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?
Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling
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Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.
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.
FloWrestling Archived Footage
Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
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Illinois
Illinois Democrats face backlash after blaming Trump in Chicago cross-burning case | Fox News Video
‘Outnumbered’ reacts to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson blaming President Donald Trump for a cross-burning incident in Grant Park.
Illinois Democratic leaders Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are slammed for weaponizing a Chicago cross burning incident by blaming former President Trump. Despite the suspect, Murlin Lue, admitting his motive was to protest Trump, not racism, Pritzker and Johnson doubled down. Critics, including Illinois GOP State Rep. Chris Miller, accuse them of playing politics and fostering division rather than seeking truth.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – November ballots will feature a repeat of top billing in the race for governor. Illinoisans can once again choose between Governor JB Pritzker or Darren Bailey to lead the Land of Lincoln.
But beside their spots, new names will appear for voters.
The Democratic and Republican candidates for governor picked new running mates for their rematch. With Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton running for U.S. Senate, Pritzker picked Christian Mitchell to join his ticket. On the Republican side, Aaron Del Mar joins Bailey, who previously ran with Stephanie Trussell in 2022.
Mitchell and Del Mar spoke Thursday with WIFR on what inspires them to run, their campaign priorities and ideas to improve the Rockford region.
Backgrounds
Starting with the Democratic ticket, Mitchell joins the race as a former state representative from Chicago as well as a deputy governor with the Pritzker administration.
“Before anything else, I’m Debbie’s son, and I’m James’s grandson,” Mitchell introduced. “They’re the ones who really instilled in me the value of hard work and made sure that I was going to have a very bright future.”
Mitchell sees the role of lieutenant governor as a partner to the state’s executive.
“I’m really lucky to be running with somebody who I respect, and who I think is the best governor in the nation… Governor JB Pritzker,” he said.. “My first thing is going to be supporting his agenda, which right now is all about lowering costs and raising wages.”
On the Republican side, Del Mar hails from suburban Chicago and considers his first priority to be raising his family.
“I wanted nothing to do with politics, did not want to be involved — wanted just to raise my kids and work my job,“ said Del Mar. He described his start in public service as something he ”kind of got pulled into.”
The Republican worked his way from a city council member in Palatine, at 29-years-old, to co-chair of the Illinois GOP. Although he says he “wanted nothing to do with being on” Bailey’s campaign, Del Mar sees strength in unity — offering a Chicago area perspective alongside Bailey’s southern Illinois roots.
“How about everybody in the state of Illinois, regardless of where you come from, has a seat at the table. If you’re from a southeast farming community, or you’re from the city of Chicago, where I grew up, everybody has a stake in the game.”
Priorities
Mitchell points to economic development as his focus for the gubernatorial campaign.
“I see vacancies on State Street in Chicago. I see vacancies on Main Street in Belleville and Alton and in Carbondale,” he recounted. “I want to make sure that we’ve got the kind of amenities and economic development, that kind of affordability, that allow us to make sure that folks want to stay in the towns that they’re born in if they want to.”
The Democratic candidate also eyes long-term planning for the state, including an “Illinois 2050 Plan.”
“How do we have the kind of educational undergirding that means that no matter where you’re from, you have a chance to have one of those jobs, whether it’s in new agriculture technology and new farming techniques or biotech, quantum.”
When asked how to achieve these priorities, Mitchell turned to investing in public education, retaining residents with better wages and improving health care.
“Making sure that we are able to protect our health care system, so that folks aren’t going broke when they get sick, that’s another big way that we can make an impact.”
Del Mar outlined a cost-of-living focus as central to his campaign.
“You wanna succeed, you do the basics really well, and the basics are affordability,” he contended.
The Republican repeatedly highlighted the state’s property taxes — reportedly the highest in the nation — as an issue to tackle. He suggested redirecting Illinois’s budget as one measure to ease the burden on homeowners.
“Number one is fully funding the state’s portion of local taxes, because that will offer people property tax relief.” Del Mar clarified this wouldn’t mean redirecting funds for public education.
“We’re looking at how we fund schools, how we make sure to empower teachers to have the best educational outcomes that we can have here in Illinois, regardless of what your zip code is, regardless of what your parents do for a living or how much money they make,” added Del Mar.
Reflecting on Rockford
Each candidate provided their vision for boosting the Rockford region.
For Mitchell, improvements continue with infrastructure funding, building on the state’s roughly $500 million investment in the area.
“The things that we have already worked on, through the capital plan that I helped lead as deputy governor, that the governor signed and is implementing, are already having benefits that the people of Rockford can see.”
The Democrat also pointed to the Chicago Rockford International Airport as an opportunity.
“Investing in that regional airport where we’ve already helped with a matching grant to get additional funds, that helps build out the economy,” said Mitchell. “There’s so much that’s happening there that it is really good for the economy and bringing more people back to Rockford.”
Del Mar shared his local priority as supporting unionization in the area.
“Union families deserve to be able to have a livable wage, and that’s something that’s important to Darren and I,” said Del Mar. He mentioned pensions were another item that a Republican executive wouldn’t touch for the public and private sector unions.
“I know that area up there has strong union backbone,” described Del Mar. “We want to make sure they know that they’re not going to have a bigger supporter in the governor’s mansion than Darren and I.”
Election Day
When asked for thoughts on their opponent, Mitchell criticized the Bailey campaign as a “repacking” of his 2022 run.
“The only record that they have to run on is extremism,” he exclaimed.
The Republican candidate also reflected on records, pointing to Pritzker’s years in office.
“Why are we underfunding education? Why are property taxes at all-time high? Why are businesses leaving?” asked Del Mar.
Voters can decide on who will lead Illinois November 3. Early voting starts September 24, with applications for voting by mail opening August 5.
Extended Interviews
Copyright 2026 WIFR. All rights reserved.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) – A man from Illinois is facing felony charges after police say he took part in a scheme that convinced a Rochester resident to hand over thousands of dollars in cash and nearly fell for a gold bar handoff.
Rochester phone scam
What we know:
According to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County District Court, police say the victim was contacted by phone and told he was under investigation for a crime. The caller convinced him to deliver $30,000 in cash to a man he met in person on June 17, 2026.
The victim was then pressured to arrange a second delivery — this time, 10 one-ounce gold bars — on June 23, 2026. Detectives worked with the victim to set up a controlled delivery using fake gold bars and a GPS tracker.
Charges state that the plan was for the victim to meet whoever arrived to pick up the package, while officers watched nearby. Surveillance officers saw a white SUV with Illinois plates circling the parking lot at 2711 Commerce Drive NW in Rochester.
The complaint states a man, later identified as Kiranbhai Kanubhai Vasava, got out, met the victim, gave the password and took the package. Officers followed the car as it left the scene. Detectives stop suspects and recover cash
Why you should care:
Police stopped the SUV near Eyota and searched it, finding $50,000 in cash, several cell phones, bank checks with Vasava’s name, and packaging materials similar to those used for the fake gold bars. The package with the GPS tracker and fake gold was missing, but officers later found the GPS device torn apart on the side of the highway.
The second man in the car, Hemendrasinh Pravinsinh Dabhi, told police he got a call from India about a package but claimed he knew nothing about it, saying, “he just drives.” Vasava also denied knowing what was happening.
Kiranbhai Vasava linked to Wisconsin case
The backstory:
The complaint states detectives linked Vasava to another similar case in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where a bank customer was convinced to hand over $50,000 in cash to a driver in a white Honda SUV. Video from that incident showed Vasava receiving the package.
Police say this type of swindle involves convincing victims they are under investigation and must pay money or hand over valuables to clear their name. Detectives say the investigation involved coordination between local police and law enforcement in Wisconsin.
The Source: Criminal charges filed in Olmsted County Court.
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