Prior to resuming leagues matches, the Oneida, Canastota and Chittenango wrestling teams each went to the first-ever Herkimer Invitational on Dec. 12. The Indians finished third in the 19-team field, with 118 points, with the Raiders claiming fourth place (107 points) and the Bears sliding into 12th place with 58.5 points. Sherburne-Earlville (148 points) edged Mohawk (138 points) for the top spot. Oneida saw Steve Ellsworth prevail at 160 pounds, dominating Mohawk’s Eric Ulinski 12-0 in the finals. Joe Casella was second at 125 pounds, beaten in the finals by Cortland’s Eric Reisweber. Nick Hopkins (112 pounds) and Lon Palmer (145 pounds) each had third-place efforts for the Indians thanks to close decisions in consolation matches — Hopkins over Robert Maida (Herkimer) 4-2, Palmer over Dustin Bond (Mohawk) 10-6. Connor Russ was fourth at 103 pounds. Canastota had four wrestlers reach the finals, but none of them could win. Zach Zupan, at 171 pounds, lost a 9-7 classic to East Syracuse-Minoa’s Dustin Moss, who was eventually named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. As for Sam Stagnitti (215 pounds), he fell to Mike Barse (Mohawk) 5-2, while Schuyler Jayson (145 pounds) had a 6-2 defeat to S-E’s Danny Cleveland. Tyler Sirota made it to the 152-pound final before Mohawk’s Zach Hunt pinned him in the first period. Jeremy Brodfuehrer (160 pounds) and Fred Sherman (189 pounds) gave the Raiders fourth-place finishes. Chittenango did not have a wrestler reach the finals, but John Regan, at 135 pounds, earned third place by beating ESM’s Brendon O’Donnell in the consolation finals. Cody Carberry dropped a tight 6-4 match to Gavin Goldsmith (Mohawk) and finished fourth at 96 pounds, with Bears teammate Wesley Blanding doing the same at 130 pounds. Now they went back to league meets. Canastota went first, hosting Ilion last Tuesday and dominating early, only to see the Golden Bombers come back and prevail by a score of 42-26. Jayson, in the 145-pound opener, pinned Paul Greenfield midway through the third period as Canastota won the first four matches. Sirota rolled past Jesse Marlowe 13-2, while Jeremy Brodfuehrer (160 pounds) pinned Casey Seaton in 3:50 and Zupan claimed a forfeit. Sherman got pinned by Jon Treen in 2:40, but when Sam Stagnitti beat 215-pound opponent Brett Leon 11-3, Canastota had a 26-6 lead. Remarkably, Ilion won each of the remaining seven matches, including a forfeit and four first-period pins. Brandon Durfee (135 pounds) nearly stopped the surge, but lost to Ryan Waite 4-3 as the Golden Bombers clinched the meet. Ray Walker (140 pounds) fell to Kyle Salvagni 8-4. Oneida and Canastota both wrestled on Wednesday against traditional powers — and both lost, the Indians falling to Holland Patent 60-12, the Bears taking a 57-15 defeat to Fulton. Even at home, Oneida could not keep up with a deeper, more talented HP squad. The Golden Knights won the first six matches, with only Matt Fisher (135 pounds) staying close in a 6-4 loss to Dalton Devine. Finally, Connor Lomonaco (140 pounds) got Oneida on the board, pinning Ryan Erb at the end of the first period, and Palmer followed up by getting a pin over Taylor Short in 1:03. HP then swept the other five matches, including Collyn Laskowski (171 pounds) beating Tyler Miller in a 7-3 decision. Chittenango had much the same luck against Fulton, as it had to forfeit five different matches, including every weight class from 171 pounds on up. Gunnar Brooks (119 pounds) did give the Bears a 3-2 decision over Derek Harris, while Blanding pinned Adam Wallace in 1:29.