no experience wrestling would be a challenge.
“Last year 90% of the team was brand new to the sport of wrestling,” Fernandez said. “These girls came out not having any idea what they were getting into, never having anything like this in their life before, and like any sport, it can be tough. They were all so new, and you’re trying to take a group of girls who have never wrestled in their life, and it can be a challenge, just like any sport. Wrestling is not the easiest sport to learn. It’s very physical, and it can certainly be a grind. I had to introduce them to what wrestling was all about.”
Despite its inexperience, that first-year program showed promise and enjoyed some success.
“Last year we placed fourth in the area duals, but did not qualify for state duals,” Fernandez said.
Two of his wrestlers did qualify individually for the traditional state tournament.
“They were Breanna Higgins at 105 pounds and Serenity Small at the heavyweight class.”
Higgins won the state title.
Experience Pays Off in Year 2
As the team headed into this 2026 season, Fernandez said having that one season of experience helped tremendously. The number of state qualifiers increased to five this season, with Higgins capturing her second consecutive traditional wrestling state title. The team placed fifth overall in the traditional tournament.
“Breanna is one of our more experienced wrestlers, and it shows,” Fernandez said.
The other four wrestlers who qualified for state were Peyton Rego at 110 pounds, Delaney Spencer at 145 pounds, Gabrielle Daniels at 190 pounds, and Kyrie-Jade Atkinson at 125 pounds.
Defeating Defending Champions on the Way to the Title
In the duals state tournament, Camden County had to get past a couple of defending champions to make its dream of a state title possible.
First, Camden County defeated defending area champion Richmond Hill in the area tournament. Then in the state Division 1 finals, Camden County defeated defending state champion Greenbrier 51-30 to capture the state championship.
Fernandez said several factors put his team in a position to make a run at a state championship.
“We increased the overall interest within the school, and so we started out with 22 girls this season and ended up with 17,” he said.
Along with the growth in the number of girls wanting to wrestle, the growth in confidence and skill level was critical.
“We had to get more reps, had to get more workouts, and getting in as many matches as we could, just going out there and competing,” Fernandez said. “All those things combined is where the growth came from.”
The Coach Behind the Program
That growth wasn’t limited to the wrestlers.
Fernandez wrestled at his high school in Tampa, Florida, and collegiately at Central College of Iowa. In 2017, a phone call opened the door for him to come to Camden County.
“Coach Wilder called me and asked me if I was interested in coming to Camden County to help him coach,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez coached under head coach Jess Wilder as an assistant with the boys wrestling team and also served as the Camden Middle School wrestling coach. Fernandez credited Wilder for his own personal growth, which ultimately made him a better coach.
“I learned a lot coaching under Coach Wilder,” Fernandez said. “He’s the best there is, and learning that championship-style of coaching that has worked for Coach Wilder and throwing in a bit of my own style all came together, I think.”
A Network of Support
Fernandez has also benefited from strong support surrounding him from day one. He has leaned on experienced wrestlers to act as informal coaches within the team and has sought help from others with a strong wrestling background.
“I was fortunate to have former Camden County wrestlers Sydney Nelson and Jordan Nelson come back to the school and offer to help us,” Fernandez said.
The Nelson sisters wrestled with the Wildcat boys wrestling program before there was a separate girls wrestling team at Camden County. They went on to wrestle collegiately, with Sydney Nelson wrestling at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, and Jordan Nelson wrestling at Life University in Atlanta. Both achieved All-American status, with Jordan Nelson winning a national championship.
“They helped a lot,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez also enlisted the help of his wife, Lillian Fernandez, who works in the Camden County athletic department.
“She has been a big supporter from the start, and she is one of my assistants as well,” Fernandez said.
Looking Ahead to Year 3
Fernandez is hoping everything that has gone into making the Camden County girls wrestling program a success will continue as the team prepares for its third season. The program will lose just two seniors.
“I’m hoping we can have around 30 girls come out to wrestle this season,” Fernandez said. “We know there will probably be some that decide it’s not for them, but that’s OK. We’ve had a group that decided to stick with it from last year, and they trusted and believed in the process. Those were the ones who made it through to the second season, and now they can say they are part of a state championship program.”
