Norwalk senior Tyler Harper won the boys state wrestling championship in Class 3A for the 113-pound weight class at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Last year, Maddux Borcherding-Johnson won the heavyweight state championship, meaning this is Norwalk’s second win at boys state wrestling in a row. 

Harper said winning the state championship was a unique experience.

“It feels pretty cool, it was a cool experience, and really fun,” he said. “The victory felt awesome, all of my teammates and coaches were happy, and I was happy.”

The event took place downtown at Wells Fargo Arena. Harper said he had a crowd there to support him.

“All of my friends were there to support me, and I thought it was really cool,” he said. “I ate some good food after, and had a celebration with my family.”

Harper said winning state this year brought a new challenge compared to last year.

“The kid I was with beat me last year, so I had to come back and beat him, and that was a challenge,” he said. “Going one match at a time, and not overlooking any opponent while having fun in the process.”

Harper said this season was special to him because it is his last year of high school wrestling.

“I liked this wrestling season because I got to be around all of my friends and coaches for one last season,” he said. “It was fun to be a part of it for one more year.”

Harper’s coach, Jacob Brown, said he was proud of Harper for his win.

“I am very happy for him, and relieved,” he said. “He works really hard and deserves this. He’s a very good person.”

Brown said Harper impacted the future of Norwalk wrestling.

“Tyler has discipline and determination,” he said. “Those guys all saw how hard Tyler works every day, and saw the end result of it, so I think he set a standard of what you need to do to win.”