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Lewisburg’s Viktor Permyashkin named Boys Soccer Player of the Year

Those who sat through freezing temperatures and brutal wind in mid-November at North Schuylkill got to witness what made Viktor Permyashkin such a special player. In the first overtime period, Lewisburg had a loose ball that Permyashkin got at his feet near midfield.

He took the ball just a few yards and, from more than 40 yards out, sent a laser of a shot past Faith Christian's goalie who came off the line for an outstanding, dramatic, game-winning goal to send Lewisburg back to the state championship game.

That goal was a microcosm of Permyashkin's season. He stepped up on that cold night and delivered and it was something he did time and time again.

Permyashkin was a senior and made his final year in a green and white jersey one to remember as he won a state championship, the school's first since 2002. Wrap it all together, and it's why Permyashkin was named the Sun-Gazette Boys Soccer Player of the Year for 2025.

Permyashkin is the fourth Lewisburg player to receive the honor in Sun-Gazette history, joining former standouts Alfred Romano (2022), Ben Liscum (2020-19) and three-time winner Joey Bhangdia (2016-14). Runners-up for this year's honor were Montoursville's Quinn Winslow, Montoursville's Bryce Winslow and Montgomery's Dylan Sherman.

Permyashkin was an all-state selection this year, doing so as a midfielder, and was named HAC-I Player of the Year as well while being a first-team midfielder.

While Permyashkin enjoys the accolades individually, he's humbled and focused on the team. He quickly credited his teammates when he was named Player of the Year, spreading the love to the other 10 on the field with him.

"Honestly, I really like playing with my teammates. I think that it's 1-out-of-11 and sure, I'm a good player, but it's the guys around me that make me better. They believe in me, they listen to me, so when I call the ball, they give it to me and they know I'll do something with it," Permyashkin said. "There is a lot of trust, and a team like this where we're all together like this, it's one of best things in the world. A player like me who can have players around me like that? It's awesome."

And having Permyashkin on the team was awesome for Lewisburg without question. The senior led Lewisburg this year with 27 goals scored -- averaging 1.1 per game -- and dished out 17 assists, second-most on the team behind only Keegan Crosby.

Permyashkin was a player defenses focused on coming into games, but he still found ways to strike.

In the District 4 semifinals against Montoursville, Perymashkin had a goal and assist. In the final, he struck first to break open a scoreless game. He scored twice in the first round of states against Lake Lehman in a close 3-2 game and scored the game-winner in overtime against Faith Christian in the semifinals.

When the stakes kept rising in the postseason, Permyashkin kept delivering.

"Viktor's been around this program given he's had older brothers sever since I've been a coach here, I've had a Permyashkin on my team. Next year will be my first year not having one. He means a lot," Lewisburg coach Ben Kettlewell said. "I have known Viktor since he's been 8 or 9 years old and coming around, hanging around the team and just seeing him look up to his older brothers whether it's sideline with us or him in the stands.

"He's a weapon teams have to know him and that's what usually happens. You see teams go 'where's No. 20?,'" Kettlewell continued. "He finds his moments and picks and chooses. He studies the game and he kind of knows when he can attack a guy and he sets up the game so he can find moments like that throughout the game."

He found plenty of those types of moments game in and game out, and capping his senior season with a state medal was a nice touch to an already outstanding soccer resume he had.

UNDERCLASSMAN OF THE YEAR -- Carter Gormont, Hughesville

Stepping onto the field as a freshman or sophomore can be a daunting task knowing there's plenty of experienced players on the pitch with you. But often times those younger players rise up to the occasion and excel and that's precisely what Hughesville's Gormont did. The Spartan had a great sophomore campaign as he played all 20 games for Hughesville and scored 15 goals while dishing out eight assists, a team-high. The Spartans reached the postseason for the first time since 2019 this year, and Gormont was a huge reason why from an offensive standpoint.

COACH OF THE YEAR -- Ben Kettlewell, Lewisburg

All Kettlewell does is win, literally. The longtime Green Dragons coach added his fourth state championship to his already outstanding resume this year as he helped lead Lewisburg to an undefeated season en route to another state title.

It was Lewisburg's fifth state championship in history, first since 2020 and fourth under Kettlewell's reign since he became a co-coach with Skip Kratzer in 2013. Lewisburg is a boys soccer juggernaut in the state, and that's a credit to the youth programs the area has in addition to Kettlewell getting the best from his players and knowing what pieces make the team excel, from who to put up top to what lineup in the back line gives the team its best chance at winning. Kettlewell surpassed 260 career victories this year as well, an impressive milestone as he did so in just 13 seasons.

Montoursville coach Bryan Pauling was runner-up for the honor. Pauling coached the Warriors to its best regular-season in program history by starting 14-0-3 before a season-finale loss.

SUN-GAZETTE BOYS SOCCER ALL-STARS

FIRST TEAM

BRYCE WINSLOW, MONTOURSVILLE, FORWARD

Montoursville had an outstanding offense this year and one of the leaders of that success was Bryce Winslow. The junior led Montoursville with an impressive 20 goals scored and dished out nine assists. He averaged a goal per game and nearly half an assist per game. Winslow earned HAC-II all-star honors as a first-team HAC-I forward this year and was a talented player who helped the Warriors' offense score 65 goals.

ISAAC AYRES, LEWISBURG, FORWARD

When Viktor Permyashkin wasn't scoring, it was typically Ayres finding the back of the net. The Green Dragon was a force up top and had the third-most goals in the area this season with 24 and added 10 assists. Ayres also was a first-team HAC-I all-star selection this fall and was a key piece of Lewisburg's team claiming its first state title since 2020 and fifth overall. Ayres was a tough player for opposing defenses to contain. Ayres also led the area with three hat tricks this fall.

DYLAN SHERMAN, MONTGOMERY, FORWARD

Sherman proved to be one of the area's top scoring threats this year. The Mid-Penn forward all-star selection scored 26 goals this year -- the most in the Mid-Penn and second-most in the area -- and averaged 1.4 goals per game. He accounted for 63% of the team's offense and ended the year with 49 career goals and 19 career assists, third-most goals in school history behind only Seth McQuay's 93 and brother Owen Sherman's 65. Every team that faced Montgomery knew they had to contain Sherman, and he was able to routinely get past defenders and find the back of the net.

CJ LUCAS, MONTOURSVILLE, FORWARD

The Warriors had an outstanding offense led by the Winslow brothers this year, but when those two weren't finding the back of the net, it was usually Lucas. The Warrior junior was a third-team HAC-II all-star selection and dished out 16 assists, second-most on the Warriors' team, and scored 11 goals. He averaged nearly an assist per game as well and was a huge part of the Warriors' offense this year in having success.

QUINN WINSLOW, MONTOURSVILLE, MIDFIELD

Winslow had an outstanding year and was runner-up for Player of the Year honors. Winslow had 11 goals and 21 assists this year, his 21 assists being the most in the area this fall as well. Winslow also became Montoursville's first all-state player since Kyle Bidelspacher in 1992. His 21 assists were the 14th most this year in all of Pennsylvania, regardless of classification. In addition to being named all-state, Winslow was a HAC-II first-team all-star selection at midfield.

GIDEON KENNEL, WARRIOR RUN, MIDFIELD

The Defenders snuck into the postseason this year and without question Kennel was a key part of that offensive success. Warrior Run scored 48 goals this year and 22 came from Kennel as he had 13 goals and led Warrior Run with nine assists. Kennel was a first-team HAC-II midfielder this fall and played solid throughout the year up top.

KEEGAN CROSBY, LEWISBURG, MIDFIELD

Crosby was part of a Lewisburg offense that could get a spark from just about anywhere from any player. The junior Green Dragon scored nine goals, third-most on the team, and dished out an impressive 18 assists, averaging nearly one per game, as he helped the offense excel throughout the year and was a key part of the team's state championship run this fall. Crosby earned HAC-I second-team all-star honors as a forward.

GRIFFIN CONFER, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN, MIDFIELD

Confer was a first-team HAC-I all-star this year at midfield, one of two Wildcats to garner first-team accolades in the Heartland. Confer scored three goals and had seven assists, but his presence in the midfield helped the team from a defensive perspective and was a big reason Central Mountain got the District 6 Class AAAA semifinals this year and allowed just 28 goals.

RILEY GULDEN-LUTHI, LEWISBURG, DEFENDER

The Green Dragons had an unbelievable offense this year, but defensively, Lewisburg was just as good. The Green Dragons allowed just six goals the entire season -- only three through seven playoff games -- and at the heart of that defense was Gulden-Luthi. The Lewisburg defender earned first-team HAC-I accolades on defense this year and helped anchor a back line that made life miserable for opposing forwards and midfielders trying to score.

CULLEN PAULING, MONTOURSVILLE, DEFENDER

The Warriors had an unbelievable season this year and allowed just 20 goals all year and Pauling was a huge reason for that defensive success. Pauling, a HAC-II first-team defender, was key in anchoring the back line and not allowing many opposing forwards to get easy looks at the goal. Montoursville won 16 games this year and only lost once in the regular season as the Warriors ended the year with shutouts and held 18 opponents to one goal or less.

CALEB HARSTOCK, LOYALSOCK, DEFENDER

Loyalsock only allowed just 27 goals the entire year and played great down the stretch to secure a playoff berth once again and Hartsock was a huge part of that success defensively. Hartsock was named a first-team HAC-II defender this year and was Loyalsock's only first-team all-star at any position. The Lancers secured eight shutouts this season and Hartsock's defensive play was a key reason as to why.

SPENCER KAAR, WILLIAMSPORT, DEFENDER

If you look at just the scores, you'd notice Williamsport allowed a decent amount of goals against this year. But that doesn't take away from the talent that Kaar had as a defender. Kaar played well against just about every opponent the Millionaires faced from a defensive perspective, and did well limiting players he marked. Kaar was named a HAC-I first-team defender, Williamsport's only first-team HAC-I all-star this fall.

GABE PAWLING, LEWISBURG, GOALIE

Pawling is the latest in a long line of outstanding goalies in Lewisburg history. His shutout in the PIAA Class AA championship against Fairview gave him 20 for the season and 43 for his career. He's among the best keepers in Lewisburg history alongside former standouts Christian Gallagher, Logan Cho and Tony Burns. He recorded 91 saves this year with a 0.900 save percentage and averaged 3.6 per game. Pawling played phenomenal throughout states, posting shutouts in the state quarterfinals, semifinals and final. He gave up only six goals all season and proved game after game why he was one of the best between the pipes.

SECOND TEAM

F--Ori Kennel, Warrior Run

F--Gavin Freas, South Williamsport

F--Luke Edmonds, Loyalsock

F--Jonathan Carl, Wellsboro

M--Tobin Strous, Milton

M--Connor Hofstrom, Williamsport

M--Sam Haddon, Hughesville

M--Garter Gormont, Hughesville

D--Nolan Cross, Central Mountain

D--Jude Cuneo, Wellsboro

D--Grayson Barner, Lewisburg

D--Logan Kitchens, Lewisburg

GK--Mason Fry, Montoursville and Connor Lang, Loyalsock

HONORABLE MENTION

(in alphabetical order)

Eli Abunassar, Lewisburg, M; Dumfer Adjei-Frimpong, Williamsport, M; Isaac Balza, Williamsport, F; Brayden Beachel, Warrior Run, D; Peter Bishop, North Penn-Liberty, D; Ethan Blazer, Warrior Run, D; Tim Brinker, Central Mountain, F; Braego Cieslukowski, Warrior Run, GK; Landyn Burns, Muncy; Cole Cooper, Central Mountain, M; Gavin Crowley, Warrior Run, M; Dylan Bechdel, Central Mountain, F; Camden Dalrymple, Montgomery, M; Blaze Fitzgerald, Sullivan County, D; Orrie Godown, Milton, M; Brady Grinnell, North Penn-Liberty, F; Breylan Guerrero, Jersey Shore, D; Carson Harris, South Williamsport, D; Dylan Heisler, Jersey Shore, F; Cash Hill, Montgomery; Conor Irwin, Montgomery, GK; Parker Jackson, North Penn-Liberty, F; Ryan Kemock, Warrior Run, F; Colin King, Sullivan County; Caleb Langdon, Milton, F; Kyran Lisembee, Muncy, F; Kullen McDermitt, Central Mountain, D; Landon Miller, Hughesville, M; Trenton Miller, Loyalsock, D; Jaggar Pardoe, Central Mountain, GK; Jayden Passetti, Jersey Shore, D; Ezra Paulhamus, Jersey Shore, M; Charles Plummer, Williamsport, D; Tavin Reitz, Milton, D; David Seeling, Wellsboro, M; Adam Shearer, Montoursville, D; Patrick Stine, Hughesville, M; Spencer Stine, Hughesville, D; Tristan Steiner, Milton, F; Jacoby Strang, Wellsboro, F; Coe Tennis, Wellsboro D; Camden Tom, Wellsboro, GK; Deakon Valentine, North Penn-Liberty, GK; Dylan Webb, South Williamsport, GK; Gabe Welshans, Jersey Shore, F; Brendan Wolfgang, Hughesville, D.