Your Postseason Guide

Postseason Tournaments

Postseason tournaments are held on Saturdays from mid-March through late May. There are typically about eight one-day local tournaments, including usually one hosted at DPHS.

Spring tournaments follow Olympic styles: freestyle and Greco-Roman. During the high school season, athletes compete in folkstyle rules. To learn more about the different wrestling styles and scoring systems, visit the Rules of Wrestling page.

For full tournament details, registration steps, and membership information, visit the Off-Season Tournaments page.

CIF Mandatory Break

There is a mandatory two-week CIF dead period at the start of summer.

During this time:

• No practices

• No competitions

This break is required for all CIF programs.

Summer Wrestling Camps

Now is a great time to sign up for summer wrestling camps. They will fill up, so be sure to sign up early. Not all camps are created equal, contact Coach Bernard at mbernard@sbunified.org for a list of coach- approved camps.

Participation in summer training is optional but highly recommended. Wrestlers who stay active during the spring, summer, and attend camps often see a smoother start to preseason and faster skill development.

What’s Next

Once you’ve completed preseason requirements, you’re ready for live competition. Head over to the Off-Season Tournaments page to learn about local tournaments work and how to sign up. 

Introduction to Wrestling

Your guide to joining the team, team culture, health, competitions, and getting involved. Each section links to a dedicated page covering key topics: 

• 1a. Welcome to DPHS Wrestling - Everything you need to know for the high school team, including how to join, required gear, team policies, and schedules.

• 1b. Welcome to Lab Wrestling - Your guide to the club wrestling program, including how to join, required gear, team policies, and schedules.

• 2. Weight & Health – Focuses on weight classes, weight certification, weight allowance, nutrition, hygiene, and keeping athletes safe. 

• 3. Rules of Wrestling – An overview of the basic objective and rules.

• 4. Preseason – Covers the period from mid-August to early November, including practices, optional club sessions, preseason tournaments, and preparation for the season.

• 5. Competition Overview – Explains the different types of wrestling events, including off-season tournaments, in-season tournaments, and dual meets, with guidance on what to expect and how to participate. 

• 6. Off-Season Tournaments – Guides athletes through optional preseason and postseason tournaments, including registration, weigh-ins, transportation, and what to expect on competition day. 

• 7. USA Wrestling – Explains USA Wrestling membership, SafeSport requirements, and step-by-step instructions for compliance needed to participate in off-season tournaments and club practices.

• 8. Competition Day Guide – Provides detailed guidance for the day of a competition (and the night before), covering what to pack, weigh-ins, warm-ups, food and hydration, sportsmanship, match flow, and post-competition steps.

• 9. Varsity vs Junior Varsity – Explains the structure of the DPHS wrestling program, differences between JV and Varsity, the role of wrestle-offs, and how athletes earn their spot on each team. 

• 10. Postseason – Covers the period from early March to mid-June, including freestyle and Greco-Roman practices, strength training, optional tournaments, and continued year-round development after the official season. 

• 11. Summer Training – Covers the period from mid-June to mid-August, including the CIF mandatory break, summer practices, strength and conditioning sessions, opportunities for rising freshmen, and coach-approved summer wrestling camps. 

Upcoming topics: 

• Building Community – Booster Club, communication, volunteering, and fundraising.

• Alumni & History – Program highlights and photo archives.

• Long-Term Development – Off-season opportunities and preventing burnout.

No matter where you are in the season, this is the place to start and the place to come back to.