Head Coach: Josh Stephen JStephen@forsyth.k12.ga.us
COACHING STAFF
JOSH STEPHEN Head Coach
Josh Stephen
Head Coach
Eric Cluck
Assistant Coach
Scott Tanner
Assistant Coach
Ed Paladino
Assistant Coach
Mitchell Frankel
Assistant Coach
Coach Stephen is currently in his 22nd year of teaching in health and physical education and is in his 7th year at South Forsyth HS. He is also currently the Physical Education Department Chair as well as performs other duties within the school. He has over 20 plus years of coaching wrestling (head and assistant) at the high school level. He has won 7 state championships at Collins Hill from 2008-2012 as well as never dropped below the top 3 in the state during his time there. He also won a state title at McIntosh in 1997 and came close finishing as state runner-up at McIntosh in 1998, at Parkview in 2000, and at Harrison in 2008.
Coach Stephen has coached 121 state placers, 32 state champions, 12 All-Americans, and 2 future NCAA Division I All-Americans during his career. As an athlete, Coach Stephen was an undefeated Georgia State Champion his senior year and placed 2nd in the state as a junior. He also has a twin brother, Mike, who is the head wrestling coach at Grayson High School in Gwinnett County as well as a 12-year-old son named Barron.
Eric is originally from Warren, Michigan and wrestled at Cousino High School. He was a three time Michigan state qualifier and placed third his senior year at 155 pounds. He went on to wrestle for Lake Superior State University, where he was a three-time National qualifier and a two time All-American, finishing fifth in the country his senior year at the 158 pound weight class. He was a student assistant at Lake State for one year and, after graduation, coached at his alma mater, Cousino High School. Eric moved to Georgia in ’97 and coached at The Lovett School for several years under the esteemed and legendary coach, Jim Glasser. Eric continued to wrestle competitively while coaching and has won several Georgia Games wrestling championships and is a two-time Veterans National Champion (2015 & 2016). Eric has also competed internationally at the Veterans World tournaments in Greece (2015) and Bulgaria (2017). This is Eric’s 7th year coaching at South Forsyth High School.
Scott Tanner “Coach T” has been coaching for over 30 years. He started coaching in Texas then locally at Chattahoochee, Northview and Centennial high schools. He has been coaching the last 18 years at South Forsyth High school. He has coached many state champions and place winners along the way. As a competitor, he was an undefeated high school state champion and voted Georgia’s most outstanding wrestler his senior year. He was a D-1 scholarship wrestler at the University of Georgia.
Ed wrestled High School in New Jersey and was district champion, region champion, and state placer. Ed was inducted into the WTAA NJ Hall of fame in 2019. As a freshman in college, he was both an Academic and Athletic All-American and represented the United States on the NJCAA National Freestyle Team in Germany. He then trained internationally before trying out for the 1996 US open and then finishing his college career at Missouri Valley College where they won 2 National Team Titles. He is a world bronze medalist and was a member of the USA World Veterans Freestyle Team in 2015, 2016, and 2017 where he was ranked 3rd in the world in his category at 63kg.
He has coached and managed youth, high school, and Team Georgia Wrestling Programs. He was nominated to be an assistant coach at the 2017 Pitt All-Star Classic for Team Georgia. He previously coached at Alpharetta and Chattahoochee High Schools. He was also the Head Coach for the Jr. Cougar and North Fulton Wrestling Programs. Coach Paladino is currently in his 2nd year of coaching at South Forsyth. His absolute passion is being a full-time dad, working with children and athletics through his nonprofit Athletes for Children.
Coach Frankel graduated from south Forsyth in 2017, and then he then enlisted in the US ARMY National Guard and attended UNG on an Army scholarship. At UNG, he trained on their Ranger Challenge team, competed in powerlifting, and participated on the jujitsu club team. Frankel is n ow the ambassador of the Physical education program at UNG. He will be graduating this upcoming spring with a degree in Kinesiology and a certification in teaching.
Board Members
President: Carrie Meersman
Vice-President: Patrick Ouzts
Secretary: Amy McPhail
Treasurer: Darlene Edwards
Fundraising & Spirit Wear: Christy Williams
Travel Coordinator & Hospitality: Robyn Fogarty
Concessions: Emily Vaughan
Member-at-Large: Don Ramsayer