How to watch the 2018 Iowa high school state wrestling tournament
John NaughtonClear the mats again. The hottest ticket in Des Moines this week is the state wrestling meet.
The traditional tournament's Saturday night finals at Wells Fargo Arena are expected to be sold out for the 31st consecutive year.
The average total attendance over the past decade has been 74,000, according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
Want a seat? Or would you rather watch it on your TV or computer? Here's how:
FOLLOW LIVE:Get updates from Saturday's championship round
Tickets: Wells Fargo Arena ticket office, southwest corner of arena; Hy-VeeTix.com
TV/stream: For semifinals, finals (Friday, Saturday): NBC Sports Chicago. Visit NBCSportsChicago.com's channel finder for your options. DIRECTV (channels 665, 665-1) and DISH (channel 429) subscribers should check local listings.
Live telecast of the championships via NBCSportsChicago.com and the NBC Sports app. Visit IHSNN.com to access the live stream, too.
Saturday's championships are available through NBC Sports Chicago's NBC Sports Chicago+ station; the Chicago Blackhawks' hockey match is appearing on the main channel.
NBC Sports Chicago is available through streaming services, including DIRECTV NOW, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling TV, CenturyLink Stream, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV and Skitter TV.
Trackwrestling.com offers streaming packages; check website for details. Finals will be available Feb. 20. Thursday's matches are available for $10.95.
Hourly audio updates are available from IHSSN.com.
Follow complete coverage of the 2018 state tournament at DesMoinesRegister.com/HSInsider. And don't forget to take advantage of the Register's handy mobile-friendly brackets. Find the schedule, matchups and live updates on your computer and phone.
On Twitter: Follow @DMRsports and the Register's wrestling reporter Cody Goodwin @codygoodwin throughout the week. Matt Bain @MatthewBain_ Thursday; John Naughton @JohnNaughton Friday night; and Dargan Southard @Dargan_Southard Saturday.
More state wrestling coverage:
- Team rankings, returning champs, undefeated wrestlers and cool names
- The Register's list of the 50 best Iowa high school wrestlers of all time
- Son of slain Des Moines officer carries the memory of his father on, off the mat
- Dubuque Wahlert's Josh Ramirez is going for his fourth wrestling state title this week. His other three came in Louisiana.
- Where to eat in downtown Des Moines
- The essential pizza restaurants of Des Moines
Schedule
Thursday: 9 a.m. to noon — Class 2A first round, first round consolation matches
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. — Class 3A first round, first round consolation matches
6 to 9 p.m. — Class 1A first round, first round consolation matches
Friday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. — Class 2A and 3A quarterfinals, 2A, 3A second round consolation matches
2:30 to 5:45 p.m. — Class 1A quarterfinals, 2A semifinals and third round consolation matches, 1A second round consolation matches
7:30 to 8:40 p.m. — Class 3A semifinals, third round consolation matches
8:45 to 10 p.m. — Class 1A semifinals, third round consolation matches
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. — All classes (2A, 3A, 1A) consolation semifinal matches and finals
5:45 p.m. — Awards
6 p.m. — Grand march, finals
