The State Champ Playlist: What songs do Iowa's best high school wrestlers listen to before matches?
For the fourth consecutive year, we are proud to present what's now become an annual feature during the week of the boys state wrestling tournament — the state champions playlist.
The pre-match routine for many wrestlers involves finding a supreme level of focus, and many of them — especially those at Wells Fargo Arena for the 2023 boys state wrestling championships — opt for music to either find a sense of calm or pump themselves up before a match.
Like we have each of the previous three years, we asked each of the returning state champs — there were 18 champs from the 2022 state tournament back again this year — what songs they listen to before they compete. A variety of answers came back: Metallica, Katy Perry, Moneybagg Yo, Elton John, Lil Baby, Yoke Lore and many, many more.
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This year's choices — compiled into a list here for you; call it the "2022 State Champs Playlist" — included one song that was chosen by two different wrestlers and a couple of artists that had two separate songs picked.
There's a Spotify playlist at the bottom if you'd like to listen to the same music champions do.
Ben Kueter, sr., Iowa City High — "We Will Rock You," Queen
Eli Becerra, jr., Missouri Valley — "Said Sum," Moneybagg Yo
Ryder Block, sr., Waverly-Shell Rock — "Scream and Shout," will.i.am and Britney Spears
Koufax Christensen, jr., Waukee Northwest — "Enter Sandman," Metallica
Nick Fox, sr., Osage — "Firework," Katy Perry
Carter Freeman, jr., Waukee Northwest — "Yes Indeed," Lil Baby and Drake
McCrae Hagarty, sr., Waverly-Shell Rock — "Coming for You," SwitchOTR (feat. AJ X J1)
Jace Hedeman, soph., Union — "Coming Home," Diddy (feat. Dirty Money, Skylar Grey)
TJ Koester, soph., Bettendorf — "We Are The Champions," Queen
Max Magayna, jr., Columbus Catholic — "I’m Still Standing," Elton John
Barrett Muller, sr., Osage — "STAR WALKIN'," Lil Nas X
Tate Naaktgeboren, sr., Linn-Mar — "In Da Club," 50 Cent
Brandon Paez, sr., Lisbon — "Miss Jackson," Outkast or "September," Earth, Wind & Fire
Kale Petersen, sr., Greene County — "Swish," Tyga
Gable Porter, sr., Underwood — "In Da Club," 50 Cent
Wyatt Reisz, sr., Logan-Magnolia — "Beige," Yoke Lore
Jared Thiry, sr., Don Bosco — "Freestyle," Lil Baby
CJ Walrath, sr., Notre Dame, Burlington — "All of the Lights," Kanye West
Past Playlists
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The 2023 Iowa high school state wrestling champs music playlist
