When Independence's Casey Belville struggled to win six matches his freshman season, his wrestling future didn't seem bright.

Patriots coach Benjamin Barry said that although he could have quit after a disappointing season, Belville dedicated himself to the sport. During the past three years, he has grown into one of the top wrestlers in Mecklenburg County.

"He couldn't get enough of being on the wrestling mat in the summers," Barry said. "He developed a hunger for it."

Belville, who is coming off 138-pound regional and Southwestern 4A individual titles, not only wrestled anybody he could in his offseason, but also became a student of the game along the way.

"You can always catch me on the Internet watching technique videos, college matches," he said. "You can't ever know everything about wrestling. It's pretty much impossible, but learning more about the game does help."

Belville, 17, hopes all his extra work on and off the mat will allow him to prove that he is among the best wrestlers in North Carolina as he competes in the state wrestling championships, which begin today in Greensboro.

Although Belville, who is 55-3 on the year, didn't see much mat time his freshman year, Barry said he saw potential in him because of his athleticism and natural balance as well as his tenacity.

"Casey is a fierce competitor," he said. "He's a scrambler."

When Belville returned his sophomore season, he broke out to record 36 wins before following that up with a 53-win season last year.

Belville said he's proud of his 150 career wins at Independence, which set a new school wins record. He admits that winning that many matches seemed impossible after his freshman season.

"To break that record, it shows that all the work I have put in during the offseason, only taking a month every year, came together and it meant something," Belville said.

Although Belville has had a solid season, being ranked 4A's No. 3 wrestler in his weight class according to retrorankings.com, he said the last couple of weeks have given him momentum.

"I've felt like everything has come in place. I've started to wrestled the way I wanted to, keeping the pace I wanted to," Belville said. "I feel really good going into states."

Barry said having sought the best competition to test himself during the offseason has helped Belville become the wrestler he is today.

"He's really developed his confidence," Barry said. "He's not afraid to get on the mat with everybody."

Belville hopes his second trip to states will have a different outcome after losing both of his matches last year. He said those struggles, which he's reminded of every day by a picture hanging from his bedroom wall that shows him after being pinned in his final match last year, have helped him stay motivated.

Belville said that for him to se successful, he'll have to stick to his strengths, including his awareness on the mat.

"Being able to go into every match as comfortable as I possibly could be and force the other kid the way I want them to - to wrestle my style," Belville of his ideal situation.

Although Belville has strong competition in his weight class, including undefeated Southern Alamance wrestler Tony DeAngelo, he plans to leave it all on the mat to accomplish his ultimate goal.

"I want that state title," he said.

"I have one more weekend to show that everything really has paid off."

Regardless of how the state meet goes for Belville, his coach said he's proud of his wrestler's determination.

"It's a reflection of how great the sport is," Barry said. "It shows how much work, discipline, dedication and sacrifice can pay off."