North Branford Resident Selected to Play Football for Team USA

Cory Jasudowich loved football from the moment he started playing at the flag level with (NBYF). He has transformed that love into dreams come true with even loftier goals for the future.

Cory just returned from Austin, Texas, where he not only got to play for Team USA, but captain the group as well. Now the soon-to-be senior is looking forward to another successful year at Cheshire Academy before heading to Boston College where he has verbally committed with a dream of one day playing in the NFL.

“I love the Dallas Cowboys–my mom is a lifelong fan,” says Cory, “but I’d be happy to play for any team in the NFL.”

Heading into the final year of his high school career, Cory has plenty of accomplishments to be proud of. In addition to two bowl titles–the equivalent of a public school’s state championship–his sophomore and junior years, he came back from Texas with a silver medal among the eight countries participating in the tournament.

The Road to Team USA

Cory was nominated for consideration to Team USA and was one of 45 chosen to represent the country. While training for his upcoming season with Cheshire Academy, Cory received the phone call that he’d be heading to Texas to join Team USA.

“It was a pleasure and an honor to be there representing the United States,” says Cory. “It was an automatic family when I got there. We all wanted the same thing and were fighting for the championship for our country.”

The team spent the first of its two-and-a-half weeks practicing twice a day in up to 117-degree heat, which was “much different than up here,” according to Cory, “but we got used to it.” Cory was also “honored” to find out he was a captain for Team USA.

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Though Cory learned a lot throughout his high school career, he also credits his NBYF roots. He started playing with the program at the flag level, playing with NBYF through 8th grade, taking home championships in both his 7th- and 8th-grade years.

“Playing North Branford Youth Football was a pleasure,” says Cory. “Playing with North Branford helped me out with staying strong and learning to get out there and do the best you could do.”

Down the Road

Cory captained the Cheshire Academy team as a junior and will resume that role in the upcoming season. Even though he’s excited about another successful year on the gridiron, that’s not all Cory is focusing on.

“I want to help everyone else out by being a leader on the field and hopefully we could get another bowl championship for my year,” says Cory, who has made First Team All-Colonial for the past two years. “I also want to keep up on my grades.”

Academics will be important when Cory attends Boston College in 2013, where he has verbally committed to playing football, which was “a big weight off my shoulders.” He is considering a major in criminal justice.

Though many are intimidated by the pressures of attending college, Cory feels well-prepared. Attending a prep school means waking up at 5 a.m. every day to get to school where he lifts weights before a day of school, football practice, returning home at 7 p.m. where he has to do schoolwork and go to bed.

In the off-season, Cory trains at the gym, runs and works on his footwork. He’s not on his own though as Daniel O’Dea, who coached Cheshire Academy his freshman year, has helped him train.

“He really helps keep me going,” says Cory. “I really want to thank everybody from my youth coaches to my high school coaches for everything they’ve done for me. My parents have been my biggest fans for as long as I could remember and have never missed a game. My dad coached me in youth football. It has been a part of my family for a long time and I want to keep it going for as long as I possibly can.”