PATTAYA, Thailand – It was an unfortunately short day for the U.S. men’s freestyle team on Saturday at the Eastern Sports Training Center in Pattaya, Thailand.

Adrian Cordova, Earl Hall, Alex Dieringer and Tanner Hall were all eliminated from medal contention.

Cordova (Colorado Springs, Colo./Coronado H.S.), one of two current high school wrestlers on the men’s freestyle team, competed at 50 kg/110 lbs. Cordova opened his tournament with a 3-1, 7-1 loss to Iran’s Alireza Hatami. Cordova started off with a quick double leg in the first period for a takedown, but after that, it was all Hatami. 

Cordova was eliminated when Russia’s Magomed Magomedaliev beat Hatami in the semifinals.

Earl Hall, wrestling at 60 kg/132 lbs., started off with an exciting three-period win over Chang Su Kim of Korea. Hall won the first period on two pushouts, scoring the last point of the period to win. He dropped the second, then prevailed in the third to pick up a 2-2, 2-2, 1-0 victory. He was knocked out of the championship bracket by Valodya Frangulyan of Armenia 7-0, 8-1.

Hall was eliminated from medal contention when Frangulyan was beaten in two periods by Russia’s Zairbeg Murzarov. 

Dieringer, wrestling at 74 kg/163 lbs., started off with a quick 24-second fall over Thailand’s Paswang Tasapol before falling to 2011 Junior World silver medalist Abdulkadir Ozmen of Turkey.

Dieringer was eliminated when Mongolia’s Nayambayar Baatar pinned Ozmen in the quarterfinals. 

Tanner Hall, wrestling at 96 kg/211 lbs., couldn’t match Dieringer’s time, but did match his outcome, pinning Poland’s Robert Baran in 36 seconds with a high arching gutwrench. Hall would lose a tight match against Magomedgadzhi Nurov 1-0, 0-2, 1-1. While leading 1-0, Hall was sprawling to defend a double leg, then flattened Nurov and started to peel the wrist to try to score a counter takedown, but before he had enough time to finish the move, the official stopped the action and brought the wrestlers to their feet, much to the ire of the American contingent in Pattaya.

Hall was eliminated when Azerbaijan’s Gadzhi Sharipov topped Nurov in the quarterfinals. Hall was the top U.S. finisher on the day, taking ninth. Cordova was 19th, Earl Hall 17th and Dieringer 12th.

The final day of the Junior Worlds kicks off Sunday with the last four U.S. wrestlers receiving their draws on Saturday afternoon.

Joey Dance (Christiansburg, Va./Christiansburg H.S.), Destin McCauley (Burnsville, Minn./Sunkist Kids), Pat Downey (Baltimore, Md./OTC) and Austin Marsden (Crystal Lake, Ill./Cowboy WC) will take to the mats.

Dance, a high school senior looking for his fourth Virginia high school state championship, will wrestle at 55 kg/121 lbs. He’ll face Georgia’s Lasha Talakhasdze in the opening round. 

Talakhasdze was a 2010 Junior World silver medalist at 50 kg, but only placed 12th at the European Juniors at 55 kg. 

The winner will face either Saparmurat Myradov of Turkmenistan or Aleksei Baskakov of Estonia. Myradov was 11th at the European Juniors and was ninth.

McCauley, wrestling at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., will face Uzbekistan’s Muzaffar Rizaev in the opening round. Rizaev was 13th at the European Juniors and was fifth in last year’s Cadet World Championships.

The winner will either face Iran’s Aliasghar Jabali or Turkmenistan’s Batyr Orazgylyjev. Jabali is this year’s Asian Junior champion. 

Orazgylyjev was the silver medalist at the 2010 Cadet World Championships. 

Pat Downey will compete at 84 kg/185 lbs., and draws Evgheni Eremiev of Moldova in the first round. Eremiev was a bronze medalist at this year’s European Juniors and was ninth at last year’s Junior World Championships. The winner will face either Namkhai Batdorj of Mongolia or Hyeok-Beom Gwon of Korea. 

Batdorj was fifth at the Asian Juniors, while Gwon was the bronze medalist at the same event. 

Finally, Marsden will compete at 120 kg/264.5 lbs. The Oklahoma State Cowboy will open up with Abdollah Ghomi Avili of Iran, the 2012 Asian Junior champion. The winner will face either Magomedgadzhi Nurasulov of Russia or Canadian Sunny Dhinsa. Nurasulov was a bronze medalist at last year’s Junior Worlds and has twice won bronze medals at senior-level events this year, taking bronze at the Takhti Cup and a bronze at the Yarygin. 

Dhinsa was 11th at last year’s Junior Worlds, but was a senior-level champion at the Commonwealth Games in 2012.

FILA JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Pattaya, Thailand, September 8
Men’s Freestyle Results

50 kg/110 lbs.
Gold – Magomd Magomedaliev (Russia)
Silver – Ruslan Surkayev (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Pardeep Pardeep (India)
Bronze – Alireza Hatami (Iran)
5th- Muammer Sancak (Turkey)
5th – Gevorg Arzumanyan (Armenia)
7th- Maidar Batchuluun (Mongolia)
8th- Maksym Blyaze (Ukraine)
9th- Octavian Erhan (Romania)
10th – Artisom Kalmykou (Belarus)
19th – Adrian Cordova (United States)

60 kg/132 lbs.
Gold – Benham Ehsanpoor (Iran)
Silver – Zairbeg Muzarov (Russia)
Bronze – Valodya Frangulyan (Armenia)
Bronze – Meirzhan Ashirov (Kazakhstan)
5th- Gor Ogannesyan (Ukraine)
5th – Akmednabi Gvarzatilov (Azerbaijan)
7th- Maxim Perpelita (Moldova)
8th- Barjang Barjang (India)
9th- Boycho Boychev (Bulgaria)
10th – Nick Rowe (Canada)
17th- Earl Hall (United States)

74 kg/163 lbs.
Gold – Zaur Makiev (Russia)
Silver – Ahmed Dudarov (Germany)
Bronze – Jumber Kvelashvili (Georgia)
Bronze – Nyambayar Baatar (Mongolia)
5th- Eljan Usubzada (Azerbaijan)
5th – Grigor Grigoryan (Armenia)
7th- Abdulkair Ozmen (Turkey)
8th- Sergiu Lupu (Moldova)
9th- Deepak Deepak (India)
10th – Remus Uta (Romania)
12th – Alex Dierginer (United States)

96 kg/211 lbs.
Gold – Merhan Mirzaeishafe (Iran)
Silver – Gadzhi Sharipov (Azerbaijan)
Bronze – Ali Beceoglu (Turke)
Bronze – Yermukambt Inkar (Kazakhstan)
5th- Philipp Hutter (Switzerland)
5th – Robin Ferdinand (Germany)
7th- Khuderbulga Dorjkhand (Mongolia)
8th- Magomedgadzhi Nurov (Russia)
9th- Tanner Hall (United States)
10th – Koki Yamamoto (Japan)


U.S. freestyle performances
50 kg/110 lbs – Adrian Cordova, Colorado Springs, Colo. , DNP/16th
LOSS Alireza Hatami (Iran) 3-1, 7-1

60 kg/132 lbs. – Earl Hall, Homestead, Fla., DNP/19th
WIN Chang Su Kim (Korea) 2-2, 2-2, 1-0
LOSS Valodya Frangulyan (Armenia) 7-0, 8-1

74 kg/163 lbs. – Alex Dieringer, Port Washington, Wis., DNP/12th
WIN Paswang Tadsapol (Thailand) Fall :24.
LOSS Abdulkadir Ozmen (Turkey) 5-0, 3-2

96 kg/211 lbs. – Tanner Hall, Meridian, Idaho, DNP/9th
WIN Robert Baran (Poland) Fall :36.
LOSS Magomedgadzhi Nurov (Russia) 1-0, 0-2, 1-1

U.S. Freestyle draws for Sunday
55 kg/121 lbs. - Joey Dance, Christiansburg, Va.
vs. Lasha Talakhasdze (Georgia)

66 kg/145.5 lbs. – Destin McCauley, Burnsville, Minn.
vs. Muzaffar Rizaev (Uzbekistan)

84 kg/185 lbs. – Pat Downey, Baltimore, Md.
vs. Evgheni Eremiev (Moldova)

120 kg/264.5 lbs – Austin Marsden, Crystal Lake, Ill.
vs. Abdollah Ghomi Alili (Iran)