How Butler wrestling legend Scott Stoner continues to put sons No. 1 while coaching
BUTLER TWP — A successful wrestler himself at Slippery Rock University, Scott Stoner has developed many a mat man in more than 30 years as Butler Senior High School’s head coach.
One of those was his son, Sutton, who reached the PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships this season as a Golden Tornado senior. Like his father did years ago, Sutton will head to SRU in the fall.
SRU is bringing back its wrestling program in 2027 after a 20-year hiatus. Sutton isn’t sure he’ll be a part of it just yet.
“Of course, I hope he continues with it,” Stoner said of his son’s wrestling career. “But Randi (his wife) keeps telling me, it’s his life, not mine.
“I’m fine with whatever he does. I give my sons space, hopefully instill the drive in them to do what they want to do, to be their own persons.”
Stoner’s other son, Saxon, is 21. He graduated with an English degree from Butler County Community College and wants to be a writer.
Like Sutton, Saxon got started in wrestling at a very young age. Unlike Sutton, he was done with the sport in junior high.
“It just wasn’t for me,” Saxon said. “I was never very athletic. I wasn’t into wrestling as I grew up and just gave it up.”
And his father was fine with it.
“Dad knew I was gonna get out before I did,” Saxon said.
Saxon eventually joined the cross country team. After that, he became part of the Butler rifle team and captain of that unit.
Stoner was with him every step of the way.
“He was at all of my cross country meets,” Saxon said. “Spectators aren’t allowed at rifle competitions or he would have been at all of those, too. My dad has supported me in any direction I wanted to go. I’ve always felt that.”
Sutton not only felt his father’s support. He heard it as well.
“He was my coach along with being my father,” Sutton said. “It was hard to find a line between the two. Wrestling is what we’re about. He’s stubborn and I’m stubborn. We’ve had our share of flare-ups.
“I couldn’t help but think he yelled at me more than the other wrestlers. I didn’t like it at times. But with him coaching the high school team during the years I was a youth and junior high wrestler … He couldn’t be in two places at once. I understood that, but it was hard being a kid and him not watching my matches.
“When I did have a youth match and I heard him yelling, it brought a smile to my face. I knew he was there. Him being in my corner … It felt complete,” Sutton added.
Stoner runs Legacy Wrestling, a workout facility he put together on Fairground Hill Road to develop wrestlers and promote other forms of fitness. His sons work with him.
“Sutton spends a lot of one-on-one time with the wrestlers,” Stoner said. “We work with people with Parkinson’s and other physical issues, too. Saxon helps them. They like him. They gravitate to him.
“My boys will eventually be doing their own thing, of course, and their time here will change. But they’re a part of this and I’m grateful for it. My father and grandfather were two of the hardest-working people I’ve ever known. I learned work ethic from them and try to pass that along.
“As a father, I try to provide some structure in my sons’ lives. I haven’t always spoken up, but I try to lead by example. Legacy Wrestling is about giving back and they see the importance of that,” he added.
Stoner wanted his sons to be introduced to sports at a young age because of the life lessons athletics can provide.
Wrestling was his sport, so it was the first sport his sons became involved with.
Saxon and Sutton share the same middle name, Cael. They were named after Cael Sanderson, an NCAA championship wrestler who is now head wrestling coach at Penn State.
“I was on a mat before I could walk,” Sutton said, laughing. “It was a natural thing. But I never felt wrestling was forced on me. I played baseball and football, too, until my freshman year. My buddies eventually got into travel baseball and that wasn’t for me. By the time I got to high school, I gave up football to focus on wrestling.
“No one ever pushed me to quit those other sports. Dad liked me playing all that stuff, trying different things. At times, the man is stubborn as hell, but I know he loves me to death.”
Saxon hopes to be a novelist one day, though he’s uncertain what direction his writing will take him.
His goal is to land in a place like his father did years ago.
“I’m envious of him in that regard,” Saxon said. “He started wrestling as a kid, jumped on those tracks and it was full steam ahead. His passion for wrestling has carried him. He wakes up every day, knows who he is, knows what his purpose is in life.
“Every human being strives for that feeling. My dad’s had that for years.”
Sutton agreed.
“What he’s built here (Legacy Wrestling) and as a high school coach is truly amazing. My father is a remarkable person, 100%. We couldn’t ask for a better role model,” he said.
Stoner appreciates the journey his sons are on as well.
“We had our first child when I was 36 and I was scared to death,” he said. “When they were little, we always encouraged and enjoyed their creativity,” he said. “Building them sand boxes, jungle gyms, doing things with them in the yard.
“When I would plant flowers, I’d have them out there helping me. I wanted them to be doers, to hustle, work hard, never let themselves be held back. My boys have the tools, the potential to carve their own way.
“The toughness I learned from my dad, I instilled in them. It’s in their fiber. Saxon and Sutton have grown up as two individuals with their own interests. I’m so very proud of both of them,” he added.
