Adam Gilson is in the running for Lebanon Sports Buzz’s coveted honor of ‘Lebanon County Wrestler of the Year’. As a matter of fact, Gilson is the early leader for the award.

Last week, Gilson, a senior 195-pounder out of Cedar Crest, established himself as the local wrestler to beat when he captured the championship of his weight class at the Lancasteer-Lebanon League championships. He became just one of a handful of local competitors to claim a title at the league meet.

On Saturday evening, Gilson notched a takedown of Hempfield’s Tommy Bennett 24 seconds into overtime of the 195-pound final to earn the crown. Gilson had reached the championship match with an 8-4 decision of Carson Snavely of Warwick in the semifinal round.

On the prior eve, Gilson has opened his tournament by pinning McCaskey’s Ricky White at the 1:25 mark. Gilson’s 3-0 showing at the L-L tournament lifted his seasonal record to 23-2 and his career mark to 89-41.

Up next for the upwardly-mobile Gilson are the Lebanon County championships, sectionals, districts and hopefully spots in regionals and states. Last season, Gilson missed out on another coveted honor – competing at the PIAA Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center – by a single win.

– Jeff Falk