SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — When the Social Circle Lady Redskins claimed their spot in the Class A-Public state title game after defeating Atlanta Classical Academy in the Final Four, every player engulfed head coach Heather Richardson with hugs in their celebration.
The Lady Redskins were headed to the state title game for the first time in program history and it was Richardson who steered the team there.
While many players are to be given credit for the Lady Redskins’ success, senior captains Tess Preston and Rory Stowe recognized their head coach — who earned Region 8A-Public’s Coach of the Year — as the fuel behind their state championship run.
“She’s always been a good coach and a good person,” Preston said. “She pushes us to be our best. She loves us and knows that we can win.”
Just three days later on April 29, Social Circle defeated Commerce to win the state championship.
During all 25 matches this year, Richardson’s presence on the sideline could be best described as calm or reserved rather than vocal or aggressive.
However, practices are different. Throughout this past season, Richardson could be seen scrimmaging with the team and participating in numerous drills to help prepare her team.
Stowe, the reigning Region 8A-Public Defensive Player of the Year, stressed how Richardson didn’t take it easy on the team, either. As a matter of fact, Richardson is a challenge to defend, Stowe said.
“You don’t really go into it as hard as you normally would because it’s your coach,” Stowe said. “But then she’ll show you up and try to knock you over. It’s a lot of fun to have her as our coach.”
Region 8A-Public Player of the Year Preston concurred.
“Sometimes she’ll be breaking your ankles out there,” Preston said.
Everything Richardson did, though, played a role in the Lady Redskins’ success in 2022. This season, Social Circle finished 24-1 overall with a 13-1 Region 8A-Public record while also claiming the Region 8A-Public championship in addition to its state title.
But Richardson has done more than teach the ins and outs of soccer. She’s also helped develop a team camaraderie, Stowe said.
“We communicate really well,” Stowe said. “She bounces ideas off of me and I bounce ideas off of her. She also listens to us really well because she takes everything we say into consideration. She’s a really amazing coach.”
That relationship is felt away from the soccer field, too, according to Preston.
“I always see her at school and we’ll joke around,” Preston said. “I’ll be like ‘What’s up coach? Ready for the game tonight?’ So we’re pretty close.”
Richardson expressed how the feeling was mutual even before the season kicked off.
During the preseason, Richardson had high anticipation for what the 2022 squad could accomplish. Nevertheless, Richardson still admired what this season’s team was able to achieve when all was said and done.
“This group is better than I thought,” Richardson said. “I knew it was a special group because there are so many seniors. There’s so much talent, not just with the seniors, but with the younger players. I was excited about this season.”
