Soccer, Track & Field
Favorite athlete: Yaya Toure
Favorite team: Chelsea F.C.
Favorite memory competing in sports: Reaching the championship of the U-12 state soccer challenge.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I got hit in the nose on a free kick by a college player from Eastern University and there was blood everywhere. I guess that was pretty embarrassing.
Music on iPod: Rap, Rock.
Future plans: Become a pharmacist.
Words to live by: “Never give up, even if the odds are stacked against you.”
One goal before turning 30: Run in the Boston Marathon.
One thing people don’t know about me: I eat healthy and hate junk food.
By GORDON GLANTZ
Want to see what Pennridge senior midfielder Justin Musco is all about?
Hit the rewind button and go back about two years and hit play.
That’s when Mark Wagner, the Eastern University soccer coach, brought the T3 program to Pennridge for a camp.
On the final day, during a split-squad game, Musco suffered a bloodied nose that was initially feared to be broken.
He came off the field, blood all over his face and shirt.
“I figured he was done for the day,” said Pennridge coach Peter Valimont. “But he washed his face and said, ‘Coach, put me back in.’”
This was not a game for anything other than a chance to play. The opponent was not Central Bucks East or Souderton. It was what it was, but he didn’t care.
“Nine out of 10 kids would just sit and watch,” continued Valimont. “But that is what he is all about. It’s just the blood, sweat and tears. He’s not going to come off the field.”
Now hit pause.
There stands Justin Musco, the Univest Featured Male Athlete of the Week.
“I don’t like sitting,” he explained. “I feel like I have to be moving at all times, and staying productive.”
Now or Never
After two years behind standout Chris Gross (Bloomsburg) on the varsity depth chart, the plan is for Musco to not come off the field much this year, as the senior-heavy Rams look to find their way back into postseason.
Unlikely to play in the college, Musco is expected to play like there is no tomorrow.
“I think he is realistic that this is just a high school thing, playing soccer,” said Valimont, who coached Musco and many of senior teammates on their U-17 club team that recently placed second in a U-19 tournament in Ft. Dix, N.J. “So, he wants no regrets.”
The Rams open the season Thursday against potentate C.B. East, and Musco will be making his first official start.
“I expect him to play 75 of 80 minutes,” said Valimont. “And when he’s not on the field, you are going to notice that he is not there.”
Admittedly primed for his long-awaited time to shine, Musco is channeling his emotions into an even-keeled focus.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said, “but not in an arrogant or cocky way.
“We could win all of our games, or we could lose all of our games. The season hasn’t started yet. We’ll see how it goes.
“We are looking good. On our club team, we have been playing together since we were 10 years old. Three or four of them are in my boat (varsity experience as subs) and the rest have played together on junior varsity. Add in a few other players, and we should be pretty good.”
Although Musco is diminutive – Valimont says he is “5-8, 5-9 and 125-130 pounds – soaking wet,” his coach is expecting big things from a player who seems to always be around the ball.
“When you look at his effort and ability, I’ll put it up against anyone in the league,” said the coach, who saw dramatic improvement in Musco in club play with the Deep Run Rams. “And his attitude is going to be ‘it’s now or never.’”
Musco says his tank is fueled by many factors, with one of them being to turn the program around.
“Sitting and watching varsity kind of struggle these last few years, it just motivates you to want to do well,” he said. “If I have something left over – something that I could have given, like a pass I never made – it’s not a good thing.”
Drive and Passion
Musco, though unassuming, has made the most of his high school experience, and it extends beyond being a year-round athlete (soccer, indoor track, outdoor track) all four years.
In the class room, the aspiring pharmacist has a 4.315 GPA in AP classes.
He is a member of the key club, which involves at least 50 hours a year of volunteering in the community. He is also an “ambassador” to the lunch staff, helping design a menu that meets guidelines while meeting the palates of his classmates.
And somehow, he fits in 15 hours a week as a bus boy at Luberto’s, a local restaurant.
“They are real flexible about the hours,” said Musco, whose final list of schools includes Pitt, Northeastern and Rhode Island. “That’s part of the reason that I’m able to do it.”
Valimont says it all speaks to his “drive and passion” as he challenges himself to do the best he can.
“His biggest competitor is himself,” said Valimont. “He’ll come off the field, after a scrimmage or a practice, and find two or three flaws or mistakes to correct that we never would have noticed.
“Justin is quiet kid who doesn't look for praise like most his own age. He will never scream or yell at a teammate but instead take the blame if a mistake is made when he's on the field.”
If anything, he is the first to encourage a teammate if he is getting down on himself for a mistake.
“I usually don’t get down too much on them,” he said. “I’m the first one to go over and say, ‘good job’ or ‘get over it.’
“I think that’s half the reason I help other people. It’s because I beat up on myself so much. I’m really hard on myself. That’s why I push harder in practice.”
Fun Again
At the end of last soccer season, Musco immersed himself in winter and spring track and freely admits that he gave consideration to going out for cross-country in the fall and hanging up his spikes.
The primary thought running through his head was that he sat and watched while the Rams struggled, making it frustrating.
Valimont sensed that when last season ended in disappointment, he didn’t know if Musco was going to be in the fold.
“I was really wasn’t sure he was going to come out,” said the coach. “But his attitude has just been great. It’s going to be tough to keep him off the field.
“I was a little nervous that he might have been upset with his lack of playing time, but we never got to the point where we had a talk. He came out again and with him, it’s all about the work ethic. He never missed anything. He has a great attitude.”
How can he tell?
Just from body language, and facial expression, like when the team does sprints.
“He runs track, so he is always right there, in front of the pack, with a big smile on his face,” said Valimont. “He has suffered some ups and downs, but you can tell that soccer is fun again.”
Musco said he didn’t make his final decision until the early summer, and he was thinking of his teammates that he had played alongside for so long.
Something would have been missing without a final chapter, and he has zero regrets now.
He is all in.
“When I was thinking of the pros and cons, I thought about my teammates. We had been friends for so long. I didn’t want to leave them out to dry,” he said. “Right now, the players and coaches are making it super fun.”
