Camden County Leads State’s Top Grapplers in 2026
With powerhouse teams reloading and fresh talent ready to make a name for themselves, the Georgia high school wrestling scene is set for intense battles on the mat in 2026.
The Camden County boys wrestling program has set the bar about as high as any team in any high school sport in Georgia. The Wildcats’ wrestling team won its 11th straight team duals state championship in 2025, and there’s no reason to think head coach Jess Wilder’s grapplers won’t win another one in 2026.
Camden County will return 10 of the 14 starters who placed as part of the state championship in 2025, but as Wilder said last year following their Class 6A championship match over Buford, that’s not the biggest part of what wins championships, at least not for Camden County.
“We always have tough kids fighting for varsity spots,” Wilder said. “That’s the strength of Camden wrestling.”
This season looks to be no different for Wilder and his team.
“We have a very senior-loaded team,” Wilder said about his 2026 group. “This is probably the strongest senior class in our storied history, so of course our goal is to win the state championship, but there are several teams out there who will challenge us, led by state powerhouse Buford.”
Returning to the Camden County lineup this year will be Ryder Wilder, who is already a three-time state champion and looking to become Camden County’s first-ever four-time state champion.
Other wrestlers expected to make an impact for the 11-time defending state champion Wildcats are Hunter Prosen, a two-time state champion who is looking to become a three-time champion, and Brock Weaver and Isaac Santos, who are state champions hoping to become two-time state champions this season. The remaining returners are Cane Smolarsky, Brian Wright, Brandon Higgins, Joseph Schulze, Caleb Gaskin, and Clayton Newton.
Elijah Hattaway was a state runner-up two years ago and will re-enter the Camden County lineup looking to become a state champion in 2026.
Top Buford wrestlers to keep an eye on in 2026 are defending state champion DJ Clarke; Cooper McArthur and Chris Metz, both of whom were state runners-up last season; Trey Gregory, who finished third in the state in 2025; and freshman Cody Clark. Clark is not only one of the best in the state, but he’s one of the top ninth-graders in the country and a favorite to win state this season.
Other top Georgia high school wrestlers to watch in 2026 are Harrison Murdock of Christian Heritage High School in Ringgold, Georgia; Antonio Mills of Mill Creek; Dallas Russell and Roman Belardo of Jefferson; James Sievers of Social Circle; and Ronan An of North Cobb.
Here’s how we rank the top 15 Georgia high school wrestling teams ahead of the 2026 season.
- Camden County
- Buford
- Social Circle
- Jefferson
- Athens Christian
- Lovett
- Cass
- Rockmart
- Central (Carrollton)
- Creekview
- Mill Creek
- Woodland (Cartersville)
- Toombs County
- Glynn Academy
- North Hall
