Saturday, December 05, 2009
BY MICHAEL BULLOCK mbullock@patriot-news.com
Tremendously disappointed by the way his senior season came to a close — one game shy of a berth in the state championship — Brett Jankouskas had his spirits lifted significantly Thursday afternoon by a series of texts carrying the same memorable message.
“Congratulations, you’re an All-American.”
The first Palmyra soccer player to land All-American recognition from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the 18-year-old Jankouskas did not learn of his latest accolade until his cellular phone started blowing up as text after text rolled in.
“It’s pretty sweet,” said Jankouskas, who was tagged all-region and all-state after earning Mid-Penn Conference player of the year honors. “It feels good.”
While Thursday’s news brought a marvelous individual close to the prolific Jankouskas’ high school career — and perked him up quite a bit — not reaching the PIAA’s Class AA championship game for the second time in three seasons and winning was a real downer.
Especially since the Cougars (25-2-0) had been Pennsylvania’s top-ranked “small school” side for most of the recently concluded season.
“It makes what I did in school worth something, because we didn’t win states,” said Jankouskas, who bagged 63 points (27 goals, 9 assists) as a senior. “It kind of makes me feel better about the year.”
“That kind of caps everything off right there,” said Palmyra skipper Craig Tyrrell. “Having one guy recognized like that tells a lot about what the team did together.”
And collectively, Palmyra accomplished plenty.
In addition to collaring their second Keystone crown in three seasons, Tyrrell’s Cougars claimed the Mid-Penn’s tournament of champions title by downing eventual PIAA Class AAA and District 3-AAA champ Central Dauphin 1-0 on Jankouskas’ sparkling overtime finish.
Following a third-place finish in the District 3-AA playoffs, the Cougars advanced to the state semifinals before falling to eventual state runner-up Hampton 2-1 on a controversial late score. Whether in or out, the goal stood and Palmyra’s season was over.
Though his high school career is complete, Jankouskas continues to move forward toward higher levels of soccer. He’s relocated to temperate Bradenton, Fla., where he’ll train daily and compete for IMG Academy’s under-18 entry in U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy program.
While getting the opportunity to get in several more hours of work per day outdoors was a big reason for the move south for a kid who hopes to play professionally eventually, Jankouskas will be able to complete his academic requirements at Palmyra by studying online.
“It’s really nice to be able to stay a Palmyra student,” said Jankouskas, who is being recruited by NCAA Division I programs Pittsburgh, New Hampshire and Hartwick. “Really, that’s what I wanted to do, was make sure I graduated from Palmyra.”
