For Christopher Minto, it’s a family thing
Epilogue: Christopher Minto won his third state title with a technical fall win in the final against Braden River’s Gage Wiggins. Not long after, Minto committed to wrestle at the University of Nebraska.
BY BRANT PARSONS — When Mariner’s Christopher Minto takes the mat on Saturday night in the Class 2A, 160-pound final, he’ll have a whole section of people cheering for him - and that’s just his family.
Minto, the youngest of nine kids, will have seven of his siblings in Silver Spurs Arena with his mother Donna and four nephews and nieces along with extended friends and family when he wrestles to become the school’s second-ever three-time state champion. His brother Christian was the first.
“It’s definitely fun but also kind of crazy,” Christopher said of having so many in the stands.
On Friday, Minto won his semifinal match over Brandon’s Ty Rodriguez by technical fall to advance to the finals.
The win was his 200th career high school win and set up the chance to make history on Saturday night.
A history that may have never happened had his oldest brother been good at football.
A happy accident
The Minto family grew up in athletics but wrestling wasn’t something that was planned.
Basil Jr., the oldest Minto boy, tried football first but didn’t find much success and called his mom one day and said he was going to practice.
“He did football and he really didn't take to it too well," Donna said. "So when he called I said ‘football season is over, what are you talking about?’' and he said ‘No, I'm going after wrestling.’”
Donna called one of her daughters and they tried to figure out what this sport was that Basil Jr. suddenly was interested in and even though they didn’t know what a singlet was called, they figured it would be a deterrent to the sport.
"She says he's gonna put that outfit on one time and that's going to be the end of it,” Donna said. “An here we are 15 years later, and it's still going on.”
Basil Jr. would go on to place twice in the state tournament and with the guidance of his coaching staff, eventually ended up wrestling at NIACC (North Iowa Area Community College). After wrestling there he went on to the University of Northern Iowa before returning to NIACC to coach.
Basil Jr. is the one sibling that won’t be in Kissimmee this weekend. Now the head girls coach at NIACC he will be coaching at JUCO Nationals this weekend.
Following Basil’s lead, Christian and Christopher started youth club wrestling at Charlotte and eventually had even more success at Mariner.
“He was my big brother so I was just following him," Christopher said. "I always looked up to him so that definitely was the biggest thing along with see seeing how his success was.”
Christian was a three-time Florida state champion before also heading to NIACC where he won two national tittles. He is at University of Northern Iowa now and because he is on a redshirt season, he was able to fly down for this weekend.
“I’ve never seen him win a state title in person because I was always competing the same weekend,” Christian said. “So celebrating a moment like this will be a great memory.”
The biggest fan
If a Minto is wrestling, you can almost guarantee Donna is in the stands watching.
She’s always put an emphasis on supporting her children in person and when Basil Jr. took up wrestling, she learned the sport.
“Because of my big brother, she was a fan before I was a fan of wrestling before I even started,” Christopher said.
For Donna, this Saturday night will also mark the end of an era for her and she’s had to deal with the emotional realization that she’ll suddenly have free time to fill on weekends.
After seeing a picture of Christopher at his last practice before the state tournament, it hit home.
“I’m sitting there bawling because oh my God, this is the beginning of the end of the last year,” Donna said. “I’ve been doing this so long now and I don’t know what I am going to do. This is a part of my life and it’s their life. What am I going to do? I’m not going to bring you your Uncrustables. What am I going to do? I can’t send them wherever you’re going.”
“It’s going to be a very emotional moment.”
What wrestling has meant
It’s crazy to think about the Minto family path had Basil Jr. not tried wrestling on a whim and then been encouraged by coaches David Phillips and Mike Pedersen to stick with it.
"I don't know what I'd be doing, honestly," Christopher said. "Yeah. We wouldn't be doing this right now. I know that for sure."
Donna, for one, knows how important that moment was.
“Oh, it's changed everybody's life,” Donna said. “I am so proud I am of them not only for what they've accomplished on the mat, but also just the people that they've become. It's so much discipline and you have to be well rounded. Otherwise, you get nowhere.”
And that might be the biggest victory of them all. Ask around about Minto and you’d never hear a sour word about him and you can be assured that there will be fans all over the Silver Spurs Arena tonight cheering for him if he wins his third state title.
After Phillips retired, Clayton French took over the program but Pedersen has stuck around to coach the two youngest Minto boys, a promise he made to Basil Jr. when he left for Iowa. All three coaches have left their impact on Minto.
“One of the biggest things that wrestling has taught me is to be a good person off the mat too,” Christopher said. “And that's where my coaches are like mentors. They played the biggest role I think, not just on the mat, but definitely off the mat too.”
What’s next
Minto hasn’t made a college decision yet but lists Nebraska and Virginia as his two main choices. He’s hoping to make and announce a decision in the coming weeks.
But for Saturday night, the focus won’t be on what’s coming next for the Minto family, but enjoying this one last high school wrestling moment.
“I've already had my tears and I'm very proud of all of them,” Donna said. “But do I want it to end? No, but I know I'm ready for the next level. and I know he'll do fine when he gets to college. It's very bittersweet.”
