Wren football coach Anthony Frate walked away from big schools, found comfort in country

PIEDMONT — Anthony Frate had one of the more high-profile high school football coaching jobs in South Carolina, and was successful at it.

Frate led Hillcrest to a 10-2 record from 2020 to 2022 in Region 1-AAAAA, the state’s top classification, and 21-7 overall, with a league championship. The Rams were coming off a 9-2 season and still on the upswing. He was becoming a hot prospect for college jobs, if not an extended tenure in one of the state’s fastest-growing areas.

And then he left for Wren, a Class AAA team in a more rural area of Anderson County.

Success, if not as much attention, has followed him. Wren is 3-0 in 2-AAA, 4-4 overall, and plays at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Powdersville (4-4, 1-0).

In the 864 Huddle Super 25 rankings of Upstate teams, Wren is No. 21, Powdersville No. 22.

The Hurricanes' regular-season finale is at home next week against Belton-Honea Path. The Bears (8-0, 2-0) are ranked No. 3 in the Super 25 and No. 2 in the statewide media poll.

WEEK 9 SCHEDULE: Upstate's Week 9 high school football schedule with some games moved for weather concerns

To Frate, even with all of the success at Hillcrest, something wasn’t quite right. Still in his 30s, he was aging too quickly. He was frustrated. He felt somewhat disconnected from the younger players. Bigger wasn’t necessarily better — not for him at least.

“I don’t know that, given the system the way it is in a huge school district, that I would’ve lasted very long,” Frate said. “I felt like maybe I could make it four or five more years. I didn’t want to be one of those coaches who becomes grizzled and angry.

“ . . . It had a lot to do with things as I was afforded as a head coach, in terms of being able to manage the program. They gave me a lot at Hillcrest. They really gave me a lot. But long term, it was wearing on me not being as connected to the kids as I wanted to be. Long term, I was going to have a hard time with it. It was going to bring me down.”

It’s a 20-minute drive from Frate’s home in downtown Greenville to Hillcrest, which is a Hail Mary pass from a busy I-385. It’s a 21-minute drive from his house to Wren, where you’re more likely to be slowed by turkeys in the road than by traffic.

They seem worlds apart.

“I can see myself staying here. I love it here,” Frate said. “It just feels comfortable out here.”

Frate was an assistant at Wren in 2017 and 2018 before taking the job at Hillcrest. At Wren, he was with legendary coach Jeff Tate, who was there for 15 years, won the state championship in 2019 and was ready for retirement.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be around a bunch of great coaches,” Frate said. “But you don’t replace Coach Tate. You just follow him and hope you do well. He did amazing things at Wren.”

Quarterback Colton Bagwell said he could feel a sense of family when Frate arrived.

“We liked him right away,” Bagwell said. “He brought great energy to the team.”

“It was very positive and very uplifting,” senior linebacker Ethan Moody said. “I just love the way he coaches, the way he does things. He’s got a love for football, a love for this school and a love for the players.”

Frate said one of the biggest draws was connecting with all of the players in the area, including middle school and below. Wren doesn’t have a C team, which is made up mostly of freshmen at higher-classification schools. The only other practice going on earlier this week away from the varsity spot was at the middle school next door.

Frate cited his frustration with the red tape of higher levels.

“I love big-time high school football. And I think, deep down in my heart, I’m built for it,” he said. “But there were things I wanted to do at Hillcrest that would’ve taken three or four years. For example, I want to do a Walk of Fame here at Wren with all the greats from all the sports. Here, all I have to do is make sure we have the money, get clearance and we’re good. It’s different over there (at Hillcrest). You just can’t do something like that quickly.”

Frate said he is planning for a long run at Wren.

“I gave up something at Hillcrest. I put a lot of work in over there,” he said. “They’ve got a strong, supportive community over there and it was a great four years. I loved it. But I felt like this was a great fit for me at this time in my life. I really enjoyed my two years I spent here (as an assistant). They were my favorite years.

" . . . How long until the next time this job came open? Fifteen years? You don’t know. I can see myself staying here at least that long. I’m comfortable. I’m happy.”

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Wren football coach Anthony Frate finds peace to go with the wins