There is a debate that takes place in many conversations about the award known as MVP, or most valuable player: Does it go to the best overall player or to the best player on the best team?
In 2025, The Daily Star faced this dilemma when it came to its Girls Soccer Player of the Year Award for high school sports. However, it did not lead to a long debate. In this case, it led to Players of the Year.
For the fall soccer season, The Daily Star Sports department has chosen Franklin’s Shannon Kingsbury and Richfield Springs’ Issy Seamon as its Girls Soccer Players of the Year.
In addition, the Star has selected Richfield Springs Coach Thomas Hoose as its Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.
Kingsbury became the all-time leading scorer in girls soccer in New York’s Section IV during the post-season playoffs in October. She has scored 191 varsity goals, including a region-leading 42 goals this season. Of course, she holds her school’s record for goals scored, but she also holds the school record for assists.
Amazingly, she accomplished all of that by the end of her junior season.
“I think as the season wraps up, it is another reminder of how good the season was,” Kingsbury said. “The scoring records have definitely been numbers to push for, and then, just to hit it was a ‘you did it!’ moment. Toward the end of the year, just getting it out of the way was great.”
An attacking midfielder, Kingbury has a knack for making amazing shots, Franklin Coach J.J. Laing said.
“I use the line that she is inevitable,” Laing said. “She is going to get one. I think this year, she didn’t score in one game.”
Franklin went 13-4 this season but lost in the semifinals of the Tri-Valley League and also the Section IV Class D playoffs. Three of the team’s losses were to Seamon’s Eagles.
This is Kingbury’s third time being named the Daily Star Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
Last year, she shared the honor with South Kortright goalie Addy Eckard, who now plays basketball at SUNY Oneonta.
Eckard led her team to a section title in 2024, an accomplishment achieved this season by Seamon, a three-sport star and senior striker at Richfield Springs, which combines with Owen D. Young for its girls sports.
Seamon’s senior-season soccer stats, 23 goals and 12 assists, were mirrored by her eighth-grade counterpart from ODY on the other sideline of the pitch, Abby Jones, who had 21 goals and eight assists.
Hoose, the girls varsity coach at Richfield Springs for nine seasons, called Seamon and Jones his team’s Batman and Robin. Together with a strong defense and an athletic midfield led by Seamon’s twin, Gabby, the Eagles won the first section title in girls soccer in the history of both Richfield Springs and Owen D. Young.
The Eagles also repeated as Tri-Valley League champions.
RS/ODY beat Kingsbury’s Franklin squad in the TVL and section semifinals. The Eagles went 16-3, beating Edmeston/Morris for the section title but losing to eventual Class D champion Cincinnatus in the state quarterfinals, 2-0.
“It has definitely settled in now, just because the season is over and I can look back and see what we accomplished,” Seamon said.
Hoose is a Sharon Springs native who has been a physical education teacher in Richfield for 16 years. His community has embraced soccer over the years, but its roots were as a football school. He talks about how his players have helped establish a soccer culture in the community and he smiles as he talks about how many players show up for off-season workouts.
“This group of girls has put in the work to get better over the past few years,” Hoose said, “from summer leagues to Sunday night pickup games. These girls have inspired our youth teams, so I can only imagine where our program will go from here.”
Player and coach both said they viewed their awards as team efforts.
“I am appreciative of everything,” Hoose said. “The players mean so much to me. I give all the credit to them.”
“Honestly, I look at this (award) as a total team effort,” Seamon said. “I put my trust in my team, and they put their trust in me.”
Seamon and Kingsbury had kind words to say about each other, too.
“I can’t imagine how much hard work she has put into being so good,” Seamon said, “and she is not cocky about it at all. She is just a great player.”
“She is a hard worker,” Kingsbury said. “She scored two against us. Very hard worker, very fast and knows how to play up front.”
“I love her work ethic,” Laing said about Seamon. “The thing I see, you can feel like they have got her stopped, maybe your player gets to the ball first and you think you have her stopped, and she still gets a foot on it and makes something happen. I do like that about her. I like her on-field persona in that she plays hard and she plays with a level of class.”
Neither Seamon nor Kingsbury know where they plan to attend college, yet. Kingbury has another year to decide but playing soccer at a high level is her goal. Seamon has yet to decide if she wants to play soccer or basketball in college, or both, but said she will make her decision based on academics first.
“She’s a three-sport star with a 4.0 grade point average,” Hoose said.
Kingsbury will play travel soccer and run track in the spring, while Seamon is starting basketball now and will play shortstop on the Eagle softball team in the spring. And while they share this award, and Kingsbury set a regional scoring record that will continue to grow next season, the Franklin junior said her biggest goal remaining is a team goal.
“Next season, I want to expand on what we have done,” she said, “and hopefully win those championships.”