In what has become an eagerly anticipated annual tradition, 336 of the top high school wrestlers from around the state will converge on Atlantic City to spend a weekend competing in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall on March 5-7, 2010.
Tickets for all four sessions will go on sale on Dec. 14 at noon. The event is presented by The Star-Ledger and Resilite Wrestling Mats.
The competition begins at 5 p.m. March 5 for the preliminaries and prequarterfinals.
On March 6 the competition starts at 10 a.m. for the quarterfinals and wrestlebacks I and II. Following the morning session, Boardwalk Hall will clear the facility and reopen its doors at 4 p.m. for the 5 p.m. evening session of the semifinals and wrestlebacks III and IV.
On March 7 competition begins at 10 a.m. for consolations, followed by the finals and awards ceremony at 2 p.m. Doors open one hour prior to each session.
The race for the state championship title begins with the district competition on Feb. 19-20 in each of the 14 weight classes (103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and heavyweight) and is open to all New Jersey high schools who are members of the NJSIAA.
The competition heightens with the eight regional competitions on Feb. 23, 26 and 27.
The season culminates with the state championships in Atlantic City where the top 16 wrestlers in each weight class will vie for a state title.
Tickets may be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, at all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 1-800-736- 1420 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
Single session reserved tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens (62 and older). For groups of 15 or more, or to purchase reserved all-session tickets, order forms can be found on the NJSIAA website at www.njsiaa.org. These reserved combination tickets are $40.
A limited amount of parking is available in the Boardwalk Hall parking garage on a first-come, first-served basis. Convenient, economical parking is located throughout Atlantic City in municipal lots and privately owned garages.
In addition to the two major sponsors, the NJSIAA New Jersey State High School Wrestling Championships receives support from Matguard Corp., Levine Industries, Bob’s Rentals and CSG Sports Coatings.