Promising 2029 and 2030 Paducah (Ky) Prospects On The Rise

<p>The Paducah Tilghman football program had quite the 2024 season on all levels. The Varsity team claimed a 4A Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Championship, the eighth-grade team finished second in Division 2 of the Kentucky Middle School Football Association, the seventh-grade team reached the Region 1 Finals and even the sixth-graders made the KYMSFA State championship. The 2029 and 2030 prospects below, are destined for some big things in the future. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class of 2029</span></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Impacting both sides of the ball as a Quarterback and as a Free Safety, in my eyes [player_tooltip player_id='1645843' first='Avery' last='Gates'] used the 2024 season to establish himself the key to making the Paduch engine run. A very good looking prospect at 5-foot-10 and 150-pounds, Gates kept the pedal down and helped the Tornado reach the KYMSFA 8th Grade Division 2 State Championship. For his work he picked up a Division 2 Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention nod. Additionally this past March, Gates was named the Starting Quarterback for Region 1 in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Most teams have a Swiss Army Knife, or a special Chess Piece type of player, that can be moved around and lined up in various positions--depending on formation. Southward checks that box for Paducah. A long, lean athlete, Southward was one of the most dangerous weapons on the 2024 Blue Tornado squad and scored touchdowns as a Running Back, Wide Receiver and as a Returner during his eighth-grade campaign. Additionally, he has also proven to blanket the opposition as a Defensive Back. Southward is a long-strider and multi-sport athlete that looks to have a tremendously bright future in athletics. He culminated his season with a Division 2 Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention nod and this spring, was selected to play for Region 1 in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another two-way player that had his handprints all over the 2024 season was Wide Receiver/Defensive Back [player_tooltip player_id='1279955' first='Jake' last='Brown']. Brown attended our PRZ Next Middle School Combine in Tennessee last May and got some positive notes from local scouts with boots on the ground. He followed it up with a strong eighth-grade season that saw him end up on the Division 2 Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention. Brown looks like he has grown considerably over the last year and his straight line speed has unquestionably increased. He was a favorite target of Gates--and it was clear to see why. </p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Everything about this young man--from his name, to his on-field skill set, to how he attacks the weight room and everything else is pure power and ruthless aggression. Complete with the full cage facemask and cowboy collar, he looks like a straight up Madden Created Player. This season he played some old school Fullback (which should come as no surprise) and is somewhere between a Middle Linebacker and an Edge player--with the Edge position holding a slight lead in my opinion. Following the regular football season, Henderson went on to win the State Championship at the 210-pound weight class in wrestling and started for Region 1 in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions. To top it off, earlier in April, he also eclipsed the 500-pound deadlift mark.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">When throwing on the Paducah film from the 2024 season, one of the first kids that passed the eye test for me was Lazarevic. A muscled up prospect, he lined up in the backfield on offense and did some nice things, but it was his play at Linebacker that really separated him from the pack based off what I saw. His versatility is something of value, as he can play both Middle or Outside Linebacker at this point. His speed and quickness on blitzes was something of note. His ability to explode through the teeth of the interior Offensive Line was unstoppable at times, making him an obvious choice for a roster spot for Region 1 in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Rounding out the Paducah 2029s that caught my eye, is two-way lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1663861' first='Jacob' last='Pyles']. Pyles was an intricate part of the Blue Tornado presence up front and earned a Division 2 Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention nod for his contributions. Additionally this spring, Pyles was selected to play for Region 1 in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions. On Offensive Line, it quite literally all started with Pyles who was a very dependable Center. Flipping to the other side of the ball, Pyles used a high motor to apply pressure on the opposing offenses by rushing off the edge. He gives up some size to some of the other mammoths in Kentucky, but he's an effort kid that works until his job done on the play. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><span style="text-decoration: underline">Class of 2030</span></h2>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1663974' first='Brady' last='Thomason'] | Offensive Line - One of the better O-Linemen up front for Paducah, Thomason had a strong season as a Left Tackle in 2024. Following the season, he was selected to the Region 1 team in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1278296' first='Brody' last='Shannon'] | Quarterback - The short, stocky Quarterback appears to be the next one in line for the Blue Tornado. Coming off a 2024 season where he helped the seventh-grade season where he helped Paducha to the Region 1 Finals, he was was named to the Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention list.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1663983' first='Caeston' last='Casey'] | Wide Receiver - Casey is a very good looking Wide Receiver prospect, that I expect to have a monster 2025 regular season as an eighth-grader. This past year he was named to the Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention list.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1663991' first='Connor' last='Maxie'] | Wide Receiver - In addition to Casey, Maxie is another dangerous weapon on the outside for Paducah. A great frame, big hands and the ability to out-physical smaller DBs taked with covering him. He was also named to the Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention list.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1664024' first='Jackie' last='Thomas'] | Offensive Line/Defensive Line - Absolutely massive for having another year left of middle school football. The big interior, two-way lineman was selected to play for Region 1 team in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions this past season.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1664004' first='Titan' last='Henderson'] | Linebacker/Running Back - Like older brother Rage, [player_tooltip player_id='1664004' first='Titan' last='Henderson'] is a muscled up kid that uses brute force to have success. Already benching over 200 pounds he was selected to the Region 1 team in the KYMSFA Battle of the Regions and earned a Regional Player of the Year Honorable Mention list nod.</li> </ul>

The Paducah Tilghman football program had quite the 2024 season on all levels. The Varsity team claimed a 4A Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Championship, the eighth-grade team finished second in Division 2 of the Kentucky Middle School Football Association, the seventh-grade team reached the Region 1 Finals and even the sixth-graders made the KYMSFA State championship. The 2029 and 2030 prospects below, are destined for some big things in the future.