North County High School will host the Second Annual “Keaser Classic” Wrestling Dual Tournament Friday and Saturday.

The tournament is named in honor of former Brooklyn Park High School wrestler Lloyd Butch Keaser, the most famous wrestler to ever come out of Maryland. A former Naval Academy two-time All-American, Lloyd was a World Champion in 1973 and a Silver Medalist in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

He was also the first African American to ever medal in wrestling in the Olympics. His humble beginnings in wrestling began at Brooklyn Park in ninth grade for the Pumphrey, Md., native.

“I really wanted to honor Lloyd Keaser,” said tournament director Wayne Liddick, who named the event. “He is one of the greatest ever to come out of the state and this is a way young wrestlers can hear about and learn about him and what he accomplished.”

North County, the defending champion and the lone representative from Anne Arundel county, is hosting 13 other high schools representing 8 counties: Wilde Lake, Hammond and River Hill from Howard, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bowie and Oxon Hill from Prince Georges, Winters Mill and Liberty from Carroll, Lansdowne from Baltimore, Leonardtown from St. Mary’s, Harford Tech. from Harford, Easton from Talbot, and Bishop McNamara (the only private school) from Montgomery.

The field has seven schools from the 4A-3A division and 6 from the 2A-1A.

There will be an admission fee each day of $5 for the competition that begins Friday at 3:30pm and Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. The tournament is expected to end around 3:30 p.m. Saturday and will be followed by award presentations.

sandra.mckee@baltsun.com