—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla DRU AYALA OF FORT DODGE works his way to victory during a match last season. Ayala was a state runner-up as a sophomore.

BOONE — Postseason wrestling will have a new look this year around the state.

Changes have been approved by the Iowa High School Athletic Association beginning with the 2022-23 season, with the highlights being the elimination of sectional tournaments for Class 2A and 1A, along with movement of the team state duals tournament.

Regional duals in all three classes with three teams at each site will be held on Tuesday, January 31. Winners advance to the state dual tournament, to be held Saturday, Feb. 4 in Coralville at the Xtreme Arena.

Pairings will be decided by the IWCOA Dual Team Rankings, which will rank the Top-24 in each class.

Individual district tournaments will be held Saturday, Feb. 11.

In 1A, approximately 10 teams of 12 districts will be at each tournament with the Top-2 finishers qualifying for state. The 2A meets will feature eight teams of 12 districts and the Top-2 also qualify for the state tournament.

For 3A, there will be eight sites with eight teams involved, and the Top-3 finishers advancing to state.

Wrestlebacks for true second-place will be held in all three classes.

The state tournament will be held in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena from Wednesday, Feb. 15 through Saturday, Feb. 18.

At state, there will be 24 individual qualifiers per weight class, with the Top-8 seeds advancing to the round of 16 automatically.

There will be no changes in the weight classes with the new NFHS weight classes taking effect in the 2023-24 season.