Joe Petrone could easily be nicknamed the Huntington High School wrestling team’s Mr. Reliable. The junior comes to practice early and works very hard without calling the slightest bit of attention to himself. In many ways he’s downright methodical in pursuit of his goals.
Petrone has been one of Suffolk’s best for several years. But his goals go beyond that. He was third in the league and fifth in Section XI as a sophomore, compiling a 31-6 record. The teenager went 21-8 and was a league runner-up as a freshman. Now his eyes are on a bigger prize.
Junior Joe Petrone is an All-County wrestler for Huntington High School.
Like any Huntington wrestler, Petrone’s goals include winning league, county and state championships. But unlike many of his teammates, he can actually do it in the short term. He’s that good.
Petrone won three matches en route to the 106 lb. title at the season opening Louis D. Giani, Sr. Invitational tournament on November 30. He’ll wrestle his first dual meet match this Wednesday night when Huntington takes the mat at Half Hollow Hills East in a Suffolk League III contest.
At the Giani Invitational, a pair of pins sent Petrone to the finals, where he was pushed before battling his way to a 5-2 decision. The junior likes it that way, preferring to have to work for the win rather than cruising to a victory without breaking a sweat.
Petrone’s trek through Huntington UFSD began as a kindergartener at Jefferson Primary School. He started wrestling as a seventh grader at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. He’s all-in now, training year-round and traveling to many off-season out of state tournaments.
While Petrone might not qualify as being a big talker, he gets along very well with his teammates and has a great sense of humor. He typically drills with sophomore Lucas Cirlincione, but also drills and scrimmages with several other teammates during a typical practice.
Petrone is confident without being conceited. He’s in tip-top shape and easily handles what the Blue Devil coaches dish-out on any given day. He goes about his business in the wrestling room without saying much, always staying a step ahead of everyone else.
“Joe is a coach’s dream,” Huntington head coach Travis Smith said. “He’s in the room early every day and he gives us everything he has. He’s a great competitor and teammate. He pushes himself and pushes whoever he’s training with. Considering everything he has put into the sport already and everything he continues to do, we expect him to go very far.”
Petrone’s teammates look to him as a leader and they respect him. He easily qualifies as a role model without even trying to be one.
“I feel the team is going to do great,” Petrone said. “We should be in the top three in the league. Our lower weights will be good. We have a lot of young kids that are non-stop attack.”
Petrone’s practice circle is at the front of the wrestling room. It’s the same room that has produced 27 individual state championships. The teenager is well aware of the Blue Devils’ storied mat history and he hopes to add to it.