Medina County Hall of Fame: Brian Ensign was five-tool athlete at Black River and beyond

Steve Ensign Sr. chuckled as he launched into another story about his youngest son, Brian. Papa Ensign was playing in a slowpitch softball game, and Brian never was without a bat, glove and ball regardless of whether anyone was playing with him. An older gentleman saw the 6-year-old ready for action and offered to pitch. The seemingly innocent and unselfish gesture nearly turned disastrous. "The guy threw one pitch standing maybe 20 feet away and Brian about took his head right off," Steve said. "The guy went and got the ball, handed it to Brian and said, 'Go find your mother."' Thirty years later, Brian Ensign, who twice was walked with the bases loaded in a little league game, is still crushing balls so far that others need to retrieve them. He just does them on a slowpitch field these days, and he doesn't need to find his mother, Janet. To say the 2003 Black River graduate put up video game numbers is absolutely unfair, because a .700 batting average is not legitimately possible in a modern video game. Ensign's incredible offensive statistics, including many that may never be surpassed, are what he'll always be remembered for. But people forget the 6-foot, 175-pounder was a four-year starting pitcher with an 85- to 88-mph fastball, tight curveball and dirty knuckleball taught by childhood friend Jack Triplett. People also forget Ensign was a three-time All-Ohio football player who could intercept passes, lay the wood with physicality, catch TD bombs from older brother Steve Ensign Jr. or Kyle Clark, run the rock with speed and even kick extra points. Most importantly, people forget that life is bigger than sports and, after a devastating torn hamstring ended his baseball career at West Virginia University before it truly began, Ensign returned home to live The American Dream with high school sweetheart Alee Power. They soon built a home on the southern end of the Black River district and now have a 4-year-old son, Gavin. For one magical night Friday, Ensign will feel like that fun-loving, sports-obsessed kid again, as he will be inducted into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies at The Galaxy Restaurant in Wadsworth. Bombs away Born Aug. 30, 1984, Brian was mesmerized with anything older brother Steve Jr. would do. The three-year age difference meant nothing, because Brian was bound and determined to be like his hero regardless of whether Steve Jr. wanted him. Steve Jr. and his friends quickly conceded that they would never get rid of Brian, so they allowed him to tag along. There was never a shortage of games to play because the Ensigns lived across state Route 301 from J.B. Firestone Park, and Steve Jr. thought so much of the area he bought a house two doors down from his parents in 2004. Calling up the neighborhood crew that included Jesse Power, Jason Conrad, Jeremy Linden, David Ferrell and Triplett twins Jack and Jon, hopping on bicycles and getting a game together became a daily occurrence. The boys would play whatever from dawn until dusk, and Brian soon picked up the nickname "Bum" from his dad because he spent many nights at his grandparents' or buddies' homes instead of his own. Sports were so important to the Ensign boys that they raked the three baseball fields at J.B. Firestone to keep them in tip-top shape. When those fields were occupied, the crew would head to the tennis court, switch to tennis balls and rackets and continue to play "tennis baseball" until a real field opened or daylight escaped. As Brian did so often when recalling his childhood, he laughed when asked to described the bastardized game only a group of kids could come up with. "We used one corner court as home plate and then go to a pole for first base. The second pole was second base and so on," he said. "It got pretty popular. "(J.B. Firestone Park), that's where we lived, you know? We'd wake up and go right to the park. It's crazy the difference you see nowadays. We would hop on our bikes and be at the park all day, pretty much. Nowadays, if the cops see little kids, they'd be going after the parents." In another example of how the early 1990s were a different time, Steve Sr. lobbied to allow Brian to play on Steve Jr.'s T-ball and little league teams despite the glaring age difference. That never fazed Brian, who even as a 4-year-old scoffed at the notion that he was going to use a tee when given the option. "It was awesome, and it wasn't even just (Steve Jr.)," Brian said. "I would try to play with all them guys every time they'd hang out with my brother. It was all the same guys my whole lifetime, so it was cool to play with all those guys who would beat me up back in the day." That made the transition to Black River High a piece of cake. Ensign's career statistics defy logic — a .608 batting average (175-for-288), 33 home runs, 142 runs, 40 doubles and 111 stolen bases in approximately 90 games, as well as a 17-8 record and 180 strikeouts covering 170 2/3 innings. To put that into further perspective — as if one is really needed — the second-place positions on the county record book are a .494 batting average, 30 home runs, 125 RBIs, 37 doubles and 73 stolen bases. "Man, nobody had that swing," said Steve Sr., Black River's coach from 1997-2003. "Anybody you talk to, it was the sweetest left-handed swing you ever saw. It was amazing." Ensign played catcher when Steve Jr. was the ace in 2000, batting .449 with four home runs and 23 RBIs while also pitching 38 2/3 innings. He then moved to center field as a sophomore to take full advantage of his speed but also filled in at third base or shortstop if the starter was struggling. Ensign was 49-for-75 (.653) with nine homers, 34 RBIs, 35 runs and 29 stolen bases in 2001. In 2002, he was 42-for-65 (.646) with seven bombs, 36 RBIs and 29 more stolen bases. That set up the mecca of all seasons, when Ensign was 49-for-70 (.700) with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, 45 runs, 35 stolen bases and not a 1.471 OPS but a 1.471 slugging percentage. Included was hitting a home run in nine straight games and perhaps Ensign's finest performance when he pitched 5 2/3 innings of relief and went yard in a 3-1 win over eventual Mohican Area Conference champion Triway, which had crushed Black River 14-4 earlier in the season. "The thing about baseball that was different from football was you could joke around and relax," Ensign said. "I'm not saying football wasn't fun, but it was more serious and everyone was quiet, whereas baseball we're cracking jokes. It's a whole difference feel for baseball." Black River also steadily improved, culminating with a 16-6 record and district semifinal appearance in 2003. "After my brother's senior year, it was basically my team that we grew up with (Adam Holcomb, Dan Sakal, Steve Steele, Andrew Cortese, the Triplett twins). We all knew how to play together, so that helped out a lot. That had a lot to do with it. We knew each other and just jelled." Brian and Steve Sr. also wanted to put to rest a misconception about Brian's home run total. While Black River's home field is only 260 feet down the right-field line due to a curvature on County Road 40, more than half of Brian's home runs were to the opposite field, and the ones that were pulled cleared the road with ease. Ensign also used his tried-and-true Easton Z-Core bat to hit the house 400 feet away across the road from right field. "They mostly pitched me outside, and I would go to where they'd pitch me," Brian said. "Batting practice was a different story. When it was batting practice, you would try to hit the house." Gridiron gang More so than even baseball, playing a whopping three ages up prepared Ensign to start as a freshman for the highly successful football team at cornerback. He wasn't scared of anyone, especially with a big brother and all his rough-and-tough buddies there to support him. So when legendary coach Al Young agreed with defensive coordinator Steve Sr.'s suggestion that Brian was going to guard eventual Mr. Football Brandon "Bam" Childress of St. Peter Chanel in the Division V, Region 17 championship game at Lorain's George Daniel Field, no one flinched. Big underdog Black River opened the scoring with a 1-yard Linden touchdown just 1 minute in, and Chanel couldn't believe its eyes when the 5-8, 155-pound Ensign trotted out to guard the 5-9, 177-pound Childress, a future Ohio State Buckeye and New England Patriot, with help from the safety. A fade pattern was the natural call, but Ensign intercepted the ball and sent the crowd into hysteria. Ensign helped hold Childress to just one catch and 10 yards — by far his worst game in a season when he had more than 2,000 all-purpose yards — but Steve Cargile (Columbia, multiple NFL teams) and Rahman Shavers (Ohio University) combined for five grabs and 185 yards in a 39-20 Chanel victory. Even in a loss, that game is still remembered in Black River circles because of Ensign's gutsy performance against Chanel's undeniable talent. "At first I was shocked, but then I accepted the challenge and looked forward to it," Ensign said. "I wanted to shut him down. Ohio Mr. Football? It's not very often at a school like ours that I'm going to play against him. It was a cool thing to get a chance to do. "After that interception, we're walking back (to the huddle) and (Childress) is talking to me. I told him I was a freshman, and he said, 'You're a good player. Keep it up.' It was an experience. Ensign rushed for 205 yards and intercepted five passes that season while playing a supporting role to guys like 220-pound first-team All-Ohioans Linden and Power, but he was just getting started. Still 5-8, 155 as a sophomore, Ensign played wide receiver and cornerback as the Pirates started double-digit freshmen and sophomores during a 3-7 rebuilding season. Ensign still was named honorable mention D-V All-Ohio after grabbing a school-record 37 passes for 535 yards. He moved to back wingback the next year, rushing for 484 yards, picking off five more passes, handling extra points and being named honorable mention All-Ohio again. The numbers were similar as a senior — 507 yards rushing, 244 receiving — but this time a well-earned reputation earned Ensign a second-team All-Ohio award as the Pirates were seven-, one- and one-point losses away from being undefeated and in the second round of the playoffs. Ensign remains the only Black River player to rush and receive for 1,000 yards apiece in a career. He also had at least 15 interceptions — his 2000 total was unavailable — and his school-record 94-yard punt return against University School in 2002 remains third in county history. "He was one of those guys I wish I had 11 of him," Young said. "He could do anything. Brian would have been a great quarterback, especially with what Black River does now. He was a great receiver, played running back, defensively he played all over the place — cornerback, safety, we walked him up into the box — and he was a big hitter, too. There wasn't much he couldn't do. "When I heard he got into the hall of fame, I texted him, 'Hey, congratulations. It's a great honor, yada, yada yada,' and he said. 'Thanks, Coach, but they always forget about football.' I was like, 'Well, I don't think Bam Childress is going to forget."' Ensign understands his absolutely silly baseball accomplishments will always overshadow football, even though he genuinely loves the sport the same way. The bond is different on the gridiron, as Ensign and his ex-teammates still send their wives into awe at how vividly they can recall their football memories. Ensign can even go back to when he would wear Matt Graves or Milt Marshall's jersey while manning the sidelines as the Black River ball boy. He also brought up Jeremy's Burton's breathtaking school-record 95-yard fumble return on the final play of a 26-15 win against Loudonville in 1994. Above all, however, Ensign cherishes the culture of Black River, a football school to the bone that no one else in the county can fully understand given its geographical isolation and extremely rural demographic. "It's hard-nosed, and that's the best I can look at it," he said "You're going to get yelled at if you don't do the right thing, so you strive to do the right thing so you don't get yelled at again. "I knew I was better at baseball, but that didn't mean I didn't like football. It's something about those Friday night lights and Black River being a big football school ever since I was around." Big picture Ensign's life changed when he starred for an Akron-area travel baseball team during the summer of 2002 and then-West Virginia Greg Van Zant needed to see only one swing before being sold. Van Zant offered a substantial scholarship — full rides are still rare in college baseball — and Ensign accepted so quickly that he has since forgotten what other schools besides Ashland, Akron and Eastern Carolina wanted his services. "Brian is a talented athlete who can run and hit," Van Zant said in a press release announcing the 2003 recruiting class. "He runs well enough to play in center and he has one of the best swings from the left side of the plate that I have seen. We think he has the hitting ability to play early in his career at WVU. He is also a good young man from a great family and we are thrilled that he has chosen the WVU program." Ensign, who was scouted heavily by the Milwaukee Brewers and also the Cincinnati Reds in high school, headed to Morgantown with big-time power, big-time speed and big-time dreams. The Mountaineers were one of the premier teams in the Big East, and Ensign fully expected to be flying around the outfield right away. Trying to stretch a double into a triple during a practice that summer changed Ensign's path again, as a badly torn hamstring forever robbed him of the speed that made him a plus defender in center field and an absolute terror on the basepaths. With the injury came the disappointment of redshirting and knowing he'd never again be the same five-tool player. The recent death of his beloved grandfather was in the the back of his mind, too, so Ensign did a lot of reflection in a short period of time. Ensign tried to trudge on by lifting weights at 3:30 a.m., going to class, taking a small break and then practicing from 6-9 p.m. each day. In the end, he left West Virginia after the fall semester and later declined an offer to play football at Ashland. "It was an eye-opener," Ensign said. "I had a great time down there and it was fun playing at that level, but it's a whole different level, that's for sure." Ensign returned home and poured foundations for a year before landing a job as an officer at the Grafton Correctional Institution, where he still patrols the yard and guides inmates to chow. "I could tell you some crazy stories that I've seen in the years I've been there, but that's the part I like about it," he said. "You can go in and it's something different literally every day." What hasn't been different in Ensign's life has been the support from his family. Ensign knew from the moment he and Alee Power began flirting in Spanish class that she was the one — "She still gives me butterflies," he said — as the two got married not long after high school and built a house on the Power family's small farm off Jeffrey Road, which represents the Medina/Ashland county border. Thanks partly to Brian's career at Grafton Correctional that wouldn't be as established without leaving college, that house is nearly paid off and quite busy with Gavin keeping Mom and Dad on their toes. Instead of playing baseball, Brian is watching Gavin play T-ball — "If I could keep him from playing in the dirt, it would be a lot better," Brian joked — but he'll still "come out of retirement" from time to time to fill in on his buddies' slow-pitch softball teams. His high school sweetheart as his wife, a happy son and a home not too far from where he grew up leaves Ensign with no regrets. Once a Pirate, always a Pirate. "I like the hard-nosed people, the Amish buggies out here, it's quiet," he said. "You've got farmboys, and these city kids come in thinking they're going to work you over and you hand it to them. "We're happy and, like I said, we like it out here. ... We're definitely enjoying life." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.