BENTON, Pa. — Ask Michael Rhone a question about wrestling and the tradition some schools have, and the Benton senior won’t take long to answer.
Ask him about Lock Haven, and his knowledge of the Clinton County school may surprise you.
"It’s Mat-Town," Rhone said. "You know the tradition of Lock Haven, and you know the type of wrestlers that Lock Haven is capable of producing. That’s where I want to be. I want to reach that next level of wrestling after college."
That’s why Rhone’s decision was easy. The talented Benton senior announced that he will be part of Robbie Waller’s first recruiting class at Lock Haven University, and has committed to join the Bald Eagles.
"Talking with the coaches and the athletes, you can tell they are looking forward to getting Lock Haven wrestling back," Rhone said. "I always wanted to wrestle somewhere in Pennsylvania. Since I was a kid, I knew about Lock Haven and it’s always been one of the top choices from the start.
"The coaching staff there is great. Robbie Waller is a great guy. He has the same mentality that I have: He loves to win and he hates to lose. And Matt Lackey is big-time. He’s been successful at the collegiate level and has wrestled at that next level. That’s where I want to go. I want to wrestle internationally someday."
Rhone has lofty goals set for his senior season. He’ll enter with a scholastic record of 94-16 and is currently ranked No. 6 nationally in the 119-pound weight class. He’s also ranked in the top 100 of all classes.
Rhone opened his season Tuesday with a one-minute pin of his Sullivan County opponent, and will enter this weekend’s King of the Mountain tournament as a No. 2 seed.
"He was under the radar, but he beat a two-time state champion at the freestyle state championships," Waller said. "I just believe in the way he wrestles. I watched him on film, and I got a chance to see him live at the Super 32 where he was a hair away from taking that title. He’s a leader, and has a great feel for the sport."
Last season, he finished first in the sectionals, districts and regionals. He placed sixth at King of the Mountain wrestling at 125. He lost to champ Nathan Pennesi and Central Mountain’s Jordan Rich, who recently signed to attend Bucknell. But he returned back to 119 for PowerADE, where he finished third — including impressive wins over Central Dauphin’s Simon Rice and Bellefonte’s Mitchell Port.
"My goal is to be a state champ," he said, "and hopefully, I can get into the Dapper Dan Classic. We have a lot of tough tournaments with King of the Mountain and PowerADE, and I would like to win each of those as well."
He started off the season strong, finishing second in the 119-pound weight class at the preseason Super 32. Despite a close loss to Eric Mecate in the finals, he picked up impressive wins over Bryan Whitt, the nation’s top-ranked freshman, Ben Whitford, and highly-regarded junior Nick Brascetta.
"Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great accomplishment to make it to the final at the Super 32 because it’s such a strong tournament, but I wasn’t happy because I wanted to win the title," Rhone said.
Rhone said he had narrowed down his list of schools, but Lock Haven never left the top.
"I always knew that Lock Haven was going to be a good choice for me," Rhone said. "I trained with (former head coach) Rocky (Bonomo) when I was a kid and I knew about the tradition."
Before Lock Haven, it will be completing his senior year at Benton where the Tigers are expected to be a solid contender in Double-A — returning Rhone, nationally-ranked heavyweight Tyler Demott — also an LHU recruit — top 100-grappler Lehigh recruit Eric Hess and talented junior Coltin Fought.
"We have set our goals pretty high," Rhone said. "It would be great to win the states as an individual and as a team. We’re going to focus on one event at a time and go from there."
Rhone also wrestled in a few collegiate tournaments before the season began, going 1-2 at the Penn State Open and finishing fourth at the East Stroudsburg Open.
"When you can go into a tough college tournament like East Stroudsburg and come away with a fourth-place finish as a high school wrestler, you have big things in front of you," Waller said. "He is an example of the start of our future, which is recruiting top-100 kids, getting them to Lock Haven and building on that. Eventually, we are going to have to replace a good kid in Nick Hyatt. Rhone is the future at that weight, and what a great future to have."
