5 local wrestlers selected for North/South Classic

Three state champions, including Hilton Head Island unbeatens Talon Seitz and Martin Duane, head a list of five Beaufort County wrestlers who will compete in this weekend’s North/South All-Star Classic in North Myrtle Beach.

Beaufort’s Will Spann, the Class 3-A champion at 126 pounds, and teammate Conner Gruel (152) also were selected for the South team along with Battery Creek’s Porter Mahon (152).

All five will compete for a combined South squad of Class 3-A and 2-A seniors, while wrestlers from Class 4-A and 1-A will compete together. Hilton Head coach Mike Newton is one of four coaches for the South roster.

Seitz and Duane finished off undefeated seasons with Class 3-A titles at last weekend's state individual championships, each completing 54-0 records. Seitz captured his second consecutive state title by winning the 170-pound division, while Duane capped his run to the 182 title by pinning his finals opponent in 24 seconds.

Gruel and Mahon also went to the state tournament, but both were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The All-Star format pits the 3-A/2-A South wrestlers against the 4-A/1-A North squad on Friday night, while the 3-A/2-A North takes on the 4-A/1-A South. The winners will square off for the title on Saturday, with opening-night losers squaring off for third place.

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "5 local wrestlers selected for North/South Classic."