Johns Creek senior midfielder Ryan Gottschalk was named state player of the year for boys soccer, Johns Creek Athletics announced Tuesday, July 21. The honor caps a 24-goal, 12-assist season in which Gottschalk led the Gladiators to the GHSA Class AAAAA state championship with a 22-1 record.

The awarding organization was not specified in the announcement, which included only the title and an image of Gottschalk.

Gottschalk earned MVP honors in the state final, sparking the game-winning goal in Johns Creek's 2-0 victory over River Ridge High School. He was also named Region 7-AAAAA Player of the Year.

The state player of the year recognition follows Gottschalk's selection to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Southeast team, announced July 12, and his Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year award, announced June 12.

"Ryan's movement off the ball made him hard to mark," Chattahoochee High School head coach Ahmed Gathing said in the June 12 Gatorade announcement. "Once he received the ball in the attacking third, he was lethal with his first touch and shot. He's a player that doesn't stop running and moving off the ball, so he pops up all over the field."

The Gladiators finished the 2025-26 season ranked No. 1 nationally by both United Soccer Coaches and MaxPreps. Head coach Kelly Bowler was named Class AAAAA State Coach of the Year by United Soccer Coaches on Wednesday, June 10, and five Gladiators earned All-State honors on Tuesday, June 16, according to Johns Creek Athletics.

Off the field, Gottschalk maintained an A average and volunteered with the Young Men's Service League, the Heart & Hope for Humanity Foundation, and North Fulton United FC's partner-player program for children with special needs, according to the Gatorade program's announcement.

Gottschalk will attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut this fall, where he will continue playing soccer.