From under the radar to a Rutgers scholarship, Washington Township lineman John Stone rose to the top

After his junior football season ended, John Stone decided that for the first time in seven years, he would return to the wrestling mat.

The 6-foot-3 offensive lineman began attending Washington Township High School’s twice-a-week workouts and rebuilding his fundamentals and technique. Stone knew that if he wanted to compete, he’d have to get to work fast. The Sewell native was accustomed to one-on-one scenarios in the trenches on the football field. But the individual aspect of wrestling posed a unique competitive challenge.

“It’s new to me in the sense that it’s one-on-one, you don’t have any teammates that are going to come and help you block,” Stone said. “It’s you versus you; it’s a combat sport. It’s war; it’s pretty much war on a mat.”

For Stone, the readjustment period was quick, and he soon began recording wins on the mat. By season’s end, Stone was third in the district and second-team all-conference. He also qualified for the state tournament.

“We knew John was an athlete, but the way he was moving and the way he was picking things up, after the first month, it was like he’d never stopped wrestling,” said Washington Township wrestling coach Eric Ring, a longtime family friend.

Stone, the athletic 270-pound lineman, in February became the first in the Class of 2023 to commit to play for Rutgers.

Two years earlier, coach Mike Schatzman knew Stone still had some growing to do, and he was assigned to the freshman squad. For Stone, it was fun playing alongside the same teammates he had grown up playing with during youth football. Following that year, Stone hit the growth spurt he had been expecting.

“Freshman year I was undersized,” Stone said. “I took it seriously; I wasn’t a mess-around, but I didn’t take it as serious until I hit that height. I knew it was coming, so I knew it was about to get serious.

“Once I realized that I could play with seniors and juniors, I really kicked it into high gear. I started taking the workouts more seriously, started seeing trainers, stuff like that. I started putting on weight; that was one of my main focuses, getting my weight up.”

After entering the quarantine at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Stone emerged as a 6-foot-2, 230-pound, varsity-caliber player. With Washington Township conducting school remotely, and with most things shut down, Stone scheduled his days around training.

He purchased materials for a home gym and would work out before logging on to his classes for the day and during his lunch break. He also began to focus on his nutrition, cooking himself meals each day to ensure that he hit his weight targets and put on muscle.

Through his rigorous pandemic training program, Stone had put on the size and strength necessary to compete at the varsity level. Heading into his sophomore year, Stone earned the starting left tackle spot.

What could have been a breakout season, however, turned into just four games after the pandemic disrupted Washington Township’s season. Although Stone didn’t get a full year under his belt, the four games weren’t a total loss.

“I know it was only four games, but those four games mattered,” Stone said. “Those four games helped me realize the game and how much quicker it was than freshman football, that everyone’s the same size, that the technique and footwork matters.”

Stone didn’t allow a single sack in his junior season, and the run-heavy Minutemen offense amassed over 3,000 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns. This past year was also the first time since 2015 that Washington Township posted a winning record, and Stone’s coaches don’t think it was a coincidence that it aligned with the tackle’s breakout.

“From game one to our last game of the season, you can see that we leaned on him to kind of manhandle and take control of that side of our line,” Schatzman said. “He’s a role model for especially our younger guys. You can tell that kids in our locker room follow him, and they have a lot of respect for him.”

Stone’s big season on the field helped him land a scholarship offer from Rutgers. Just two days after that, Stone committed to the school.

“It’s been one of my dream schools, and getting that offer that day was awesome,” Stone said. “I went from under the radar to now a kid with a Rutgers offer, which I’m forever grateful for. It was truly an amazing experience.

“I think what Coach [Greg] Schiano is doing up there with rebuilding is great, and Rutgers is going to be on top sooner than later.”