Illinois
2026 IHSA Illinois Wrestling State Finals Schedule And Brackets – FloWrestling
Of all the states in the country, Illinois has a unique format for its postseason high school wrestling action.
The Illinois High School Association Wrestling State Finals will feature three events across two action-packed weekends.
First up, will be the 2026 IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals, being held Feb. 19-21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The venue is home to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign basketball and countless other events throughout the year.
The following week (Feb. 27-28), the boys will be back on the mats for the 2026 IHSA Dual Team State Finals, and they’ll be joined at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Illinois, by the top female wrestlers in the state for the 2026 IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals.
Though these tournaments won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling or the FloSports app, each match will appear in the FloWrestling archives minutes after concluding.
While giving each field of competitors the chance to shine, the three events also have very different histories.
The first individual state meet for boys took place in 1937. The dual event was held for the first time in 1984. Only just recently, in 2022, did the girls get their first opportunity to compete for state titles.
From 1937-1973, there was one classification, and there were two (A, AA) from 1974-2008. Since 2009, the boys side of things, including the dual tournaments, have featured three classifications – 1A (under 600 enrollment), 2A (601-1,200) and 3A (more than 1,200).
So far, the girls have been limited to a single classification.
To reach the state finals, student-athletes in Illinois must run a gauntlet of competition.
For the boys, the postseason journey began with one-day regional events across 16 locations on Jan. 31. The first-, second and third-place finishers from each regional advanced to the sectional round.
The two-day sectional tournaments, held at four locations, are scheduled for Feb. 13-14.
Once again, the first-, second- and third-place finishers will advance and get the chance to wrestle at the state finals in Champaign.
The girls schedule is similar, with regional meets taking place Feb. 6 or Feb. 7, and sectionals set for Feb. 13-14.
Three top performers from the regional meets advance to sectionals, and the top four finishers at sectionals, in each weight class, advance to the state finals in Bloomington.
As the individual drama unfolds for the boys in February, teams also must focus on the Dual Team Tournament Series.
The Feb. 5 sectional qualifiers were held at the home of the teams that scored the most points at the individual regionals, and each included four teams, or semifinalists. The two semifinal winners from each sectional meet qualified for the state event.
In all, 24 teams now will compete at the Dual Team State Finals (eight per classification).
Whew, that’s a lot of information!
The important thing to remember is that the best of the best from the state of Illinois will get to battle for state titles this month, and every single match will live forever in the FloWrestling archives!
As you get settled in for the new championship season, here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals, including links to the brackets.
What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Illinois?
In Pounds
- Boys: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, 285
- Girls: 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 155, 170, 190, 235
2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals Brackets
Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals:
How To Watch The 2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals
Coverage of the 2026 IHSA Boys Individual Wrestling State Finals, being held Feb. 19-21 in Champaign, Illinois, and the 2026 IHSA Dual Team State Finals/2026 IHSA Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals in Bloomington, Illinois, the following weekend, won’t be broadcast live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, but the matches will be available in the FloWrestling archives minutes after they conclude.
News, notes, stats and more will be available on both platforms.
If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, check this page for spectator and ticket information for the boys finals and this page to purchase tickets for the dual/girls finals.
2026 IHSA (IL) State Championships – ARCHIVE ONLY
2026 IHSA Wrestling State Finals Schedule
Here’s a look at when everything is going down in Illinois:
All Times Central
Thursday, Feb. 19
Session 1
- 8-9 a.m. – Packet pickup in lobby of East Main entrance
- 9 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins and skin checks
- 9:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins and skin checks
- 9:45-10 a.m. – Coaches meeting
- 10 a.m. – Table workers meeting
- 10:15 a.m. – Official meeting
- 10:15 a.m. (approx.) – Open mats
- 10:45 a.m. – Close mats
- 11 a.m. – Class 1A Preliminaries
- 1 p.m. (approx.) – Class 2A Preliminaries
- 3:15 p.m. (approx.) – Class 3A Preliminaries
- 5:30 p.m. (approx.) – Class 1A, 2A, 3A Winner’s Bracket Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 20
Session 2
- 6:30 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins
- 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
- 8 a.m. – Doors open to the public
- 9 a.m. – Round 1 Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
- 1 p.m. (approx.) – Round 2 Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
- 4:30 p.m. – Clear State Farm Center
Session 3
- 6 p.m. – Doors open to the public
- 7 p.m. – Championship Semifinals (1A, 2A, 3A)
Saturday, Feb. 21
Session 4
- 6:30 a.m. – Doors open for weigh-ins
- 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
- 8 a.m. – Doors open to the public
- 9 a.m. – Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
- 11 a.m. – Semifinal Wrestlebacks (1A, 2A, 3A)
- 1 p.m. – Third-, Fourth-, Fifth-, Sixth-Place Matches (1A, 2A, 3A)
- 3:30 p.m. – Clear State Farm Center
Session 5
- 4:30 p.m. – Doors open to the public
- 5 p.m. – Grand March line-up
- 5:30 p.m. – Grand March
- 6 p.m. – Championship Matches (1A, 2A, 3A) (three mats)
Friday, Feb. 27
Girls Individual Tournament (Six Mats)
- 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins
- 8:15 a.m. – Coaches meeting
- 9 a.m. – Round 1
- 11 a.m. – Quarterfinals and Round 1 Wrestlebacks
- 1:30 p.m. – Round 2 Wrestlebacks
Dual Team Tournament (Six Mats)
- 3:30 p.m. – Weigh-ins
- 4:15 p.m. – Coaches meeting
- 5 p.m. – Top Bracket Quarterfinals
- 7 p.m. – Bottom Bracket Quarterfinals
Saturday, Feb. 28
- 7:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins for all wrestlers
Girls Individual Tournament (Three Mats)
- 9 a.m. – Championship Semifinals & Round 3 Wrestlebacks
- 11:30 a.m. – Consolation Semifinals
- 12:15 p.m. – Placement Matches
- 1:45 p.m. – Grand March
- 2 p.m. – Championship Matches (one mat)
Dual Team Tournament (Three Mats)
- 9 a.m. – Top Bracket Semifinals
- 11 a.m. – Bottom Bracket Semifinals
- 6 p.m. – Championship & Third-Place Duals (three mats)
2026 IHSA (IL) Dual Sate | Girls State Championships
What Teams Won At The 2025 IHSA Wrestling State Finals?
Here are the 2025 team state champions in Illinois:
Boys
- Class 1A – Coal City
- Class 2A – Elmhurst (IC Catholic)
- Class 3A – Aurora (Marmion Academy)
- Duals – Aurora (Marmion Academy) def. Rockton (Hononegah), 42-31
*Illinois only crowns individual champions in girls wrestling.
Read more: 2025 IHSA Illinois Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets | 2025 IHSA Girls Individual State Finals
Did You Know: There Are Layers To The History Of Illinois HS Wrestling
The three segments of high school wrestling in Illinois – boys, boys duals and girls – began wrestling for state titles in 1937, 1984 and 2022, respectively.
In the long history of boys high school wrestling in Illinois, only 16 boys have won four individual state titles. The latest was Seth Mendoza of Chicago Mt. Carmel, who won titles from 2022-2025 at 106, 113, 126 and 138 pounds.
For the girls, one athlete has won a state championship each year. Angelina Cassioppi from Rockton (Hononegah) won her first title in 2022 at 100 pounds and followed that with three victories at 120 pounds.
The pool of 14 winners at the 2025 Girls Individual Wrestling State Finals featured seven undefeated champions (five were repeat winners) and three others who only lost once all season.
Seven of the winners were the first girls wrestling champions for their schools. Five participants, including Cassioppi, became four-time medalists
2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings
Top 20 as of Jan. 12, 2026
Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?
Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.
You’ve Never Seen A High School Wrestling Dual Like This | Episode 2
Bo Bassett, Jax Forrest, Melvin Miller and Jude Correa are all ranked No. 1 in the country. What happens when you throw them all into one dual?
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This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.
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Illinois
PPP Loan Scandal Busts Joliet Woman Working For Illinois Department Of Corrections: AG Kwame Raoul Reveals
JOLIET, IL —Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a press release on Monday is alleging a Will County woman fraudulently received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for more than $20,000 while employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The Attorney General’s office charged Jamilah Franklin, 48, of Joliet, with one count of loan fraud of more than $10,000, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; and three counts of forgery, Class 3 felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court. Franklin’s first court appearance is June 18.
“Federal assistance programs served as a lifeline for small businesses and unemployed Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is unacceptable that government employees would abuse that vital support,” Raoul said. “I will continue to collaborate with other agencies to hold public workers accountable for abusing these programs.”
Attorney General Raoul’s office alleges Franklin was employed by the DOC as a lieutenant when she fraudulently applied for a PPP loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration by falsely claiming she owned a business. According to Raoul’s office, Franklin received $20,516 in 2021 as a result.
The Attorney General’s office is prosecuting this case based on a referral by the Office of Executive Inspector General and following an investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Internal Investigation.
“The Illinois State Police pursues any state employee committing criminal behavior and will continue to work with Attorney General Raoul’s office to hold employees accountable and ensure justice,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly.
Raoul’s office has prosecuted dozens of individuals for PPP loan fraud and referred other investigations to the appropriate state’s attorneys for further evaluation.
Deputy Chief Jonas Harger is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Public Integrity Bureau.
Illinois
Thousands of birds could migrate over the Chicago area this week, and here’s how to protect them
Thousands upon thousands of birds are expected to cross over Illinois as part of their spring migrations in coming days.
Thursday night saw the highest migration totals of the season so far, but researchers at Cornell believe that Sunday and Monday nights could see even more avian traffic in the skies over the Chicago area, with hundreds of thousands of birds expected to traverse the area.
According to estimates from Birdcast, Sunday night and into Monday morning there could be “medium” activity for migrating birds, with thousands of birds per kilometer flying over the area.
Even more birds are expected to take flight Monday night and into Tuesday morning thanks to favorable weather conditions, with a “high” number of birds expected to take to the skies over the Chicago area.
According to estimates, up to 383 million birds could be in flight over the central United States during the peak of the migration overnight.
On Thursday night the Chicago area experienced its busiest night of the spring migration season so far, with more than 367,000 birds having been estimated to have passed over Cook County alone.
In all, more than 23,000,000 birds are believed to have crossed the state of Illinois so far during the spring migration.
Among the primary birds expected to be flying through the area are American Redstarts, Magnolia Warblers, Baltimore Orioles and Indigo Buntings, according to researchers at the CornellLab.
As millions of birds continue visiting the Chicago area, here are some steps that residents can take to keep them safe.
When do birds typically migrate?
Peak migration for birds over the state of Illinois occurs in mid-to-late May, with hundreds of different species heading north for the summer breeding season.
Those migration flights for songbirds and other species typically take place in the overnight hours. According to experts, birds typically take flight 30-to-45 minutes after sunset, with the greatest number of birds in flight typically seen approximately two-to-three hours later.
When should residents turn lights off?
One of the best ways to help protect birds is to turn off lights during peak migration times.
According to Birdcast, the best time to turn off or dim exterior lights and interior lights is between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most birds are active.
Bright lights can disorient and attract birds, making them vulnerable to collisions and to predators on the ground, according to the website.
Hundreds of millions of birds are killed each year in collisions with buildings, and residents and businesses are being asked to do their part to keep the creatures safe.
In addition to turning off unneeded exterior lights, residents and businesses are also asked to dim or turn off lights in lobbies, and to draw blinds to help keep light from escaping through windows.
Finally, exterior lights should be aimed downward and be well-shielded so that birds aren’t attracted to them.
Are there other steps?
Another key step in protecting birds is to bring pet cats inside during overnight hours.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, cats kill an estimated 2.4 billion birds in the United States every year, and during migration season those impacts can be even more devastating, as exhausted birds typically seek refuge in plants and trees to rest on their journeys, making them vulnerable to attack.
Since cats like to hunt at night, active migrating birds can be a target, leading to experts asking residents to keep animals inside when possible.
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