Springdale QB Ausk gets head start on sophomore season

By: Michael Love
Monday, July 15, 2019 | 5:11 PM

Legend Ausk enters his sophomore football season at Springdale in the running to take over the varsity starting quarterback job left vacant from the graduation of multi-year starter Josh Jones.

A scout team signal-caller last fall, Ausk knew his future with the Dynamos held the potential to take over the offense, and he has taken steps toward that goal.

The 6-foot, 160-pounder added to his offseason work recently with a pair of quarterback instruction and showcase events through National Football Academies.

“I’m sure he benefitted from getting some different views from different people,” Springdale coach Seth Napierkowski said. “Legend does have a great desire to make himself a better player, and he’s always looking for different ways to do that.”

Ausk got the ball rolling at the NFA Quarterback Academy event June 29-30, at North Allegheny High School.

Ausk said he appreciated the chance to sharpen his skills on the field, from throwing with power and accuracy to increasing his mobility in and out of the pocket with instruction from the NFA staff.

The camp included classroom work and video analysis of throwing performances.

He also pointed to the importance of sessions that dealt with how to be a better leader on and off the field.

“We worked on pretty much every aspect of the game,” Ausk said.

Ausk returned to the NFA regional camp after taking part in a similar event two years ago at Central Catholic.

He said he knew what to expect from the camp and was ready to take advantage of the opportunity this time around.

Ausk’s performance at North Allegheny opened eyes and produced an invitation from an NFA certified coach to The Duel national quarterback competition Friday and Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

He was one of more than 100 of the top quarterbacks who are rising fifth through 11th graders selected from the NFA regionals to attend the invitation-only event.

“I was really excited to find out that I was going,” Ausk said. “It was a pretty proud feeling to be selected. I knew it was going to be a great opportunity for me.”

The first day in Nashville featured several sessions of developmental instruction.

“There were a lot of coaches there watching us and helping us,” Ausk said.

The second day continued a detailed list of skill assessments measuring all aspects of the quarterbacks’ ability, from decision making, mobility, strength, accuracy and stamina.

Scoring was done by grade, and each quarterback was tested throughout the two-day event.

Recognition went to the top five finishers in each group.

While Ausk didn’t earn a top-five score in his grade group, he said the two days were a valuable experience.

“I did OK, but I think I could’ve done better,” Ausk said. “I am confident that if I do it again next year, knowing what to expect, I will do better.

“I not only picked up some new skills on the field but learned ways to help my Springdale team as a leader.”

Ausk and his Springdale teammates have just a few weeks left until the start of official preseason practices Aug. 12.

The Dynamos, 2-8 overall in 2018, host neighbor Deer Lakes in a Week Zero game Aug. 23. It will be the 900th game in the history of the program.

“We’re working hard to get ready for the season,” Ausk said. “I’m confident we will do better this year than we did last year.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Springdale