Alright folks, settle in. So, my kid really wanted to see the Iowa High School All State Football game this year. Big deal around here, right? Tickets usually vanish fast. Figured, easy-peasy, just buy them online like everything else these days. Boy, was I wrong at first.
The First Try & The Big Headache
Started simple. Typed something like “buy Iowa All State football tickets” into the search thing. Got a bunch of results popping up, felt hopeful. Clicked on a couple sites that looked promising. One even said ‘Official Partner’ or something fancy. But when I hit the page? Nada. Nothing about the All State game. Just general school event info, maybe links to buy regular season stuff. Total dead end. Felt like hitting a brick wall.
Remembered hearing tickets are sometimes handled through the schools or districts directly. Tried poking around the websites for a couple of the bigger high schools known for sending players to All State. Again, drew a blank. Buried deep, confusing navigation, maybe an old event calendar from last year if I was lucky. Wasted way too much time clicking around.
Finally Hitting Pay Dirt
Started getting frustrated. Almost gave up and thought about just calling someone official, but who even is “official” for this thing? Then, figured maybe I needed better search words. Tried “IHSAA All State Football tickets” specifically. That seemed to be the magic trick.
Scrolled through the new results more carefully this time. Skipped the obvious ads right at the top. Found one site name that kept popping up in forums about Iowa high school sports. Clicked it, held my breath. And there it was! A whole section or page clearly labelled “All State Games” or similar. About time!
The Sign Up & Finding the Seats
This site wanted me to make an account before buying. Standard stuff, name, email, password. Went through that, no biggie. Logged in and found the specific event listing for the All State Football game. Sweet.
Now came picking seats. Presented with a seat map. Wasn’t super fancy, kinda basic looking. You basically had to choose:
- General Admission sections (cheaper, sit wherever in that zone)
- Specific Reserved seats (more bucks, but guaranteed spot)
Picked the Reserved route since I knew we wanted decent sightlines. Clicked on the section that looked okay on the little map graphic. Had to select the actual seat numbers from a list that popped up. Added the tickets to my cart.
Paying Up & Getting Proof
Cart looked good. Hit checkout. Had to enter card details – credit number, expiration, the little security code on the back. Standard checkout stuff. Took a deep breath and hit that ‘Confirm Purchase’ button.
Got nervous for a second, thinking “please don’t mess up now!” System processed for a few spins… then bam! Got a confirmation screen. Said purchase was successful. Big sigh of relief right there.
Checked my email immediately – sure enough, the confirmation email with the order number landed right away. This email is key! It usually tells you if tickets are physical (mailed later) or digital (print-at-home PDF or mobile tickets). Mine were digital downloads.
The Big Takeaways
Man, what a process, more steps than I thought! Here’s the main things I figured out the hard way:
- Search with the exact term “IHSAA All State Football Tickets”. Anything less vague doesn’t cut it.
- Be ready to create an account on the ticket site – seems mandatory.
- Pick your seating carefully (GA vs Reserved). Prices jump for better spots.
- Have your card ready and double-check before confirming that purchase.
- WATCH FOR THAT CONFIRMATION EMAIL! It tells you how you get your actual tickets. No email? Big problem!
Took some digging and patience, but eventually got it done. Saved me a massive hassle trying to track them down locally or dealing with scalpers later. Hope this helps someone else avoid the early headache I went through!