Each of the area’s high school wrestling teams would get at least one big meet into the books as the calendar turned into 2010.
Canastota went first, testing itself in the prestigious Kenneth Haines Memorial Tournament, held last Monday and Tuesday at SUNY-Oswego’s Laker Hall.
In a field of 15 top teams, the Raiders finished 10th, with 72 points. Fulton finished on top, with 315 points to Spencerport’s runner-up total of 294 points.
One Canastota wrestler reached the championship round — Sam Stagnitti, at 285 pounds. Stagnitti pinned Mike Wood (Altmar-Parish-Williamstown) in 1:43, then took 49 seconds to pin Oswego’s Nate Kulp and beat Casey Clark (Fulton) 4-1 to reach the finals, where Carthage’s Pat Gibbons pinned him in the first period.
Sam Farfaglia was fourth at 160 pounds, going 4-1 before falling in the consolation bracket final to Weedsport’s David Swingle. Schuyler Jayson went 3-2 on his way to a fourth-place finish at 140 pounds as David Hall (Fulton) beat him 7-1 in the third-place match.
Zach Hannan was seventh at 103 pounds, with Jeremy Brodfuehrer eighth at 152 pounds and Sheyanne Bateman eighth at 96 pounds.
Vernon Verona Sherrill took its talents to the Mountain Duals at Dolgeville High School and had a fair amount of success, earning a winning record.
Among the highlights, the Red Devils beat Baldwinsville 47-24, along with wins over Watervilet (45-22), Herkimer (83-6), Petrides (68-9), Greece Olympia (51-29) and New Hartford (69-10). The Red Devils also lost to state-ranked Indian River 40-26 and fell to Valley Central 49-27.
Oneida and Chittenango returned to action on Saturday, with the Indians going 4-1 at the meet and the Bears finishing at 2-3.
In the head-to-head match, Oneida beat Chittenango 43-30, and would also topple host Camden 53-28, edge Cortland 36-33 and beat Port Byron 51-27. Only in the final match, against CNS, did the Indians stumble in a 45-28 defeat.
As for the Bears, its pair of wins came in the last two matches, both of them close ones. Chittenango edged Camden 37-36 and Port Byron 40-37 after falling to Oneida, taking a one-point defeat to Cortland 31-30 and falling to CNS 51-26.
