RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg’s Logan Kitchens (14) kisses his championship medal this year. Under coach Ben Kettlewell, Lewisburg has won 261 games since 2013 when he was a co-coach with Skip Kratzer.

It’s not exactly easy to keep a program at the highest-level year in and year out, especially at the high school level. You get a standout player for four years and then they’re gone. Every school experiences it.

So, it makes runs like what Lewisburg’s boys soccer program has done more impressive. And at the center of that success since 2013 is coach Ben Kettlewell.

Kettlewell grew up in Danville, so he was aware of how good Lewisburg was when he was younger.

Before he came to Lewisburg, Kettlewell coached for two years as Susquehannock High School in Southern York and when he was there, he led Susquehannock to a 41-9-3 record.

In 2012, Kettlewell became a volunteer assistant for the Green Dragons. He became co-coach with Skip Kratzer from 2013-18 before being the sole head coach since 2019.

That success Kettlewell had at Susquehannock followed him to Lewisburg and since he joined Kratzer as a co-coach in 2013, it’s been an awful lot of winning and titles for Kettlewell and Co.

“It’s a blessing. When me and my wife moved here, we moved to Lewisburg and I grew up in Danville so I knew of Danville and stuff they had before. We just kind of bought in and relationships I’ve developed with the players,” Kettlewell said after winning the District 4 Class AA title vs. Midd-West last week. “I’m also a teacher, which means my coaching job never stops. Even all year long and seeing the guys in their street clothes and this and that. Just the relationships they have with me and each other, stuff like that. I think that’s the key.”

Kettlewell has a career record at Lewisburg of 261-26-7 between his time as co-coach with Kratzer (2012-18) and currently as head coach since 2019.

Thirteen seasons, 261 wins and just 26 losses. It speaks to the talent Lewisburg has from its young. youth programs through junior high and JV.

And Kettlewell’s relationships with his players not just as a coach, but as a teacher, has gone a long way in the team playing outstanding year in and year out. Like all great coaches, Kettlewell gets the absolute best out of his players on the field.

“It’s not the Xs and Os and where I put them or this and that, they want to fight for each other and fight for me and I want to do same for them,” Kettlewell said. “We’ll all be sad when the season ends. That’s why you coach and that’s why you’re involved in sports.”

Lewisburg is hoping the season isn’t coming to an end quite yet as the Green Dragons travel to Northern High School in Dillsburg for a 2 p.m. game against Devon Prep today.

Jon Gerardi covers high school soccer and is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JonGerardi.