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Two-Sport Star
Canton South’s Torrence excels on gridiron, diamond
(From the May 2006 Issue)
By Bill Greene
Stark County has long been established as one of the top areas in Ohio for producing world class athletes, especially football players. Names like Mike Doss, Kenny Peterson and Dustin Fox are a few NFL football players who got their start here. Stark County also produced former NBA players Gary Grant and Phil Hubbard. Olympians Jud Logan, Dave Wottle and Ronnie Harris also called this area home.
It might be time to start looking at Canton South junior Devon Torrence as a player who could be that type of athlete. Only 16 years old, the 6-2, 195-pound Torrence is currently rated as one of the top athletes in the state for his ability in both football and baseball. (In fact, he is rated as the state’s fifth-best football prospect for the Class of 2007 by Ohio High.)
In two seasons as a varsity football player Torrence has established himself as both a star running back and a superb defensive back. He was a fine two-way player as a junior. He had 99 tackles and a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense and scored 14 touchdowns and rushed for 639 yards on offense.
How good is Torrence, you might ask? Good enough that he's drawing attention from most of the top programs in the country. Names like Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas and Southern Cal have expressed interest. Good enough that by February of his junior year of high school to have received full scholarship offers from Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana and Akron.
After his sophomore season in baseball, Torrence was invited to play in the East Coast Pro Showcase in Wilmington, N.C., as well as the Puma Pre-Season All-American Camp in Tuscon, Ariz. He was selected to the all-tournament team at both events. He's been invited to play for Team USA in a pro-am tournament that will take place in The Netherlands next summer. As a sophomore, he led Canton South to the regionals as he batted over .500 and slugged a school-record 11 home runs. He also stole 25 bases. The combination of speed and power already has professional scouts tracking him closely.
With all the attention that has come his way Torrence has still managed to stay focused on schoolwork and has not let the acclaim have a negative effect on his life.
Canton South head football coach Moe Daniska knows Torrence as well as anyone. Daniska is also an assistant baseball coach so he spends a lot of time with Torrence. He could not speak higher of Devon Torrence.
“Devon is an exceptionally well-rounded young man,” said Daniska. “His natural athletic ability, combined with his great work ethic, make him very special. Devon's smile, outgoing personality and overall enthusiasm make him well liked by teachers, teammates and coaches.
The most impressive thing about Devon is that he is a team first player. Even with the steady media attention he's been getting, he's still able to focus on being a team guy not a ‘me’ guy. That speaks volumes about his character. Devon carries that same work ethic over to the classroom where he is constantly working to improve and succeed.”
Daniska talked about some of the things that make Torrence a special athlete in both sports.
“On the baseball field Devon seems to constantly amaze,” Daniska said. “As a sophomore leadoff hitter, he broke the school record for home runs. The problem some teams face when trying to pitch around him is that he has the speed to be on third base in a matter of two pitches. As a centerfielder, Devon's speed is his greatest asset.
“On the football field Devon continued to excel despite being banged up earlier in the season. He openly accepts the challenge of being the ‘go to’ guy on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he has the ability to play any skill position and we plan on utilizing that ability to the fullest. He has the big play ability and explosiveness to make things happen any time he touches the football. Defensively he has the size, speed and strength to be one of the best defensive backs in the state.
“He has the savvy and ability to break on the football and the physical tools needed to be a big hitter from his safety position. He also has the closing speed and quickness to be a shut down cornerback.
“There's no doubt Torrence's athletic ability is drawing attention of big time programs in both sports, but most importantly, his leadership, work ethic and character make him a special young man.”
So which sport does Torrence like best?
“I always say I like whatever sport I'm playing at the time the best,” said Torrence. “It's really hard for me to choose and right now I don't have to. I'm getting recruited by mostly the same schools in both sports. They always tell me I can play both sports if I come to their school.”
When asked to describe the football recruiting process, Torrence just smiled and rattled off the names of his favorites.
“Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, USC, Florida and Miami (Fla.) are at the top of my list right now,” said Torrence. “I plan on visiting all of them at some point. I've already been to Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State for games. I've been to Ohio State the most. I was at three football games, one basketball game and one bowl practice.
“After practice I went with the defensive backs to their meetings. That was real interesting being with Ashton Youboty and Tyler Everett. Coach (Jim) Bollman told me they are recruiting me as an athlete. They said I could be a running back, wide receiver or a defensive back at the next level. It doesn't matter to me. I'll play where I'm needed.
“I feel real comfortable at Ohio State, both with the coaches and the players. I would love to play football and baseball in Columbus. Ohio State is my leader and I'm hoping they will offer me a scholarship. It just seems like the right place for me but I'm checking out a lot of different schools to see what they have to offer.”
In the meantime, though, Torrence is locked in to his spring season with the South baseball squad.
“Right now, I'm concentrating on winning a state championship in baseball,” Torrence said. “That's the most important thing to me right now. We got to the regionals last year with a team playing a lot of sophomores.”
Torrence also has high goals for next football season.
“I want to win a state championship in football too,” Torrence said. “We haven't made the playoffs yet since I've been here but next year we'll be much better. Coach Daniska is doing a lot of different things. He's bringing a new attitude to the entire program. That's no knock on our last coach, Elmer Scheutz. Coach Scheutz was great to me and I still think a lot of him. He helped make me a better player.”
Torrence is famous for his work ethic and he shared his training regimen.
“I work out every day,” said Torrence. “I lift three times a week and I work on speed every day. After baseball practice, I'll go to the batting cages to hit for an extra hour. It's not work to me. It's just something I love to do. I want to be the best in both sports and I don't let anything come before my workouts. I learned how to train from Butch Reynolds. He's at Ohio State now and it would be great to work with him again.”
Timing could get interesting for Torrence over the next year-and-a-half. He could sign a national letter-of-intent for football in February 2007. But if a major league baseball team makes him a high draft choice in the June 2007 amateur draft, Torrence could be tempted to sign and cast his lot as a pro baseball player.
So what does the future hold for Devon Torrence? We asked him to look in his crystal ball and tell us where he'll be following high school graduation and beyond. Which sport will he eventually choose?
“I really want to get a college degree,” said Torrence. “That's important to my mom and to me. I want to play football and baseball for a great school then see where I'm at.
“If I had to guess I'd say I'll be playing baseball and trying to make it to the big leagues. Baseball just seems to fit my personality. I guess I'd like to have a career in baseball but you never know. I love football, too, so I guess I really can't answer that question today. Ask me again after I get my college degree.”
There's no question that Devon Torrence is one of the most talented athletes in Ohio. He's also driven to reach the top of whichever sport he chooses to follow. The future is indeed quite bright for this young man.
