Lucas Hoffman came up just short of a state championship, but that did nothing to diminish one of the greatest seasons ever for a wrestler from Odessa-Montour.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division 2 runner-up at 118 pounds has been chosen as the Elmira Star-Gazette/Corning Leader Boys Wrestler of the Year for the 2025-26 season.
Based on records compiled by cnywrestling.com, Hoffman finished with 170 career victories, including a 38-6 record this season while competing for the combined Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour team.
Among Hoffman’s achievements this season, he became the first Schuyler Storm wrestler to capture a Section 4 championship since 285-pound Division 2 state champion Dylan Houseknecht of Odessa-Montour in 2019.
Hoffman also won titles at Section 4 Division 2 Qualifier A, the Interscholastic Athletic Conference championships, the Larry Goodrich Invitational, and the Ark-Can Holiday Tournament.
The two-time IAC titlist followed last year’s seventh-place Division 2 finish at the state tournament by winning his first three matches at this year’s states by pin or technical fall.
Hoffman lost to Holland Patent’s Andrew Juliano, 9-8, in the 118-pound state final.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Hoffman named Elmira Star-Gazette/Corning Leader Boys Wrestler of Year
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
