Alburnett’s Eaghan Fleshman experienced the death of his father, Michael, in November. He carries a shirt with him that his dad wore to remind him of the lesson he learned from his dad. Fleshman has handled the adversity and is the top-seeded heavyweight in Class 2A state wrestling tournament.
Iowa City West’s Alexander Pierce won a state tournament as a freshman and back-to-back runner-up finishes the last two seasons. He is the No. 2 seed at 126 pounds and will attempt to become a four-time state finalist at the Class 3A state wrestling tournament in Des Moines.
Here are five storylines to follow during the 2026 Iowa High School Athletic Association traditional state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Here is a breakdown, including top qualifiers, synopsis and predictions, of each class at the Iowa High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament Wednesday through Saturday at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
With all eyes in the gym on his mat Saturday afternoon, Miguel scored first in his third-place bout, heading into the final period up 4-1. His opponent added an escape in the third and then went ahead 5-4 with a takedown, before Mendoza got an escape at the last second to tie it and send it to overtime.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament is Wednesday through Saturday at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Action starts with Class 3A Wednesday afternoon and 1A and 2A will begin Thursday.
The brackets have been released and here are the first-round pairings for Gazette area wrestlers in all three classes. The Class 3A state tournament begins Wednesday, while 1A and 2A start Thursday at Casey’s Center in Des Moines.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Aidyn Roman made amends for last year’s finish and avenge some losses along the way. He claimed the 138-pound Class 3A district title Saturday at Iowa City High, returning to state after a year hiatus.
Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Conner Bistricky has made consistent improvement each season. He is ranked ninth and hopes his last postseason will bee his best as boys wrestling districts for all classes are Saturday.
District wrestling team assignments and host sites for all classes. Postseason begins Saturday, February 14, 2026
The Gazette sports writer K.J. Pilcher and Iowa wrestling legend Dick Briggs talk wrestling across Iowa colleges and high schools
Takeaways from the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state wrestling tournament, including its announcement about the inaugural girls’ State Duals next season. Iowa High School Athletic Association State Duals was everything it promised. University of Northern Iowa beats South Dakota State again and Iowa earns split during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont reached its first State Duals final since 2013. The Rockets won a hard-fought battle against No. 1 Decorah, 37-33, for the Class 2A title Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Daily Newsletters