Congratulations are warranted and perhaps overdue when you consider the astounding numbers associated with Vero Beach High football teams over the past six seasons under head coach Lenny Jankowski.
For fans accustomed to week-to-week excellence on the field dating back many years, some might say victory in the present day has been greeted with nonchalance. When the streak of consecutive regular season wins hit the 30 mark last month, it was time to step back and take a tiny glimpse into how this is being done.
Jankowski’s teams are 54-8 overall and 51-3 in regular-season games. The 2016 version was 6-0 when Matthew blitzed through last week and temporarily ruined the party.
Talk to any coach and they will forever tell you success starts on the offensive and defensive lines. Jankowski is no exception, but his teams have taken it a step further. An efficient passing game has been a signature feature and – even in a pass-happy era in the pros and college – that has not always been the easiest aspect to develop on the high school level. Especially with a new starting quarterback almost every year.
“We work very hard at it,” Jankowski said. “I’ve been lucky to have some very good QBs. Take Mike Dean, for example, and really our last three starters. They have all been ‘program’ guys. That seems to be a dying breed in an instant gratification world.
“Mike Dean was our JV QB in his sophomore year. He played sparingly as the varsity backup last season. Then he gets his opportunity this year as a senior. He’s our hardest working guy. He’s the first one to practice and the last one to leave.
“Those are some of the intangibles and you couldn’t have a better face for our team. Here’s a guy who has put in his time. He knows the offense as well as I do. We have great conversations during practices and games, both when it’s going well and when it’s not going well.
“He and I are rarely not on the same page. We get things together pretty quickly. He handles himself very well and our other starting QBs shared those characteristics.”
Jankowski’s past two starters, Carson Proctor and Carter Stanley, went through a similar apprenticeship. They eventually achieved great success under center as seniors. Dean picked right up where they left off and hasn’t missed a beat through six games with a 73 percent completion rate for 1445 yards and 19 TDs.
“Sometimes the players and their parents aren’t willing to – or can’t – put in that extra time,” Jankowski said. “These guys we just talked about were willing to do that and have achieved great success. They worked very hard at it and did all the things that are required for guys to progress.
“We’ve got 43 sports teams here. The ‘program’ athlete – the guy or the girl – that comes through the system and progresses as a player through sub-varsity teams and sometimes in a backup role is for whatever reason a dying breed.
“The QBs we’ve had here enjoy going to practice, work hard on and off the field, are very good in the classroom, have a high football IQ, and they are good teammates. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Of course, the QB does not win games by himself. The rest of the team is loaded with speed and size from the extensive talent pool available across our entire community. He said, “I don’t think it’s any secret that you have to have good players to win games. We certainly have our share of good players.
“On top of that, they have other great qualities. First and foremost our players are very unselfish and they play very well as a team. If you talk to any of them you’ll realize that’s their mindset and goal. Aside from being talented they are a lot of fun to be around.”
Jankowski doubles as the athletic director and can be drawn in many different directions. He first started coaching football at age 22 and went through a “program” similar to the one that proved beneficial for some of his players. He has reached a point of personal and professional satisfaction.
“Being the AD comes with a lot of important responsibilities, but getting on the field every day is definitely the most enjoyable part,” Jankowski told us. “I really look forward to football practice. That’s all I’ve ever done. That’s all I’ve ever known.
“I enjoy the preparation and getting our teams ready to play. It’s a challenge each and every day in the sport of football. We’ve got some great coaches. They are a lot of fun to be around and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. They do a great job.
“I enjoy coming to work every day. I get to work with great people. I have a very rewarding profession.”
