Lakeland senior Justin Howell was the only wrestler from a Suffolk school to reach the VHSL Group AAA State Tournament, doing so by placing third in the 215-pound division Saturday at the Eastern Region Tournament at Oscar Smith High School.

Last Friday and Saturday, Howell became the first Lakeland wrestler to win the Southeastern District Tournament in Lakeland’s 14 years in Group AAA.

Howell lost a back-and-forth semifinal match against Cox’s Conor O’Hara. O’Hara and Howell both led in the final 30 seconds of the match before it went to overtime and O’Hara won during the first overtime period. Howell defeated Great Bridge’s Jordan Jones to get into the third-place match where he defeated Hickory’s Darren Hankins.

Nansemond River’s Terrance Hardy, at 160 pounds, and Lakeland’s Alex Sari, at 152 pounds, each came up one victory short of making the state tournament.

The VHSL Group AAA State Tournament is set for Friday and Saturday at James Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax.

Eastern Region Tournament

At Oscar Smith

Quarterfinals

112: Rakeem Manley (B.T. Washington) p. Rasheen Rawlings (King’s Fork) 5:47

119: Ross Benzel (Kellam) d. Chase Rice (Lakeland) 16-4

140: Austin D’Amico (Kellam) p. Matt Krogsund (Nansemond River) 4:40

152: Jeremy Mosley (Kempsville) d. Alex Sari (Lakeland) 5-2, Tanner Ketcherside (Kellam) p. Demetrius Gray (Nansemond River) 4:54

160: Terrance Hardy (Nansemond River) p. Marcus Johnson (Granby) 3:36

215: Justin Howell (Lakeland) p. Braylyn Ashlock (Heritage) 0:48

Third place

215: Howell (L) d. Darren Hankins (Hickory) 7-2

Semifinals

160: Turner Bishop (Kellam) tf. Hardy (NR) 6:00

215: Conor O’Hara (Cox) d. Howell (L) 7-5 OT

Consolation semifinals

152: Tanner Ketcherside (Kellam) d. Sari (L) 10-7

160: Seth Linquist (Landstown) d. Hardy (NR) 9-7

215: Howell (L) d. Jordan Jones (Great Bridge) 3-0