Trojans have much bigger, by 30 pounds, better version of Mike Rone at tight end

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Don’t you wish you could communicate through your TV, stop the color commentator of an NFL game, and tell him to explain the football term he just used? That’s the beauty of doing interviews. You can stop the athlete and ask him to explain what he just said.
Senior Mike Rone gave his version of what his role will be as the starting tight end for the Chesterton football team that plays its Maroon & Gold scrimmage Friday night at 6 p.m.
“We’re a big running offense, so mainly block,” Rone said. “I like blocking. I like the physicality of it. I especially like down blocks because it’s just driving, that’s all there is to it.”
Down block?
“Usually, it’s the end is inside of you and you’re just driving them as far as you can,” Rone said.
As with any tight end, he also likes to see the ball thrown his way. The better he does at drills designed to improve as a pass catcher, the more times his number will be called.
Drills such as?
“Running routes with the quarterback,” he said. “Routes on air.”
Routes on air?
“That just means you run routes with no defense to work on footwork and then eventually you add defense to have to work on making adjustments on the play,” he said.
Rone was a backup receiver at the start of his junior season and then shifted to starting tight end midway through the year, used mostly as a blocker. He caught four passes. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds on the roster, Rone said he has put on about 30 pounds since the end of last season.
“Protein bars, protein shakes and trying to eat as much as I can,” he said of how he packed on the pounds.
The extra weight should help him fit in with what he said he considers to be this team’s best trait.
“Our physicality,” Rone said. “I think we’re very physical this year and I think that’s going to help us win.”
Rone singled out senior linebackers Lucas Anderson and Bobby Stabolito as the most physical defenders against whom he competes daily in practice.
“They’re very physical, and insane too,” he said.
On offense: “I’d say Andrew (Goveia), our whole offensive line. I’d say across the board we’re physical.”
Asked to predict the player who will be the biggest surprise, Rone gave a surprising answer: “I’m honestly going to go with Andrew (Goveia). He got a lot of recognition last year, but I think he’s a lot better than he was last year. For starters, he’s going to be healthy, and he’s got an older offensive line and that’s just going to boost him forward.”
Goveia rushed for 1,198 in nine games and then missed the postseason with an injury.
Those are tough numbers to improve, but Rone is convinced Goveia can do it. There are faster running backs, but Goveia consistently piles up the yards. How does he do it?
“He doesn’t shy away from contact,” Rone said. “He embraces it, and I think that just leads to extra yards. Eventually, throughout the game people don’t want to tackle him.”
As Rone sees it, Goveia has plenty of company every day in practice in terms of embracing contact. The players will be hitting each other for Friday’s scrimmage, which is never quite as motivating for them as hitting opponents. The Trojans open their season at Hobart two weeks after the Maroon & Gold game.
Rone is looking to make a far bigger impact in his senior season and head coach Mark Peterson sees that happening.
“He’s doing a good job,” Peterson said. “He just keeps getting better and better.”