BEAUX LIZEWSKI
PLAYER OF THE YEAR • SENECA VALLEY
Beaux Lizewski made a name for himself scoring clutch goals for Seneca Valley.
Giving the Raiders the second WPIAL title in school history as a sophomore in 2020 with a double-overtime game-winner will certainly get you noticed.
But over the years, his game evolved. Sure, he still put the ball in the net — he never lost his scoring touch — but he became more of a set-up man in the midfield for the Raiders.
“When he was younger, we had a lot of great midfielders and we were able to put him up top when we needed goals,” Seneca valley coach George Williams said. “He’s scored some hugely impactful goals as a sophomore, but he’s always preferred being a midfielder and, as he got older, he got more pivotal in that role.”
Lizewski, who is the only player in the WPIAL named to the all-state team in 2021 and 2022 and who led Seneca Valley to its second PIAA Class 4A title in three seasons, has been named the 2022 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Player of the Year for boys soccer.
In reality, he couldn’t have ended his career any better. Lizewski assisted on three Seneca Valley goals and helped the Raiders to the largest blowout in the highest classification in more than 25 years in a 6-0 victory against District 1 champion Lower Merion in the PIAA Class 4A final.
“I think a lot of our players elevated their games in the final,” Williams said. “But Beaux took his game where it had never been in that game and he’s a huge reason why we won.
The team
Lizewski leads the Post-Gazette All-Area team, which is selected by the PG scholastic sports staff and is made up of the top 11 players in the WPIAL. Here’s the rest of the AllArea team:
Anders Bordoy, Kiski Area — An allstate selection, he scored 25 goals for the Cavaliers and helped them win the Section 1 title. Had two goals against Indiana in the final match of the regular season.
Carlo Denis, Greensburg Central Catholic — An all-state selection for the first time, he was also the WPIAL Class 1A player of the year. Led the WPIAL in
scoring during the regular season with 49 goals and eclipsed the 100-goal plateau in his career.
Kaiden Fischer, South Park — An allstate selection, he scored 13 goals in the regular season and helped the Eagles to the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. Had two goals in a playoff win against McGuffey and helped South Park into the WPIAL semifinals.
Will Gruca, Ambridge — Scored 21 goals in the regular season and helped the Bridgers pull off a couple of upsets to reach the WPIAL Class 3A final. Was an all-state selection for the first time.
Ryan Hanes, Deer Lakes — One of seven players this season to score more than 30 goals in the regular season. He finished tied for fifth with 31. Led the Lancers to their second WPIAL Class 2A title in three seasons. Was the WPIAL Class 2A Player of the Year and an all-state selection.
Alex Hauskrecht, Winchester Thurston — A two-time selection to the allarea team and a first-time all-state pick, he was the 2021 WPIAL Class 1A Player of the Year and helped the Bears to repeat as WPIAL champions. Had a key goal just before the intermission in the WPIAL final against Charleroi.
Colton Hudson, Franklin Regional — Helped the Panthers finish tied for first place in Class 3A Section 4. Finished the season with 13 goals and was selected to the all-state team.
Ryan Kopay, Moon — Akron recruit was chosen to the all-state team for the first time and was the WPIAL Class 3A Player of the Year. Scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal for the Tigers in the WPIAL final against Ambridge.
Lucas Pittman, Plum — An all-state selection for the first time and was selected to the Class 3A all-WPIAL team. Scored 17 goals in the regular season. Was the driving force for the Mustangs, who finished third in the WPIAL and qualified for the state playoffs.
Colin Westerberg, Fox Chapel – One of the top defenders in the WPIAL, was selected to the all-WPIAL team for the second time and all-state for the first time this season. Helped the Foxes post 11 clean sheets, including six in a row.