MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Two-time PIAA Class AA champion Gavin Hoffman of Montoursville is on pace to graduate with Lycoming County’s all-time wins record, held by his brother Garrett.

Gavin Hoffman’s historic season was impressive enough. Just one blemish on his record. Another state title. Even more dominance.

The deeper you dig into the numbers, though, the more insane the season becomes. Consider at the top of the list that Hoffman, Montoursville’s 195-pounder, became the first two-time state champion in school history. For a program which has had a state finalist 15 times in its history prior to this year, it’s an impressive feat.

But then look at his overall body of work in the postseason. Of the 12 bouts he wrestled in the four weeks of the postseason, Hoffman went 12-0 with 11 bonus-point wins. The only time he didn’t earn bonus points? An 8-4 win over Bishop McCort’s Anthony Walters in the 195-pound state final.

Consider through the season, Hoffman wrestled eight opponents who went on to qualify for the state tournament. He won seven of those matches. He won six of them with bonus points, four of which were by either technical fall or pin.

His 131 career victories are already tied for the 12th-most in Lycoming County history.

All of this and what’s most remarkable is Hoffman still has another year to add on to his legend.

By any measure, Hoffman’s season was remarkable. And for those reasons, the junior has been selected the Sun-Gazette’s Wrestler of the Year for a second consecutive season.

If you want to see how impressive the first three years of Hoffman’s career have been, put into perspective what is still possible for him when his senior season begins next December.

• With 37 wins, he’ll break his brother Garrett’s school and Lycoming County record of 167 career wins.

• With 45 wins (he’s averaged 43.6 wins per year) he can break Matt Fisk’s District 4 record of 175 wins.

• He can become Lycoming County’s first three-time state wrestling champion.

• He can be the first three-time state champion in District 4 since Line Mountain’s Mike Shingara from 1995-1997.

• With another state medal he can be the seventh four-time state placewinner in Lycoming County history and the 16th from the Sun-Gazette coverage area.

Hoffman could decide tomorrow he doesn’t want to wrestle anymore and his career would go down as one of the best in the history of Lycoming County. The stories about him have reached almost mythical proportions, the way old-timers used to talk about Babe Ruth hitting a baseball.

And the best part is there’s still a year left to watch the stories progress even more.

“I’m leaving my mark on my school,” Hoffman said after winning his second state title. “I love my school. I love all my supporters. I have a great support system. I couldn’t be more blessed to have the people I have in my life.”

Hoffman’s career has taken a distinct progression. As a freshman, he was a phenom, a wrestler who had won four Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling state titles and was ranked the No. 3 incoming freshman in the state. That year he battled the struggles of a freshman in an upper weight at 170 where at times he just wasn’t strong enough to compete with upperclassmen in his weight, but still managed 41 wins and a sixth-place state finish.

As a sophomore he was trying to prove himself as the state’s best, and he did so, winning his state semifinal and final match in nail-biting fashion to become a state champion. It was enough to get him into the Top 20 rankings in the country.

This year he had to learn to wrestle with a bull’s-eye on his back. It was a situation he handled well, beating two wrestlers — Saegertown’s Cody Mulligan and Bishop McDevitt’s Cole Nye — who went on to win PIAA state titles. It left Hoffman nervous for the state tournament, but he was still at his best. It was clear he was a level or two above the rest of the field.

For his final season at Montoursville, it’ll be more or less a victory lap. He’ll get his toughest competition again at the Powerade when the Warriors go there in December. He’ll spend the most of the season prepping for a run at history in Hershey in March.

So, sit back and enjoy the show.

Mitch Rupert covers high school wrestling for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 326-1551, ext. 3129, or by email at mrupert@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Mitch_Rupert.