Six Lackawanna League soccer players can now add all-state honors to their resumes.

Lakeland’s Michael Tomcykoski, Delaware Valley’s Abrar Shamim and Valley View’s Eric Inthavong were all named to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association boys all-state team, while Scranton Prep’s Cara Griffith, Wallenpaupack’s Molly Jansco and Mountain View’s Hannah Richner were named to the girls squad. The players had already earned division Most Valuable Player and Times-Tribune All-Region honors.

The six combined to score 76 goals and dish out 35 assists in the regular season.

Tomcykoski, the only senior of the group, moved from defender to forward prior to the start of the season and the end result paid dividends for the Chiefs. The Times-Tribune Player of the Year led the Lackawanna League with 23 goals and also had seven assists, as Lakeland won a share of the Division III regular-season division title and advanced to the District 2 Class A semifinals. He had seven games with at least two goals, including three hat tricks and one five-goal game.

“I never thought I would be able to get this honor since I had played defense for my entire high school career before this season,” Tomcykoski said. “It’s not something I really thought about throughout the season. I just wanted to concentrate on every game but it still feels pretty good.”

Shamim, a sophomore forward and two-time Division II coaches’ first-team all-star, led Delaware Valley with eight goals and also recorded a hat trick.

“All I can do is move forward from here,” Shamim said. “It’s such a great feeling but all the credit goes to my teammates, as well. We had great leaders on the team and we elevated each other.”

Inthavong, a junior midfielder, scored six goals and had six assists to help the Cougars on a run to the Class AA district championship game. His goal in an Oct. 14 match against Scranton Prep lifted the Cougars to a 1-0 win and the Division I crown.

“I put a lot of work into my game and I’m very dedicated so it’s an honor,” he said. “It’s a lot of pressure playing as a midfielder because you have to control the game and communicate with everybody. This achievement definitely makes me want to push myself even more. I’m just going to keep working hard and see where it takes me.”

Griffith emerged as the Classics’ top scorer, netting 20 goals and also distributing nine assists. The junior forward, who was named Times-Tribune Player of the Year, had six games with two or more goals, including three hat tricks. She helped lead Scranton Prep to an undefeated regular season and third straight Division I crown, a Class AA district runner-up finish and a berth in the PIAA playoffs.

“When you’re going through the season, it’s not something you think about,” she said. “You’re thinking about the team’s success but it’s still quite an honor. I give all the credit to my teammates. As a forward, you’re going to score a lot but I wouldn’t have been able to get the ball without the defense shutting down teams and the midfielders controlling the game.”

Jansco, a junior who was just one of eight defenders named to the squad, helped lead a Lady Buckhorns defense that allowed a Division II-low 15 goals and pitched 10 shutouts in 16 games.

“It’s such a shock and an honor to get this award,” she said. “As a defender, you know you’re not going to get a whole bunch of goals but when the team succeeds, you feel like you succeed, as well. This makes me want to work harder and match what I did for next year. It’s a great motivator for me.”

Richner, a junior midfielder, helped continue Mountain View’s success and dominance of the Lackawanna League. She led Division III with 18 goals and 12 assists, as the Lady Eagles won their fourth straight District 2 Class A championship. She also had four games in which she recorded a hat trick.

“I’ve always thought about it but it was definitely surprising considering I never thought I could get there in a short amount of time,” Richner said. “It definitely means more that it happened to me in my junior year. I know I had to work hard for it.”

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shennigan@timesshamrock.com