The biggest party the state of Iowa throws every year is the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.
Fans of the State Fair and RAGBRAI might argue differently, but it’s hard to top an event that has sold out its championship round on Saturday night for 35 consecutive years.
This year, the boys state wrestling tournament is bigger than ever — literally, with 24 qualifiers per weight across the three classes. That means the 1,008 best wrestlers in Iowa will compete this week for the right to be crowned a state champion.
Here’s how you can watch and follow the action:
How to get Iowa high school state wrestling tickets
Tickets for each session of the 2023 state wrestling tournament can be purchased online through Wells Fargo Arena.
How to watch, stream and follow the state wrestling championships
The Iowa High School Sports Network will provide free coverage of Friday’s semifinal rounds and Saturday’s championship matches through its livestreaming platforms and cable and network television partners.
We recommend you download the IHSSN app for streaming. You can download it for your computer, Android and iOS devices, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
Friday’s semifinals will be broadcast on IHSSN’s cable network. Saturday night’s finals will be on IHSSN’s broadcast network.
According to the IHSSN, “Channels are accessed by subscribing to a local cable company that provides access to the digital channels or by having a television antenna (attic, wall mount or table top) in your home. Always check your local channel guide for programming information and any program changes.”
FloWrestling will also carry every round of the state wrestling championships, though a subscription is required.
You can also find brackets, live results, mat assignments, bout numbers, stats and more via Trackwrestling.
Live updates, analysis and more wrestling coverage on Twitter and Facebook
The Des Moines Register will be at the Well every day to bring you live updates, analysis, stories, video interviews, photos and so much more. You can download the Register app for easy consumption on iOS | Android. We will have a recap of the state duals tournament Wednesday night and coverage of all three classes each day of the traditional tournament.
On Twitter: Wrestling writer Cody Goodwin (@codygoodwin) will be at the Well every day. Throughout the week, reporters from the Register, Iowa City Press-Citizen and Ames Tribune will offer their own wrestling updates on the Register’s live blog. Follow them, too: Raven Moore (@Raven_XReport), Will Kennedy (@ByWillKennedy), Joe Randleman (@JoeRandleman), Tommy Birch (@TommyBirch) and Dargan Southard (@Dargan_Southard).
Many of the Register’s talented photographers will also be on hand to capture the images of the tournament. Follow them here: Kelsey Kremer (@kelsey_kremer), Joe Cress (@josephwcress) and Zach Boyden-Holmes (@Boydenphoto).
Be sure to also follow the main Des Moines Register sports account (@DMRSports) and the All-Iowa Sports account (@AllIowa), as well as the Register’s main account (@DMRegister).
The Register’s High School Insider Facebook page will share all our wrestling coverage this week, as will the Register’s main Facebook page. And for those of you on Instagram, check out the Des Moines Register’s Instagram page for more photos and insights throughout the tournament.
2023 state wrestling tournament schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 15
- Session 1, 9AM-12:30PM, Class 1A first round, second round
- Session 2, 1:30PM-5PM, Class 2A first round, second round
- Session 3, 6PM-9:30PM, Class 3A first round, second round
Thursday, Feb. 16
- Session 4, 9AM-12:30PM, wrestlebacks, Class 1A quarterfinals + wrestlebacks
- Session 5, 1:30PM-5PM, wrestlebacks, Class 2A quarterfinals + wrestlebacks
- Session 6, 6PM-9:30PM, wrestlebacks, Class 3A quarterfinals + wrestlebacks
Friday, Feb. 17
- Session 7, 9AM-12PM, Class 1A semifinals + bloodround, wrestlebacks
- Session 8, 1:30PM-4:30PM, Class 2A semifinals + bloodround, wrestlebacks
- Session 9, 6PM-9PM, Class 3A semifinals + bloodround, wrestlebacks
Saturday, Feb. 18
- Session 10, 9AM-2:15PM, all classes, wrestleback semifinals + medal matches
- Session 11, 5:15PM, all classes, awards, Grand March, championship finals
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at@codygoodwin.
