The inaugural Final X Series is finishing with a bang at its third and final stop this Saturday in Bethlehem, PA. The 61kg spot on the world team is up for grabs as Nahshon Garrett takes on Joey Colon.

The last time they wrestled each other Garrett and Colon threw up 33 points. THIRTY-THREE POINTS... in a Senior-level wrestling match!

I couldn't be more stoked for this best-of-three series. Here are a few points for you to keep in mind as these two light up the Snake Pit on the campus of Lehigh. 

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More Gunslingin’

Heading into this past weekend's Final X stop in State College, PA, we mentioned that Logan Stieber is one of the last surviving gunslingers in the U.S. and this week we get to watch another. Nahshon Garrett routinely gets into shootouts that can rack up 30-plus points on the scoreboard. 

Prior to putting 33 points on the board against Colon, Garrett and Seth Gross combined to tally up 31 points. One reason that Garrett is consistently in these high-scoring matches is that his double is so powerful. That can work for and against Garrett. 

When his position is right, his chest is up, and he gets his feet moving behind him, there's a good chance that he is going to score four points on that double. But there are times when he takes the shot from just a little bit too far away or from a less than favorable angle. When that happens, the other guys generally score. Because there is so much power on that double, many times Garrett's opponents can score four by simply changing his direction with a chest wrap or a crotch lock.

Non-Controlled

One thing that makes Colon so dangerous particularly on a freestyle wrestling mat is that he can score from just about every position. More specifically, he can score a bunch without control. 

I'd like to get even more specific, if I may. Colon can hip tip you three or four times and you may not be sure that he’s actually scoring. By the time the sequence is over and you’re heading back to the center circle, you find yourself in a far bigger hole than may have thought. 

Watch Colon take a one-point lead and blow it wide open late in the second when Tony Ramos takes a low double and gets his head caught in the center. 

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Good Luck Officiating This One

The officiating at Final X has been spot on thus far and the officials are going to have to be on top of their game when Garrett and Colon take the mat on Saturday night. I'm convinced there are positions that both Garrett and Colon get into that the only thing that the ref is sure of is that SOMEONE scored. He probably isn’t sure who—and has even less of a clue as to how many points were scored—so he chucks one hand in the air, points a few fingers toward the ceiling, and PRAYS that the judge calls for a conference. 

Now, to be fair to the officiating staff, sequences like the one below are near impossible to get right with one look at full speed. 

My favorite part of this exchange is the little head shake that the ref gives right before he puts his right hand in the air as if to say, “IDK, y’all figure it out.”