Daton Fix and Brandon Courtney have a little history. 

Last year they met in the finals of the Junior World Team Trials. Now, they will scrap this weekend in Fargo in a special wrestle-off for the 57kg spot on the Junior world team for the second year in a row. 

Last time these two graced the Fargo stage, they both went home with the top spot. The stakes are a bit higher this time around, with the winner getting a spot on the world team. Fix, the returning Junior world gold medalist, was granted the special wrestle-off after dropping the 57kg match to Thomas Gilman at Final X - Lincoln. Courtney won the U.S. Open, allowing him to sit in the finals of the WTT where he then claimed the spot. However, now he’s got to solidify that spot up against Fix this weekend. 

Watch Fargo 2018 LIVE!

Like I said, they met last year in the best-of-three series which was won by Fix. But a lot has changed since then. But what exactly? Since Fix was the winner the last time, let’s take a look at Courtney and how his improvements can help him reverse the outcome this weekend.

Creating Angles

Lots of Courtney’s shots came straight on in their last match. He also shot straight on against other opponents as well. But as we saw against Gavin Teasdale in the U.S. Open semifinals, he’s started to create angles in order to get to guys’ legs. This has worked out very well for Courtney and can change things this time around since Fix keeps his hands low and comes forward stuffing shots with his pressure by closing the gaps of opportunity. 

Watch Courtney defeat Teasdale:

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Patience

Courtney's ability to stay patient goes hand-in-hand with creating angles on his attacks. He seems to be a bit overwhelmed by Fix's pressure, which forced him into firing off shots that looked to be out of desperation. Now, he’s got more of a deliberate style that allows him to create better opportunities because he’s not rushing his shots. Against Teasdale, he was down 4-0 but he stayed the course and was opportunistic instead of sporadically urgent. 

Overall Growth

This can be said for both guys. We all know the difference a year makes, especially when it's spent with the most elite wrestlers and coaches that they have at their disposal at Oklahoma State and Arizona State. We’ve watched them both compete over the last few months and the work is apparent. This is going to be an incredible scrap between a pair of guys we will most likely see lighting up the NCAA stage in the future.

Watch Fix take out Tony Ramos to clinch a berth to Final X:

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