Four high school wrestlers set for Final X

Dana Becker

Four high school wrestlers set for Final X image

While the featured matches at Saturday's Final X spotlights collegiate and post-college wrestlers, there will be a pair of exciting high school bouts taking place.

The event is set for the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main matches will be to determine the 2025 U.S. World Team in both men's freestyle and women's freestyle.

On the high school side, Oumar Tounkara will face off against Cooper Merli with Ana Carolina Mindlin Lockard battling Amillyiona Green in the girls bout.

Tounkara is from the BTSNY Academy program and owns two National High School Coaches Association titles along with being a two-time National Prep All-American. He is set to wrestle for Drexel University in the fall.

His opponent, Merli, is a three-time New York state folkstyle finalist from Newburgh, New York. He will attend New York Military Academy and before moving on to Army West Point.

Mindlin Lockard is a junior who has captured two New York state girls freestyle titles and five New York City championships. She was an NHSCA All-American.

Green is just a sophomore who was second at the Phil Portuese Northeast Regional and was a 2024 Pennsylvania Youth state qualifier. 

Dana Becker

Dana Becker is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He has been a sports writer since 2000, covering high school sports, the Big 12 and more for On SI, The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others.