KETTERING — Of Northmont’s five district qualifiers only Marcos Velasquez placed in the Division I district tournament held Friday and Saturday at Kettering’s Trent Arena.

Velasquez, a junior, battled his way to a sixth place finish in the 175 pound weight class, losing a close 8-7 decision to Jet Sanchez (11) of Moeller in the battle for fifth place.

Only the top four in each weight class qualified for state.

In the opening round of the tournament Velasquez won by a fall (2:45) against Kinxton Hill (10) of Cincinnati Northwest. He then lost by a fall (1:11) to eventual second place finisher Sam Libby (12) of Mason.

In the consolation bracket Velasquez scored an 11-0 major decision over Brayden Kuhling (11) of Elder. He went on to score a 10-9 decision against John Moyer (10) of Centerville.

Velasquez saw his hopes dashed for qualifying for state by suffering a 15-5 major decision loss to Kam Harden (11) of LaSalle.

Freshman Connor Slentz (120 pounds) gained some valuable experience at district but lost both of his matches. He lost by a fall (5:25) in the opening round to eventual first place finisher Aiden Allen (11) of LaSalle.

In consolation Slentz lost by a fall (2:31) to Jason Louiso (11) of Edgewood.

Junior Noah Allen suffered a similar fate in the 126 pound bracket. In the tournament’s opening round Allen lost by a fall (0:59) to eventual champion Jayden Cochran (11) of Miamisburg.

In consolation Allen lost a 15-9 decision to Collin Pschesang (12) of Milford.

At 132 pounds Landon McCargish, who racked up an impressive 39 wins in his freshman campaign, opened the tournament with a 16-0 technical fall over Kenley Robinson (10) of Milford. In the second round he lost by a fall (3:27) to Ryan Wissmar (12) of Springboro.

In consolation McCargish won by a fall (4:12) to Tyler Isbell (10) of Middletown. His tournament ended when he lost by a fall (3:44) to Braeden Shanklin (11) of Fairfield.

Senior Payton Lupton (190 pounds) entered the tournament with a 30-5 record. In the opening round he suffered an upset loss by getting pinned in 1:47 by Tyler Feltner (12) of Lebanon, who came in with a 9-17 record.

In consolation Lupton won by a fall (0:32) against Tiosa Sherman (11) of Western Hills. His tournament ended when he lost by a fall (1:59) to Ryan Iams of Ross.

The state wrestling tournament starts Friday at 1 p.m. and concludes Sunday with finals beginning at 5 p.m.

Reach Ron Nunnari at (937) 684-9124 or email [email protected].