Lewisburg’s Alfred Romano earns Boys Soccer Player of the Year honor
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Alfred Romano's numbers pop out when glancing at them. He scored an impressive 25 goals throughout the year. He dished out 17 assists to teammates to put in goals. Add in the fact that he was routinely marked by opponent's best defenders, sometimes even double teamed.
But despite that, Romano had a knack for finding his way through traffic and scoring. No matter how good a defense seemed to be, Romano was often at the end celebrating a goal.
His dominant play throughout the season earned him the 2022 Sun-Gazette Boys Soccer Player of the Year nod. Others considered for the award included Jersey Shore's Nick Bellomo, Wellsboro's Jack Poirier, Williamsport's Owen Kaar and Warrior Run's Tanner Polcyn.
Romano is the third Lewisburg player since 2014 to earn the Sun-Gazette honors, joining Joey Bhangdia (2014-16) and Ben Liscum (2019-20).
"I think I have good vision. I feel like I can see the ball like at all times, and something that I feel I can work on and improve upon is just being a bit quicker and sometimes I feel I can hold onto the ball for a little too long, but we'll go into practice and I'll get ready for that," Romano said.
Romano saved some of his best performances for the postseason. In the first round of the PIAA Class AA tournament, Romano scored twice in a 5-0 rout over Dunmore. In a tight quarterfinal contest against Conwell-Egan in which Lewisburg won 2-1, Romano scored the go-ahead goal with less than two minutes to play to secure the victory. And while he didn't score in Lewisburg's 5-3 shootout loss to Northwestern Lehigh in the state semifinals — Lewisburg scored one goal through regulation and two overtime periods — he constantly was in position to make something happen and helped open the offense up that day.
When a key goal is needed, often Romano was there, delivering right on time like the postal service.
"I take a lot of pride in helping this offense get going. There have been a lot of really great players who have come through this program in the past years and I'm just here to do my part this year and help us succeed," Romano said.
Romano's 25 goals and 17 assists led the area as well.
"I think he's just a soccer player and he's pretty versatile we can kind of move him around to different positions and kind of feel where he's going to best fit our team and he'll roll with it he'll give our team the best chance to win no matter where he is on the field," Lewisburg coach Ben Kettlewell said. "We also have conversations with him and he's like having another coach on the field. He recognizes the space and where the other guys are just as much as they need him, but he's not in there just for himself. He's in there to help Caden (Michaels) and Reese (Dieffenderfer) to kind of get on the score sheet, and he vibed quite well with Viktor Permyashkin."
While Romano scored, he also was key in helping others excel around him. If it wasn't Romano scoring, he was helping the offense open up for the aforementioned players to fire shots at the goal.
"I mean yeah the accolades are great but really it was just having great teammates. I mean, yeah, I can score the ball and yeah I can finish the ball better I think," Romano said. "I mean, I have been working on it all year, but it's great teammates like Reese who always spots me and gets me the ball."
It didn't matter what opponent Lewisburg faced throughout the regular season or postseason. Teams knew that Romano was a player they had to limit and key on. Often he was marked, and many times he was double covered as teams did anything to stop him from scoring. But he still found his way through traffic. His patience paid off every time.
"Obviously a few teams have man-marked me in the past. I just think the biggest thing that coach told me to just be patient and maybe not always be the guy and maybe instead open up more space for someone else," Romano said. "If they're double teaming me then someone else will definitely be open for sure. I have been working all year for this so now it's my time to shine."
And Romano's play shined bright throughout the year.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Mitch Cornelius, Jersey Shore
Cornelius has done an outstanding job getting the Bulldogs on the right path in terms of being successful and being district contenders. Under Cornelius, the Bulldogs went 12-3, the most wins in a season since winning 12 in 2016.
After going 5-13 last year, Cornelius helped the team stay focused and determined and not only reach the postseason, but advanced to the District 4 championship game. It was just the second time in program history the Bulldogs have made it to a district final, both of which have come under Cornelius' guidance (2022 and 2020).
Jersey Shore also had a solid back line this year, which resulted in playing a tough contest with perennial state contender Lewisburg earlier in the year, losing by just a goal.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Ben Kettlewell, Lewisburg; Chris Vanaskie, South Williamsport; Lee Kaar, Williamsport.
SUN-GAZETTE SOCCER ALL-STARS
F--CONNOR POOLE, WILLIAMSPORT: Poole emerged early on in the season as a scoring threat for the Millionaires and helped create opportunities for himself and his teammates. He led Williamsport with 14 goals scored -- doubling that of the next highest scorer at Williamsport -- and had a team-high eight assists. He was named a second-team HAC all-star as well.
F--JOSH HEINEY, HUGHESVILLE: Heiney was a remarkable standout player for the Spartans. He constantly found a way to get through defenders and rifle off shots. It resulted with Heiney leading the Spartans with 15 goals -- averaging 1.1 per game -- and dishing out four assists. Heiney was also a HAC-2 first-team all-star this year as a senior.
F--JACK POIRIER, WELLSBORO: The Green Hornets had numerous offensive weapons, but Poirier was among the toughest to defend against. Poirier ended the year as a Northern Tier League all-star and named NTL Offensive Player of the Year, finishing with 18 goals and 17 assists. he averaged nearly a goal and assist per game for the Green Hornets, which made it to the district playoffs.
F--NICK BELLOMO, JERSEY SHORE: A runner-up candidate for Player of the Year, Bellomo was big in helping the Bulldogs' offense succeed and reach the District 4 Class AAA championship game for just the second time in school history. Bellomo ended the year wtih 18 goals and four assists, averaging 1.2 goals per game.
M--TANNER POLCYN, WARRIOR RUN: Polcyn didn't lead the Defenders with goals or assists this year, although he did have nine and four, respectively. Rather, he was a solid enforcer on the field and helped open the offense up and play well all-around. It helped him garner all-state honors as a senior, HAC-2 Player of the Year honors and a HAC-2 first-team nod.
M--REESE DIEFFENDERFER, LEWISBURG: Dieffenderfer helped control the midfield for the Green Dragons while also being a threat to score. He ended with seven goals and six assists. Dieffenderfer, a senior, earned HAC-1 third-team honors as a midfielder, showing how much talent throughout the league there is.
M--NOAH PAWLING, LEWISBURG: Pawling's play went well beyond just goals and assists. While he had five goals and four assists this year through 20 games played, what Pawling did was help control things in the midfield and backup the defense in limiting opponents. It helped him earn HAC-1 first-team honors as a midfielder.
M--OWEN KAAR, WILLIAMSPORT: Kaar's stats with goals and assists won't leap off the page at you, but it's what Kaar brought to the team at a center mid position. The Millionaire was invaluable at the position, controlling the midfield and doing what he could to help Williamsport. He was a first-team HAC all-star selection this year.
D--ZAK KREISHER, LEWISBURG: The Green Dragons only allowed eight goals all season long through 24 games. The key to that defensive brilliance? Kreisher. The Green Dragon was an absolute stud on the defensive side of the ball, limiting any opposing forwards and midfielders from getting easy looks at the goal and good shots off. Kreisher was a first-team HAC-1 all-star as a defender.
D--MATT REISH, LEWISBURG: Like Kreisher above, Reish was a standout defensive player and was a big reason the Green Dragons' back line was a wall to get past and score. Reish, a second-team HAC-1 defender, was a big part of why Lewisburg posted 16 shutouts this season and only allowed one opponent to score more than one goal in a game (Midd-West).
D--PETE BELLOMO, JERSEY SHORE: Jersey Shore coach Mitch Cornelius mentioned thorughout the year how solid the Bulldogs defense was. And Bellomo was a key part of that defense. Jersey Shore gave numerous teams fits, which including holding an immensly talented Lewisburg team to just two goals earlier in the year.
D--PEYTON MCCLURE, WELLSBORO: The Wellsboro senior was a huge piece of the Green Hornets' success defensively this year. Wellsboro only allowed six goals all year against Northern Tier opponents, and McClure earned all-state honors and was a first-team NTL defender as well.
GK--SAM RADULSKI, WILLIAMSPORT: Six of Williamsport's losses this year -- including a 3-2 District 2-4 Class AAAA quarterfinal loss -- were by two or less goals, and Radulski's play in a goal is large reason why they were close games. The Williamsport goalie ended with 106 saves this year -- third most in the area -- and recorded three shutouts as well.
GK--ELI SLAMKA, MUNCY: Slamka was a first-team Mid-Penn goalie this year and his play is indicative of why. Slamka, a senior, had 141 saves this year (most in the area) and averaged 9.4 per game. Slamka was key in keeping Muncy in games and had a 0.8 save percentage.
SECOND TEAM
F--Evan Yoder, Milton
F--Alex Brown, Warrior Run
F--Caden Smith, Wellsboro
F--Ben Potter, Warrior Run
M--Sam Rudy, Wellsboro
M--Dominic Ballo, Milton
M--Darrien Svilokos, Lewisburg
M--Tyler Wescott, Loyalsock
D--Isaiah Reibson, Jersey Shore
D--Jack Fink, Williamsport
D--Alex Neidig, South Williamsport
D--Owen Farr, Jersey Shore
GK--Henry Harrison, Lewisburg
HONORABLE MENTION
(in alphabetical order)
Jacob Abadi, Wellsboro, M; Trent Achey, Williamson, F; Aaron Akers, South Williamsport, GK; Mathias Albert, Montoursville, M; Isaiah Brinker, Central Mountain, D; Nate Brinker, Central Mountain, F; Alex Brown, Warrior Run, M; Braego Cieslukowski, Warrior Run, GK; Alex Citrino, Wellsboro, F; Lucas Cuneo, Wellsboro, F; Owen Farr, Jersey Shore, D; Weston Feil, Wellsboro, D; Jeff Fenstermacher, Hughesville, M; Cade Ficks, Williamson, F; Jack Fink, Williamsport, D; Rocky Finnegan, Sullivan County, M; Cameron Fishel, Jersey Shore, GK; Wyatt Fry, Montoursville, F; Aiden Gehman, Wellsboro, GK; Will Gehman, Williamson, M; Braylon Gentzel, Central Mountain, D; Becket Gilmour, Loyalsock, D; Cody Goodspeed, Warrior Run, M; Lee Habalar, Muncy, D; Ethan Hamilton, Milton, M; Logan Harris, South Williamsport, F; Quyunn Hartman, Hughesville, D; Gavin Hawley, Montoursville, M; Trey Higley, Sullivan County; Hunter Jackson, Montgomery; Jett Johnson, Williamsport, F; Peyton Jones, Central Mountain, F; Duncan Kerr, Williamson, M; Riley King, Sullivan County, F; Robert Kipferl, Williamson, D; Mason Lauchle, Montoursville, GK; Ben Manning, South Williamsport; Daniel Marshall, Jersey Shore, M; Jordan Monroe, Williamson, D; Mason Morrow, Montoursville, GK; Logan Ohl, Muncy, D; Zach Pagano, Galeton, F; Lucas Pearson, Loyalsock, D; Cody Peers, Williamson, F; Viktor Permyashkin, Lewisburg, F; Ben Potter, Warrior Run, M/F; Matt Reish, Lewisburg, D; Rowan Revata, Muncy, M/F; Gabe Severn, Loyalsock, F; Kayvan Shams, South Williamsport, M; Owen Sherman, Montgomery, F; Brock Smith, Jersey Shore, D; Corey Smith, N.P.-Liberty, D; Matt Smith, Galeton, M; Ayden Sprague, Williamson, F; Gabe Sprouse, Wellsboro, D; Carter Stackhouse, Jersey Shore, F; Brady Stetter, N.P.-Liberty, F; Logan Stickler, Williamson, GK; Jonah Strobel, Milton, GK; Asher Talbot, Central Mountain, M; Deakon Valentine, N.P.-Liberty, GK; Ayden Whipple, Galeton, GK; Zach Wilcox, N.P.-Liberty, M; Mason Winslow, Montoursville, M; Ethan Woolcock, Hughesville, D; Seth Yoder, Milton, D; Matt Zur, Galeton, D