High School

How to Watch CIF California State Wrestling Championships from Bakersfield

Nearly 1,000 competitors from up and down 760-mile state partake in the CIF's biggest single sporting event

Mitch Stephens

A wide view inside Mechanic's Bank Arena in Bakersfield Thursday morning just before the action is getting going.
A wide view inside Mechanic's Bank Arena in Bakersfield Thursday morning just before the action is getting going. / Photo: David Dennis

For three days, high school wrestling fans converge in Bakersfield to watch arguably the California Interscholastic Federation's biggest event.

The CIF's California State Wrestling Championships feature nearly 1,000 competitors between boys and girls tournaments and highlights the skills and strengths of athletes up-and-down the nation's most populous state, a 760-mile strip from the Mexican border all the way to the tip of Oregon.

CIF Director Ron Nocetti called the three-day extravaganza at Mechanic's Bank Arena probably the biggest single event his organization puts on, crediting the "community support" of Bakersfield first and foremost.

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"The staying power of this community and its dedication to the event is really remarkable," he said.

So are the competitiors, many who are ranked nationally, a total of 51 boys among top 30 nationally in their weight class. Those ranked No. 1 in the country are Esperanza freshman Samuel Sanchez (106 pounds) and Gilroy senior Daniel Zepeda (150).

If you can't it to Bakersfield, don't worry.

You can't watch all the action on the NFHS Network.

How to Watch CIF 2025 California State Wrestling Championships

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-- Mitch Stephens | mitch@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports

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Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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