NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a gym that felt more like a national arena than a high school, Blackman Wrestling went to war for two straight days at the Johnny Drennan ’85 Memorial Tournament at Father Ryan High School, and walked out with one of the strongest performances in program history.
Facing 57 teams, 554 wrestlers, and competition from six states — Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee — Blackman finished 8th overall with 155.5 team points, just one spot away from tying the highest team finish in school history at this tournament.
Along the way, the Blaze crowned five medalists, tying a school record for the Drennan.
What stood out most was the determination, teamwork, and relentless mindset shared by the entire lineup. Wrestling has a way of testing resolve — when a lead fades or time slips away, many wrestlers “shut down” and accept defeat. Blackman wrestlers did the opposite, they embraced the discomfort and showed their strength and grit.
This wasn’t just a weekend.
It was a statement.
Friday Night Recap – Blackman Sent 12 to Day Two
Friday night at the Drennan is legendary — championship rounds collide with early consolation chaos. Blackman stormed through it. It’s well known, sometimes brackets are unforgiving… and draws can be unfortunate. By the end of night one, Blackman had wrestled through the championship quarterfinals and four rounds of consolations. Only two wrestlers — Mason Davison (113) and Jerison Daniel (190) — were eliminated. Twelve Blackman wrestlers survived into Saturday.
It was survival of the toughest, plus a little bracket luck, and Blackman proved they belonged in the fight.
Blackman Medals Five
106 – Germaia Ewida | 4th Place (20.5 pts)
Ewida lit up the bracket early with a fall in 1:43 and a 17–0 tech fall. After a quarterfinal loss, he stormed back through the consolation bracket, winning four straight matches to reach the third-place bout. He finished fourth after a brutal major decision loss, but his run was pure grit.
120 – Andrew Workman | Runner-Up (28.5 pts)
Workman was unstoppable until the finals. He ripped through the bracket with two falls, a tech fall, and a blistering major decision over Brentwood Academy’s Ryley Correll, punching his ticket to the championship match. Though he fell in the finals (on what might be deemed a very quick pin), Workman led the team in points and delivered one of the most dominant tournament performances of any Blackman wrestler.
138 – Douglas Barksdale | 7th Place (18.5 pts)
Barksdale was a machine. He recorded three falls and a tech, battled through seven total matches, and won his seventh-place bout by major decision. He also led Blackman in pins in least time and total pins & techs.
144 – Landon McLean | 5th Place (16.5 pts)
McLean put on a clinic. He opened with a tech fall and a major, then knocked off tough competition with short time left to reach the semifinals. After dropping into consolations, he bounced back to claim fifth. He finished:
- 9th in the entire tournament for most single-match points (21)
- 10th for most total match points (76)
150 – Eli Goodin | 7th Place (14.0 pts)
Goodin blasted his way to the quarterfinals with a fall and a major, then battled through consolations to earn seventh, winning his medal match by decision. Tough, physical, and relentless.
The Fighters Who Powered the Finish
Even without medals, Blackman’s depth was the difference.
- 113 – Mason Davison
Opened with a fall before running into elite competition. Though eliminated Friday, he set the tone early. - 126 – Thomas Connor Rose
Bounced back from an early loss with two straight wins, including a fall and a medical forfeit. - 132 – Carter Hughes
Exploded onto the scene with two lightning-fast falls, including a blistering :13-second pin — the 5th fastest of the entire tournament. - 157 – Abraham Nadeau
Earned a fall and two majors in a deep bracket, pushing into late consolation rounds. - 165 – Trevor Steffy
Surgical all weekend. Recorded a tech, a major, and a fall, finishing:- 17th fastest tech fall in the tournament (1:47)
- Blackman’s fastest tech fall
- 175 – Ethan Clark
Fought through multiple rounds, picking up a big decision win. - 190 – Jerison Daniel
Ran into brutal early matchups but gained invaluable big-tournament experience. - 215 – Aiden Pascoe
Collected two falls and battled deep into consolations, scoring key team points. - 285 – Kyngston Russell
Earned two gritty wins, including an awesome tiebreaker victory, before falling to elite heavyweights.
Refusing to Quit
The theme of the weekend was undoubtedly determination. Two matches, in particular, captured the spirit of the Blaze:
- Eli Goodin (150): In a showdown against a tough opponent from Soddy Daisy, Goodin found himself trailing big late in the match. To the casual observer, the match looked over. But Eli stayed in the fight, kept hunting for his opening, and stunned the crowd by securing a massive come-from-behind pin in the closing moments.
- Kyngston Russell (285): Heavyweight matches are often wars of attrition, and Russell’s bout was no exception. Pushed into Overtime, Kyngston refused to yield, digging deep to find the winning near-fall points and prove that matches are won in the practice room long before the whistle blows.
By the Numbers
Blackman vs. the Field
- Team Record: 56–27 (.674 winning percentage)
- Team Finish: 8th out of 57 teams
- Five Medalists — tying the school record at the Drennan
Tournament Rankings
- 10th – Pins & techs in least time
- 9th – Total match points
- 11th – Techs in least time
Team Leaders
- Most Team Points: Andrew Workman (28.5)
- Most Pins in Least Time: Douglas Barksdale (3 in 6:18)
- Most Pins & Techs: Douglas Barksdale (4 in 11:46)
- Fastest Pin: Carter Hughes (:13)
- Fastest Tech: Trevor Steffy (1:47)
- Most Single-Match Points: Landon McLean (21)
- Most Total Match Points: Landon McLean (76)
A Decade of Progress
Medalists by Year
- 2026: 5
- 2025: 2
- 2024: 2
- 2023: 4
- 2020: 5
Team Finishes
- 2026: 8th
- 2025: 12th
- 2024: 11th
- 2023: 15th
- 2020: 7th
This wasn’t luck.
This was growth.
Final Whistle
McCallie, Lake Catholic, and Union County claimed the top three spots — but Blackman proved it belongs in the same conversation with the top teams in Tennessee.
Against elite public and private programs from six states, Blackman didn’t just survive.
They fought, scored, pinned, teched, and pushed history.
| Place | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McCallie | 256.5 |
| 2 | Lake Catholic (OH) | 216.5 |
| 3 | Union County (KY) | 207.5 |
| 4 | Father Ryan | 189.5 |
| 5 | Nolensville | 189.5 |
| 6 | Eastside (SC) | 180.5 |
| 7 | St. Vincent St. Mary (OH) | 168.5 |
| 8 | Blackman | 155.5 |
| 9 | Athens (AL) | 139.5 |
| 10 | Montgomery Bell Academy | 132.5 |
| 11 | Brentwood | 130.5 |
| 12 | Green Hills | 130.0 |
| 13 | Chattanoogan Christian | 120.5 |
| 14 | Waukesha West (WI) | 111.0 |
| 15 | Brentwood Academy | 103.5 |
| 16 | Kirkwood | 95.5 |
| 17 | Collierville | 92.0 |
| 18 | Ravenwood | 86.5 |
| 19 | Bartlett | 84.5 |
| 20 | Soddy Daisy | 84.0 |
One spot away from the best finish ever.
Tied for most medalists in school history at this tournament.
And a team that looks like it’s just getting started.
Blackman gets a couple of days rest and then is off to Oakland on Thursday to battle the Patriots and the Stars. Next weekend the Chris Vandergriff Duals in Knoxville. That will be a great dual tournament!
GO BLAZE!!!
Final Unnecessary Rant (from Matt Sells)
If you’ve made it this far, good for you.
On Friday night, Landon McLean earned a hard-fought win over a wrestler from Christian County, KY, scoring a takedown in the closing seconds of the match. It was the kind of finish wrestling fans love — grit, timing, and refusing to quit. Unfortunately, not everyone handled it well. Later that evening, I was told that the opposing wrestler’s mother was loudly venting her frustration, including cursing and other comments directed towards Landon that he could hear.
Fast forward to today.
While Landon was competing in the semifinals, a woman I didn’t recognize sat a couple of seats down from me, repeatedly screaming things like “Go Irish,” “He’s a third-rate wrestler,” and “Get him, Irish.” I thought, “man these Catholic fans from Ohio are wild”, but I looked over and it was actually this woman right here from Christian County.
One of our Blackman wrestlers was sitting between us and wanted to respond. I asked him not to — because that’s not who we are. I did, in disbelief, calmly ask her, “Does that make you feel better?”
She replied, “What?”
So I slowed it down: “Does. That. Make. You. Feel. Better?”
With a smirk, she said, “Yes, it does.”
I reminded her that Landon had beaten her son the night before — not to escalate things, but to make a simple point. Wrestling is tough. Losses hurt. But how you handle them says a lot.
I normally wouldn’t post something like this, and I’m not big on pettiness. But sometimes, stories tell themselves — and sometimes, the person who runs the website gets to decide which ones get told.
Go Blaze 🔥