Incoming Walsh Jesuit freshman David Ternosky arrives with hype and game to back it up
The next big thing is coming to Walsh Jesuit in August. If things go right, David Ternosky might bask under the Friday Night Lights as soon as this season.
Make no mistake, he has to earn his way onto the field, but the 14-year-old is already ahead of the curve in football and baseball.
Hudson resident and quarterback guru Brad Maendler has been fine-tuning Ternosky since he was in sixth grade and Prep Baseball Report has already raved about his 85 mph fastball.
If Maendler’s name sounds familiar, he trained 2021 Mr. Football Drew Allar of Medina and Hoban’s Shane Hamm.
Allar is the heir apparent to start at Penn State this season. Hamm is a sophomore for Kentucky.
“He’s got tremendous control and natural throwing ability,” Maendler said. “He’s got unusual velocity for his age. He can put it where he wants it. He’s got that kind of arm talent.
“Secondly, he’s very serious about being elite. He’s got a work ethic that is very unusual. Those two combined are a great combination.”
Ternosky will compete for the position at Walsh with Keller Moten, Trent Hayden, Kurt Cortad and Cason Diiulio, but already has some of the intangibles people look for in a leader.
Where it all started for David Ternosky
On the baseball side of things, Ternosky became best friends with Lake Center Christian’s Nathan Bryant about eight years ago and got to know Nathan’s dad, Nick.
Nick built a baseball field and training facility at his home and Ternosky started training there. Add Manchester A’s coach Ben Hymes, a former catcher at Ohio State, and the development came easy at the youth levels.
In football, having Maendler as a trainer helped get rid of bad habits and strengthen good ones.
“I’ve known Nick Bryant since I was a kid,” Ternosky said. “He took me under his wing with his two sons. Every day I was there, working out and hitting baseballs. I’m best friends with his son and probably will be the rest of my life.
“Ben Hymes has been my baseball coach for the last three or four years. He’s helped me as a person. Brad is a great dude as well. He’s helped me polish my throwing motion. It’s been a privilege to work with him.”
Where Drew Allar and Shane Hamm fit in David Ternosky’s development
Allar threw for 9,103 yards and 98 touchdowns at Medina. Hamm compiled a 50-3 mark at Hoban and was 18-1 in the playoffs.
All three are products of Maendler.
“David was there the very first workout I had with Drew after his sophomore year,” Maendler said. “We worked them in this baseball facility back-to-back. David stayed after because Drew had come off a 550-yard performance against St. Edward. He got to see what elite looked like when you pull it all together.
“Shane Hamm and his grit, work ethic and obsession with being great is something that all kids benefit from. He’s the alpha when we had our sessions back in the day. It was so good for him to see what it means to be a quarterback.”
It wasn’t lost on the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Ternosky.
“That really just inspired me,” he said. “I was the young buck in those sessions and stayed after to watch the older sessions. I saw those guys and tried to imitate their throwing motions and their actions. I think having that older person helped me become the quarterback and the one I’m going to become.”
The pressure of being David Ternosky
With this much hype coming in, it’s easy to crack under the pressure.
He’s a middle infielder and outfielder for the A’s and it took just one showcase for PBR to see his worth.
His father is an ex-Marine, so the discipline and determination are already there.
The pressure on the 14-year-old is already great, but Ternosky isn't a normal 14-year-old.
“The transfer to high school is a lot different,” he said. “I have to stay focused. I don’t think it’s going to be that big of a change. I just need to do what I’m doing.
“Confidence is a great factor in leadership. Playmaking is also a big quality in leadership, and I think I have those qualities.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: David Ternosky has bright future in Walsh Jesuit football, baseball
