Before the clock hit 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Matt Aten had already seen one man’s dream become reality.
Aten and other Benton locals traveled to Keeney Farms in the borough to watch Olympic wrestler Zain Retherford compete in the men’s freestyle round of 16. The early morning didn’t stop a group of over 50 people from watching the Benton native compete in his first Olympics.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to have someone from our small, little town of about 700 people make it to the Olympics and be in Paris is just a phenomenal achievement,” Aten said.
The small town community all have connections to Retherford in some way or another. Aten taught him psychology at Benton Area High School. David Keller, another local at the watch party, had Retherford throw hay bales on his farm as a teenager to gain strength.
“All you had to do was make a phone call to the right guy in charge, and there'd be six or eight wrestlers show up to help with rough, hard jobs like that — and that was their workout, instead of the weight room,” Keller said.
The road to Paris was not easy for Retherford. The 29 year old originally planned not to compete in the Olympic trials. Olympic wrestling does not have a 154 pound weight class — the class that Retherford wrestled at when he won the World Championship in 2023. He would have to wrestle at 143 pounds, meaning he would have to lose almost all of his body fat and some muscle.
However, Retherford gave his Olympic dreams one last shot. At the 2024 World Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Turkey he won and secured his place on the U.S. men’s wrestling team.
Back in Benton, the watch party waited for Retherford to take the mat. Tired-but-excited eyes were glued to the mounted television on the barn wall.
Keller and the rest of the attendees shared the same sentiment about Retherford’s upcoming match: win, lose, or draw, he had made Benton proud.
“It’s been a heck of a trip to get where (he’s) at, and no matter the outcome, we’re still behind you. I hope like heck he does well — he’s up against some real tough competition,” Keller said.
Retherford’s competition was Iran’s Rahman Amouzadkhalili, winner of the 2022 World Wrestling Championships at 143 pounds. Retherford entered the matchup as the underdog, though that has never stopped him from success before.
“He weighed 95 pounds his freshman year high school, and the lowest weight was 106, so, he was an undersized freshman, and he beat the defending state champion in the semifinals, and he won the state tournament as a freshman… Zain is pretty relentless,” said Ken Chertow, Retherford's longtime coach and mentor and former Olympian.
As Retherford entered the Champ-de-Mars Arena, the watch party erupted, shouting and clapping for their hometown hero. An intense silence swept over the crowd as the match began.
Nobody spoke. Few noises were heard apart from the sound emanating from the television and the calls of birds announcing the morning sun. Retherford was taken down early, falling three points behind in the first period. Occasional calls of “come on Zain!” were heard, but otherwise the watch party had become eerily quiet.
Amouzadkhalili dominated Retherford, living up to his “Ruthless Rahman” moniker. When the clock expired, the wrestler from Iran had won 8-0, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Retherford looked disappointed as his opponent's hand was raised. The watch party in Benton shared that feeling, though not for long. Disappointment turned to pride, and pride to joy.
“We're all so proud of him, and so happy that he got to live out this experience,” Aten said after the match.
Not all medal hope is lost for Retherford. If Amouzadkhalili reaches the final, Retherford will have the chance to compete for bronze via the repechage rounds.
He would have to defeat the other wrestlers Amouzadkhalili faced on his path to the final before competing against the repechage winner from the other finalist’s bracket.
Retherford's decision to compete was in part influenced by Chertow.
“Yeah, I wanted him to… When he started talking about not dropping to 143 (pounds) I thought he was nuts,” Chertow said. “He was the best in the world at 154 pounds, he felt great, he achieved his goals, and now, that weight class doesn’t exist in the Olympics… I felt for him… (but) I thought it was in his best interest to make the cut."
Chertow has coached Retherford since he was eight years old. As a child, he would drive over an hour to attend Chertow’s camps at Penn State University.
“He was obviously into it, and he just kept coming ... for year-round training for a decade,” Chertow said.
When Retherford committed to Penn State — Chertow’s alma mater — he fell under the guidance of a new staff of coaches, though he and Chertow remained close.
“I don't stick my nose in the details, but I just stand by as a supporter and encouraging him — and I give him technique tips. He's always welcome,” Chertow said.
On Saturday, Chertow did not attend the watch party. Instead, he preferred to watch the match as a coach rather than a fan, studying the contest, just as he always has.
Also missing from the watch party were Retherford’s parents, Sarah and Allen. The couple traveled to Paris to watch their son compete.
The Retherford’s own a small family farm market in Benton. A miniature train, originally from Hanson’s Amusement Park, is available to ride. Now, it travels under a new name, the “Zain Train”.
Retherford’s Farm Market sits empty for the remainder of August. The Retherford’s plan to take some time enjoying life in France.
There are not many sporting events in which a boy from Benton, Pennsylvania, can show off his talents to millions around the world. The Olympics provide one such opportunity.
The Benton community sees wrestling as a way of life. On Aug. 24, there will be a pig roast at the farm to raise money for the school’s wrestling team, once again waking locals before dawn.
“This community has been pumping out wrestlers for a long time,” said Ryan Eckroth, another Benton native.
Despite Rethorford’s loss, Aten and the rest of the Benton community will look back at this early Saturday morning fondly.
“To be able to be here and to watch this and to share this with everybody is just an amazing, amazing thing,” he said.