No one can blame Mariner senior Basil Minto for dreaming of winning a state wrestling championship. With what he has achieved already this season, very little stands in his way.

Minto placed fourth in the state in the 160-pound class last year with a 43-5 record, so he has some idea what it will take to go back for another title shot in a couple of weeks. This season, Minto has won every single match – 40-0 – including the Lee County Athletic Conference championship Saturday in the 171-pound class.

“No one has scored a (legitimate) point against him this year,” said Tritons coach Dave Phillips. “He works so hard all the time. He’s the hardest worker in the room, very dedicated and focused.”

Phillips added that Minto’s championship match win over Riverdale’s Jackson Dodd Saturday was his best overall match so far. Minto earned some satisfaction since Dodd has beaten him in the past.

“I always expect tough competition,” said Minto. “I want to do better than I did last year. I take every opponent the same way. The season is going pretty good, so I don’t want to change things up at this point.”

Minto admits to being a bit superstitious in that way. One thing he believes cost him a state title last year was his conditioning.

“I’m trying to get quicker and stronger,” said Minto, who prefers to weigh 171-172 for his matches. “I manage my weight better this year so I’m not waiting till the end of the week to cut weight. I want to be in the finals real bad, that’s my goal.”

Minto was one of two Mariner wrestlers to win an LCAC title Saturday. The other was junior Vinnie Mascarelli (35-4) at 103 pounds. Junior Anderson Gokool (140) and senior Nick Maynard (160) are LCAC runners-up after losing in their respective championship matches Saturday.

“It’s remarkable what Basil has done considering he broke his hand at a wrestling camp and was in a cast, out of action for four months,” said Phillips. “That set him back for awhile, but he is the most coachable kid I’ve ever coached. That makes it easier on me. He soaks it all up.”

It helped the Tritons take third place in the team standings behind first-place Riverdale and second-place South Fort Myers. The Tritons, who set a new school record for dual meet wins this season at 25-7, were just 1.5 points out of second place.

Island Coast placed sixth, Baker eighth, North Fort Myers ninth and Cape Coral 10th in the team standings.

Teams are making final preparations this week for the District 2A-11 Meet Saturday at Palmetto.

The regional meet is Feb. 11-12 at Charlotte with the state meet Feb. 18-19 in Lakeland.

Minto, who participates in no other sport at Mariner, is thinking about wrestling in college. He said he has received a few letters and phone calls from schools, but remains unsure. If he decides to wrestle at the next level, he said, he prefers to be at a smaller school.