Tim Hands of 5 Point Move brings us anonymized scouting reports on our Final X: Lincoln Greco-Roman participants. 

The five remaining bouts as part of 2019’s  Final X Series are just as compelling as the first go-round in New Jersey last weekend -- if not more so, depending on your level of fandom and/or rooting interest(s). 

Watch Final X: Lincoln Live on Flo

Sat. June 15 | 12PM & 6PM CT

At Final X: Rutgers, there were two athletes who became first-time Senior World Team members -- Max Nowry (55 kg, Army/WCAP) and John Stefanowicz (82 kg, Marines). In Lincoln, there is the possibility for even more, as all five matchups feature wrestlers who have yet to appear in a Senior World event, and there are two pairings where that is the case for both athletes. It’s wild times in Greco-land, with young talent constantly increasing its presence just ahead of the Olympic Year. 

But how will these bouts unfold? Which wrestlers will have the upper hand their respective series?

That’s why we’re back with Anonymous Scout, to get a sense of what guys inside the practice rooms have to say about all of it. Just like last time, the nameless commentators are all current athletes who have populated these weight classes and have experience either competing against or training with those who will be taking the mat on Saturday. We won’t reveal who the scouts are, but if they should choose to do so on their own, that’s their call. 

Enjoy!

FINAL X: LINCOLN 

60 kg: Mike Fuenffinger (Army/WCAP) vs. Ildar Hafizov (Army/WCAP)

Scout 1: “They’re both tough and quick. One thing though, Ildar is miles ahead of Mike when it comes to technique. Mike is coming up, but he just doesn’t have the same technical ability, so he tries to make up for it in other ways. He can get behind you, I’ve seen him do that. You can’t count him out, plus he has beaten Ildar before and he knows that. My take is that they are equally explosive with the main difference being that Ildar can end a match really fast. If he locks his side lift and gets you up, you’re done, because a lot of times it comes off the gutwrench. He guts, and then instead of gutting again, steps to lift. That’s six points right there. But I don’t see their bouts being high-scoring. I kind of wonder who will feel the pressure more. Whoever is more relaxed could win the first match, and then they will be even more relaxed for the second.”

Scout 2: “Ildar has been in an Olympics (2008 for Uzbekistan) and to the World Championships a few times and he just has so much experience in big matches that Fuenffinger doesn’t. I would say that Fuenffinger can scramble and create scores off of attacks but Ildar has a great two-on-one and can use that to get bodylocks and lifts, as well as takedowns. From par terre, Ildar has a great gutwrench that is sneaky, but he can also lift. Fuenffinger is good from par terre, too, but the question is if he can defend.”

Coach: “Ildar isn’t a young guy anymore and there have been some injuries that have affected him a little bit. I know he has looked good this year, so if he is healthy, he is going to be very tough to beat. I do like Fuenffinger’s competitiveness. He just has to time it better on bottom. He is probably used to how Ildar’s lock feels and when to cheat to the side. Who will be more tired when the second period passive comes? Who will need that score? You have to be willing to tough out those moments and ignore the arena and what the scoreboard says, and just wrestle. We’ve seen Ildar be in that situation more than Fuenffinger. I’m not saying that’s an automatic win for him, but understanding who you are and what needs to be done at those moments in a match are huge, especially in a Trials.”

63 kg: Ryan Mango (Army/WCAP) vs. Xavier Johnson (Marines)

Scout 1: “I’ve got to go with Ryan here because they are both kind of similar and good at the same things, but it’s like Ryan is better at those things right now. You know what I mean? Xavier is a beast, so don’t get me wrong. He’s going to score, it’s not like this is going to be a shutout. But Ryan is sneaky and really powerful. He can jump to the side or duck and bomb you from a stand-still. I don’t think Xavier is going to be able to get inside on him on the feet unless he counters into a scramble. He’s going to have to work Ryan in the pummel and watch out for the high dive. Par terre is just about even. Xavier is tall, Ryan sometimes has trouble clearing the legs for lifts but he can do it. They’re going to put points up. The fans want to see two great wrestlers throw down and that’s what these two guys do.”

Scout 2: “I feel like Ryan has the edge because of his experience. He has been here before and knows what the stage is all about. I think he will get to his positions and make Xavier do some of the work for him without Xavier knowing it. What I mean by that is he’s good at setting up guys to step when he creates an angle off of his tie-ups. When he does that, he’s usually in position to throw or get a takedown. Ryan is like his brother in that way. From par terre, Xavier has that lift. It’s not very technical but he is so strong, he just strains to get you up and then it’s like ‘Okay, now I’m going to drop you as hard as I can’. That’s not a good feeling. I like both guys, they are both solid dudes and great for the sport. I’m not 100% sure who is going to win but I’m leaning towards Ryan because he has more ways to win. I think.”

Coach: “You have to give a lot of credit to Xavier and those Marines for how much they keep improving. They are doing it the right way and now they have a bunch of guys in the hunt for World Team spots. Ryan is probably the best athlete in the program out of the light weight classes. The things you see him do, you just sit there and watch and your jaw drops. Xavier is that kind of athlete, too, and you’ve got to love his straddle lift. I’m excited. These are wrestlers who will put on a show one way or the other. They could go three and make all three matches look entirely different.”

72 kg: Ray Bunker (Marines) vs. Alex Mossing (Air Force RTC)

Scout 3: “Bunker is going to try to bring pressure and drive forward in the pummel. That’s what he is going to do because his offense is limited. If I were in Mossing’s shoes, I would set up back-steps and look for arm spins if I can’t get an underhook. Bunker is stronger and will push and push, and will try to wear Mossing out any way he can. Mossing shouldn’t try to brawl too much. He should just fight for the positions he can score from, and if Bunker is blocking and pushing, meet his pace enough and hope for par terre. Neither guy is elite in par terre so it’s tough to tell who would have the advantage there. In my opinion, Mossing has more options to score than Bunker does, but Bunker is so tough to score on that it might not matter.”

Scout 2: “I don’t think people really took Bunker seriously for a while until he beat RaVaughn (Perkins) at Nationals. I think guys took him lightly if they hadn’t wrestled him yet and then they learned how hard he goes. His matches aren’t pretty but he gets the job done. Alex is a good scorer and is also underrated. He likes to throw, he likes the bodylock. It’s so damn hard to get in on Bunker, though. If Alex can go from a two-on-one to a bodylock, he can get correct throws or look busy enough to avoid passives. Bunker is okay from par terre with his reverse lift. If he can get that, he’ll score, but I bet Mossing has been preparing for it. They’re going to battle, that’s for sure. Mossing can tech Bunker, and Bunker can’t tech Mossing. But Bunker can control the pace where I don’t think Alex will be able to do that. It’s pretty up in the air who is going to win two matches.”

Coach: “They are both throwback wrestlers but their ways of doing it are a little different. Bunker is a straight-ahead pressure guy, while Mossing looks like he could have wrestled in any era because he is always trying to get to the body and attack. Mossing was also on the U23 Team, not that that’s the same thing as this. But he knows what it’s like to compete in a best-of-three series. Bunker’s positioning is a little better. He stays in very good position and keeps his center, which allows him to feel confident pressuring and pummeling guys and getting heavy on the head. I’m not going to pick a winner, but I do veer more towards positioning in big matches since everything is a little tighter and nerves play a factor.”

97 kg: G’Angelo Hancock (Sunkist, world no. 3) vs. Lucas Sheridan (Army/WCAP)

Scout 4: “If Tracy (Hancock) gets to his two-on-one and reaches around the back, he is going to score big. Luke hasn’t defended Tracy’s gutwrench and Tracy has been working a lot on it overseas. Luke has a great headlock but it’s hard to get that on Tracy because he’s taller and stays in position. That’s what happened at Nationals. Maybe if he can try a few, have them called for slips, and get a passive point he will have a chance from top. But this is a tough matchup. I give respect to Luke for making it this far and for winning the Trials (Challenge Tournament), but he hasn’t wrestled close to Tracy yet, and Tracy is winning against studs overseas.” 

Scout 5: “I would tell Sheridan to brawl him and just pour on the pressure. Tracy is not comfortable when he’s backing up, he is not fast with a counter throw or double overhooks the same way Kamal (Bey) is. Tracy doesn’t counter much on his feet, but he hasn’t really had to here (in the US). Par terre is where it’s rough for Sheridan. There is going to be a par terre chance for Tracy in each match and he can put Sheridan away -- and already has before.”

Coach: “For Hancock to win, he needs to expect the unexpected. When you beat a guy numerous times during the year and then there is a break before the next time, you have to know that you’ve been game-planned for. Hancock doesn’t need to change what he does, because what he does works for him. He’s going to pummel to underhooks, look for drags, and try to get to his bodylock. He’s not the one who needs to change, Sheridan is. So right there, what has Sheridan done since they last competed against each other? What I do know is that Sheridan can’t hang out in the pummel too long. He’s going to have to create space and try to get Hancock to lean into him, and use counter-pressure to hopefully set up a score from the feet, like his headlock. Sheridan also needs to push the pace hard on Tracy and not let him get comfortable in a rhythm. It’s going to be tough to do, though.”

130 kg: Adam Coon (NYAC/Cliff Keen, world no. 2) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist)

Scout 5: “I think Colhlton can win. I am not sure if a lot of people are on board with that, but he can. If he can beat Robby (Smith), he can beat Adam. Cohlton has to not get sucked into the over/under and try to out-throw Adam from there. What he should do is angle to the side and try to come out the back, but he can’t bail. If Adam can’t throw Cohlton, he can push him around and score step-outs. Par terre is even here. Adam has much longer arms so he’ll be able to get his lock fairly easy, but I don’t think he turns Cohlton and plus he has to be careful because Cohlton is really good at stepping over. I do not think Cohlton will turn Adam. To me, they are closely matched. If Adam wins, it’s not a surprise. If Cohlton wins, it is a surprise. He has a lot less to lose and doesn’t have the same pressure, which is why I like his chances.”

Scout 5: “I don’t know, man. Coon is such a gamer. He is not a great pummeler but he doesn’t have to be. He makes you carry his weight and he’s so strong when he’s coming forward, so when you try to pummel back in and get to your underhook -- even if you get to your underhook -- he can wrap you right up. On top of that, he has snaps and can pull you down. Cohlton is high level. For sure. He might be able to kind of angle off of Coon and get to some tie-ups off the wrists and take two-on-one’s. But if there are going to be takedowns, they will come from Coon, and I think that is ultimately how their matches could be decided. 

Coach: “The one thing Adam does is stay resolved. And what I mean by that is he sticks to what he does well, and if he has to make a slight adjustment, he can do that. Do I think that Cohlton has a shot? I do, I really do. I know he is young, but he’s got a tremendous amount of experience, has wrestled overseas a ton. It’s funny saying that, because Coon is a Senior World finalist. Does the environment play a role? I wouldn’t think that it does. Coon has had a whole lot of big matches between college and now Senior Greco, and Schultz is mature for his age, so I don’t see him being blown away by the crowd or something like that. Hopefully, they slug it out and have some great matches. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all close and this goes the distance.”