Villa Rica High School has landed its man to take over the Wildcat football program, as Chad Frazier was approved to the position at the Carroll County Board of Education meeting on Thursday evening.

Frazier, who will also assume duties as Villa Rica’s athletic director, most recently served as the head football coach at Heritage High School in Conyers, where he went 37-27 from 2007-12, winning the Region 8-AAAA championship in 2011 en route to being named the region coach of the year that season. Frazier led the Patriots to playoff appearances the past three seasons, including this past year as a Class AAAAA program.

The Valdosta State graduate said he is excited about the opportunity to come to Villa Rica and be a part of the Wildcat family.

“Villa Rica football has had success, and I look forward to working with players, coaches, parents and [the] community to make sure we have success in the future,” Frazier said in a statement. “We will work hard, be disciplined, play with great pride and create an air of excitement around the Villa Rica football program.”

The VR position became vacant in December when former coach Mike Falleur stepped down to take the same position at his alma mater — Northside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. — following two years in charge of the Wildcat program, where he went 10-10 in that time.

Frazier, who earned his master’s degree in Education Leadership from Columbus State University, began his coaching career at Lowndes High School in 1997 during his student teaching internship. From there, he’s served as an assistant at Hawkinsville High School (1998), Harris County (1999-01) and Northgate (2002-06) prior to taking his first head coaching job at Heritage in 2007.

VRHS Principal Adam Herring is confident Frazier will be a great fit for the Wildcat program on and off the field.

“Coach Frazier is a proven winner who knows how to build a successful football program. He has high character, works hard and understands how to motivate today’s athletes,” Herring said in a statement. “We believe coach Frazier will continue the positive momentum we have with the football program at Villa Rica High School.”

Coach Frazier is married to Sarah Frazier, who teaches business education and is the head coach of the competition cheerleading squad at Northgate High School. The couple has one daughter, Callie, 10.