by Patrick Conner
The Paducah Sun
February 28, 2026
Used with permission.
At the KHSAA State Wrestling Championships, the Paducah Tilghman Blue Tornado turned in another great outing at the state level, as a state championship for senior Ben Hall and several podium finishes powered them to finish in second place, trailing only back-to-back champions Union County.
In the run to his 175 pound championship, Hall would win two of his four matches by fall, leading to his championship match against Bullitt East freshman Max Baxter.
“It’s a great feeling, I still haven’t completely processed it,” said Hall, following his victory. “It was a great atmosphere and great competition…I wouldn’t trade the guys I did this with for anything.”
Behind on the scorecard by a single point in the last minute of the match, Hall would come up with a takedown with just six seconds on the clock to secure the decision victory, 13-11.
“All I could think about was keeping him down, keeping his legs split and not letting him escape,” Hall continued, on his winning sequence. “I felt like I could take him down whenever I needed to. I got a reversal on him there, he let me go and I just got right to it. Thank God, it worked out in my favor.”
“Ben was a second away from reaching the final last year, so for him to come back and win it all is incredible, knowing the work he’s put in and the commitment he’s made,” said Tilghman head coach Seth Livingston. “To overcome all the adversity and win a state title, that sets such a great example. We’re so proud of and excited for him.”
Two other Tornado would finish as runners-up in their respective brackets, as freshman Rage Henderson and sophomore Jaylin Bellamy each reached their respective championship matches.
In the 215 pound bracket, Henderson would take eventual champion Brock Sexton to the limit in a close triple overtime bout, with the match being decided in favor of Sexton by ultimate decision, 4-3.
“I put a lot of work in this year, I’m happy to have made it this far, but I want to come back and win it all next year,” said Henderson.
At 144 pounds, Bellamy won two of his four prior matches by fall, before dropping the championship bout to now five-time state champion Jayden Raney.
“Jaylin did great, he beat a kid by technical fall in the semi-final, which is basically a mercy rule. He came up one of the best wrestlers in the entire nation in the final, that just is what it is,” Livingston said, on Tilghman’s pair of runners-up. “Rage, he’s a tremendously hard worker. We know he’s not satisfied with second, and I can’t imagine that happens to him ever again.”
With Henderson and Bellamy leading a strong core of underclassmen coming through the program, coach Livingston believes that the future of Tilghman wrestling will be every bit as bright as the present.
“We had a bunch of young guys reach the podium, but I know none of them are completely happy with that, and we’ve got a great group coming back,” Livingston said, looking forward. “We’re really excited to see what all of them can do, and how they develop going forward. The future’s bright.”
“There were so many seniors that I saw win championships before me, and I know what that did for me,” Hall added. “After I won today, all the guys came over to me today, embraced me and showed me so much love. I know those guys are going to do their thing, they’ve got a bright future ahead, all of them.”
Across the rest of the tournaments, five other Tilghman wrestlers would finish their night on the podium; Elias McPike (5th, 285 lbs), DJ Wilson (3rd, 190), Ethan O’Malley (5th, 165), Joshua Waufle (5th, 126), and Christian Prieto-Bottoms (5th, 106).
“Each one of those guys sets an amazing example for our younger guys,” Livingston concluded. “With our seniors, Christian brought such a high work ethic, Elias is a guy that just lets it fly, and has one of the best attitudes ever. Victory or defeat, the kid’s smiling because he competed hard…DJ’s as good of a competitor as it gets, a guy who’s been competing for titles since he was young. We love those guys a lot, we’re proud of what they’ve done.”