April 14, 2026 — The high school sports calendar fills gyms and lights fields across campuses and throughout the school seasons. But far from the typical spotlight is a sport most in Cobb County know little about, much less have seen up close. It’s so underappreciated that it has not yet been sanctioned by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA). It’s the sport of fencing, and for Pope senior Joshua Riggins, that unfamiliar sport became a passion, a discipline, and a pathway to the next level.

“I was just a skinny freshman, about 120 pounds,” Joshua said in reflection. “I didn’t know a lick about fencing. I was at Open House, and I went into a room full of all the clubs where they’re recruiting kids to join. The fencing coach convinced me to sign up, and that’s how I got into it.”

From that moment, a sport he had never considered quickly became a significant part of his life.

Fencing 101

For the unacquainted, fencing is both simple in concept and complex in execution. There are three primary fencing styles. Joshua competes in épée, which is the only discipline used by high school leagues in Georgia. Unlike other forms of fencing, in épée, the entire body is a target area.

“Your goal is to basically just hit your opponent anywhere you can in any spot,” Joshua explained before adding one important caveat. “Broadly, that's it. Hit your opponent and don't get hit.”

The physicality and athleticism required are obvious. It’s the mental part of the duel that few can appreciate. For many, their perception of the sport is shaped by films featuring epic sword fights. The reality is that fencing is far more precise.

“People think it's like lightsabers and we’re just flying swords around and hit them back and forth,” Josh said with a knowing grin. “It's never really like that. It can be very fast-paced and very tough, but usually it's pretty focused. The actions tend to be very small and direct, so you don't waste too much extra movement and all those extra things. You have to be physically strong to be able to apply your actions, but mentally you have to be able to figure out what actions you're going to do to make it work.”

First Touch to Full Commitment

When he entered high school, Joshua put aside other common sports he had played growing up and threw himself into fencing. It didn’t take long for Joshua to be hooked.

“From the start, I was always pretty serious about it,” the Greyhound senior recalled. “I was always willing to learn and wanted to do more when it came to fencing because I thought it was really cool.”

His determination was clear, and from a coach’s perspective, his potential was evident almost immediately.

“At his first tournament as a freshman,” Pope Fencing Club Coach David Eichler remembered, “I pulled his father aside and told him that Joshua has all the right instincts in what he is trying to do on the fencing strip. All he lacked was the training to make it happen. I said, ‘He’s a natural, and with some work he could be incredible.’” 

Work Renders Results

Because fencing is not sanctioned by the GHSA, the number of high schools with clubs in the sport is small. This limits competitive opportunities, which mostly come through high school fencing leagues. For athletes who want to pursue the sport at a high level, an extraordinary commitment to training must be developed. Joshua’s routine reflects that commitment.

“He’s up at 4:30 am and works out every day on his own,” Eichler noted. “He goes to school, then back to the fencing club for the afternoon to take lessons, and then more fencing the rest of the evening. Somehow, he finds time to do his homework and sleep.”

Joshua’s private coach, John Terris from Georgia Fencing Academy (GFA), offered this as an explanation for his student’s rigorous regimen.

“Watch every Rocky training montage on a continuous loop for four years,” he said.

The hard work is just one part of the equation for being uncommon in an uncommon sport.

“The hardest challenge is getting seen by college coaches,” Joshua insisted. “You basically have to go to these national and regional events to really showcase yourself.”

Eichler emphasized this same thought.

“It’s not the varsity letter that colleges look for,” Pope’s club coach agreed. “It's state and national results that will catch their eye. Josh has been lighting up the national events across the country for four years, and the universities have noticed.”

Lighting up national events, he certainly has. In his four years competing in the sport, Josh has competed in more than 60 national and regional events, with top-10 finishes in more than half of them. He has won 16 gold medals outside of the high school leagues and earned either silver or bronze 11 more times. As a junior, he was selected as a First-Team High School All-American and then placed third in the 2025 National Championships for Men’s Junior Épée. 

It’s results like these that led Joshua to earn a fencing scholarship to continue his athletic career at Ohio State University next fall. He is Built for Beyond.

Team Wins and Champions Club

While fencing is most often an individual pursuit, Pope’s fencing club has also enjoyed outstanding success in the team category. The Greyhound fencers have won back-to-back Georgia High School Fencing League (GHSFL) state titles. Joshua served as team captain in both seasons, and winning the championship in his junior year is one of his favorite fencing memories.

“That was the best experience,” the soon-to-be Buckeyes fencer recalled. “We all jumped on each other, and it was a whole big thing. We put our minds together, and we believed we could do it, and then we fought really hard to get that finish.”

Looking Ahead

Success in fencing often comes down to strategy and adaptability. Those are qualities that Terris, the private coach, praised when discussing Joshua’s mental approach.

“Josh definitely has the critical thinking and mental acuity,” the GFA instructor confirmed. “These are the brick and mortar elements that are part of a great athlete’s foundation.”

A 1480 SAT score further demonstrates Joshua’s intelligence and helps explain his success on the fencing strip. 

Eichler, the club team coach, reinforces the point. 

“He begins to think one, two, three actions ahead of his adversary, and before you know it, checkmate,” he said.

Athletic agility is a noteworthy bonus.

“He moves so effortlessly up and down the strip and strikes like a bolt of lightning,” Eichler added. “His agility and sense of timing, tempo, and distance are almost innate. All his hard work over the last four years has culminated in a fencer who will not give up or give in until the bout is over.”

Terris, again, agrees.

“I think this kid is shooting for the Michael Jordan level,” he said. “In four years, Josh has achieved every single goal he has committed to.”

So, then, what is the next goal for this uber-talented Cobb Schools fencer?

“My shorter-term goal is to be an NCAA champion,” the top-30 nationally ranked Junior épée fencer shared. “My dream and my long-term goal is to be an Olympic and world champion. Those are my dreams.”

Anyone who doubts Joshua will see his dreams come true and attain those goals might want to reconsider.

En garde. 
Fencers ready? 
Allez.

h/t non-branded photos provided by Riggins family

Next Up: Two Schools, Three State Championship