Franklin, TN | February 2026
The final day of the TSSAA State Tournament always delivers the full range of emotions – the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The physical and mental battles are not for the weak at heart. Wrestling is the toughest high school sport and it’s not even close. For Blackman High School, Saturday was about one thing: battling tough and bringing home the hardware they’ve worked for all season.
Early Morning Battles
Saturday morning opened with the second round of consolations. Each match felt like a sudden-death playoff—win and stay alive, lose and the dream ends.
Germaia Ewida was the first Blaze wrestler to take the mat, meeting a familiar region foe in Ethan Saller of Riverdale. Ewida had beaten Saller twice during the regular season, but the state tournament doesn’t care about history. In a tight, grinding match, Saller edged out a 4–1 victory, ending Ewida’s run and setting the tone for a day where nothing came easy.
Barksdale Punches Back for Fifth
At 138, Doug Barksdale entered Saturday in the same spot in the 2nd round consolation bracket as Ewida. At this point in the bracket, you lose and go home, so competitors here know what’s at stake and nothing can be taken for granted.
Barksdale opened the morning against William Avilla from West Creek. The match began cautiously, but Doug showed that he had reset from Friday, and ended up winning 6-2. In the blood round, with a state medal on the line. Barksdale found himself in an early hole after giving up a first-period takedown, but he never blinked. He chipped away, wrestled with urgency, and delivered when it mattered—completing a late third-period takedown to seal an 8–6 comeback win and secure his spot on the podium.
He then faced Lewis from Science Hill in the decider and Lewis brought the pressure early. Doug got caught in a scramble and was pinned, ending the bout and sending the Blaze senior into the 5th-place match.
Barksdale closed out his tournament the way he wrestled it—tough, composed, and attacking. Against Ben Smith of Nolensville, he built a lead early and held control throughout. Smith scored late, but Barksdale stayed solid and finished with an 8–4 victory to claim a well-earned 5th place finish.
Goodin’s Run to Fourth
At 150, Eli Goodin entered Saturday having already secured his place on the podium after his emotional quarter-final win over Sink from Kirkwood on Friday. But Saturday morning was about climbing higher. Facing Section 1 champion Richard Watterson of Dobyns-Bennett in the decider match, Goodin delivered one of Blackman’s most exciting wins. After getting taken down (on a controversial call), Goodin quickly scored a reversal and locked up a cradle. The call for a pin didn’t come easy, but eventually a pin was awarded, and Goodin advanced to the third-place match.
In the medal match, Goodin (for the third time this season) had a hard-fought battle with Brandon Harris of Bradley Central. Eli battled tough, but Harris has proven he is a formidable opponent. Eli looked great at times, but in the end, Harris dealt Goodin a loss, ending a weekend that showcased Eli’s grit and growth as he claimed a very well-earned fourth.
Championship Spotlight: Workman and McLean
As the arena lights transitioned toward the championship rounds, two Blaze wrestlers waited for their turn under the spotlight.
At 120 pounds, junior Drew Workman stepped onto the mat against three-time state champion Jose Cordero of Cleveland High School. What followed was a tense, tactical battle. In the first period, Workman pushed the champion, taking shots, defending shots, and keeping the action going. In the second, Cordero chose down, and Workman rode tough, working to open him up while riding legs. With 46 seconds remaining in the second, Workman was called for stalling while the legs were in. One might have expected a stalemate call here, but not this time. The restart allowed Cordero a fresh start, where he escaped to take a 1-0 lead. In the third, Drew chose down and attempted to get to his feet. Cordero stayed on top, switching from power half to crossface until a stalling call came with 58 seconds left. As time ticked away, Workman made several attempts to escape, but Cordero held on tight. During the last 30 seconds, many expected a stall call against Cordero to tie the match, but it never came. In the end, a single point separated them—Cordero escaping with a 1–0 win. It wasn’t the finish Workman wanted, but it was a much-improved performance against the Cleveland phenom.
Next came senior Landon McLean in the 144-pound final against JD Longley of Ravenwood. From the opening seconds, it was clear both wrestlers had done their homework. A quick stalling call only 14 seconds into the match raised eyebrows. Stalling is difficult to call, but McLean had already made a shot attempt, and as Longley was on an inside collar tie stepping forward, he transitioned to double underhooks and they both went out of bounds. Stalling on McLean. Longley capitalized moments later with a takedown from a similar position. McLean stayed on the attack in the second, choosing neutral. Landon pushed the pace throughout the period, but Longley slowed the match and held on in those collar ties and underhooks. Down 4-1 after an escape in the third, McLean had to push the pace and force something to happen. Longley was content to hang out in the ties and forced McLean to make moves. With 45 seconds remaining, McLean looked for an inside trip, and Longley countered with a lat drop attempt. They rolled through with McLean behind him as Longley grabbed an illegal headlock. No takedown. One point to McLean for the illegal move. The crowd was displeased with the no call on the takedown, and Longley subsequently took injury time for an apparent leg issue. With 30 seconds remaining, Landon tried to get Longley to open up, and finally, with 13 seconds left, Longley was warned for stalling. At that point, it was too late. Landon fell 4–1, finishing as state runner-up for the second straight year and completing a remarkable two-year run to close out his Blackman career.
Girls Add Three Medalists
On the girls’ side, the Blaze secured three more podium finishes. Joy Younan had a great tournament going 4-2 and finished fifth. Senior Ali Bryant claimed sixth after battling injured through a tough bracket start to finish.
Senior Jonna Patterson stormed to the finals with three dominating pins. In the championship bout, Patterson faced Lakeria Kelly of Pearl-Cohn High School. Kelly struck first with an early takedown, but Patterson—known for her fight—kept clawing back, closing the gap and pushing the match deep into the third period. She ultimately fell 6–4, finishing her stellar senior season as a state finalist and adding a second state medal to her career after placing fifth last season.
Coaching Honors
An extremely special moment came before the championship rounds when girls head coach Andi Jones was honored as the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) 2025 Girls Head Coach of the Year, a recognition of her leadership and the rising excellence of the Blackman girls program. Coach Andi has had many honors bestowed on her in Tennessee, but this one made her especially proud.
2026 Blackman Medalists
Team Finish and What’s Next.
Despite bringing only five boys to the tournament, Blackman finished 7th in the state with 71.5 points. Section 2 member Cleveland dominated with 265, and Bradley Central claimed fifth with 90. The tough section can limit the number of competitors who make it to state. In spite of this, the Blaze score another top-ten finish in what has become their annual standard.
On the girls side, Blackman girls finished Top 10 just behind Bartlett with 49 Points. Cleveland girls won the event with 167.5 points and Clarksville was 2nd with 150. The girls program has shown they are completely on the come up under Coach Andi, Coach McLean and Coach Seth.
Blackman will take a short breather before shifting its focus to the offseason, where the work never truly stops. Several Blaze wrestlers are preparing to compete at the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach, followed by the start of Freestyle and Greco season with the RuCo Wrestling Club. It’s been another outstanding year for the Blaze—one built on toughness, consistency, and a standard that remains among the best in Tennessee wrestling.
Go BLAZE!