The Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association (MMHSAA) wrestling season came to a close right along with its NYSPHSAA counterparts at the state individual tournament in Albany.
Following the CHSAA Dual Meet Tournament held at St. Anthony’s HS in Huntington, Long Island, the five MMHSAA teams competed in the 52nd Annual Monsignor Martin All-Catholic Wrestling Championship hosted by St. Joe’s. The Marauders defended its tournament championship, running the team’s streak to four straight ‘All-Catholic’ tournament titles. St. Francis crowned seven individual champions to the host’s six. St. Joe’s Ty Slaugenhoupt was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler after gutting out a 5-2 decision in the final to win the 160-pound All-Catholic title.
The following weekend, qualified MMHSAA wrestlers traveled to Monsignor Farrell HS, Staten Island to compete in the CHSAA Wrestling Championships. The top 5 place finishers in each weight class from the MMHSAA All-Catholic Tournament earned automatic invitations to the tournament. Joe’s sent 26 wrestlers while St. Francis sent 14. Individuals from Canisius, St. Mary’s, and Gow competed as well.
St. Francis finished 4th in the team standings with 164 points but captured the CHSAA Division 2 crown. The Red Raiders also earned the Division 2 sportsmanship award. St. Joe’s finished 6th overall with 145.5 team points. St. Francis’s Dominik Thomas defended his CHSAA title, as he was the sole MMHSAA champion and automatically earned his 
second trip to Albany and a spot in the 170-pound NYSPHSAA Division 1 tournament bracket. Nolan Thomas, the MMHSAA wrestler of the year, fell in the final by decision, 5-1, to St. Anthony’s Matthew Savarese.
St. Joe’s Ty Slaugenhoupt again toughed out a win after falling behind and fighting an injury, this time in the CHSAA semifinal. In a match that Joe’s head wrestling coach Pete Kennedy called “one of the most impressive and gutsy performances ever by a St. Joe’s wrestler,” Slaugenhoupt trailed 6-1 to local rival Marcus Muffoletto from St. Francis while dealing with an ailing shoulder. A “furious comeback” in the third period resulted in a 10-9 victory for Slaugenhoupt and advancement to the tournament final. He was unable to compete, given the previous rounds’ injury, and would settle for 2nd place.
Overall, 21 MMHSAA wrestlers placed top 6 in their respective weight classes, including 1 champion, 2 runners-up, and 4 wrestlers earning 3rd place in their weights at the CHSAA tournament. Dominik Thomas went 1-2 at the state wrestling tournament, winning his first round match with a second period pin, but missed placing. St. Anthony’s defending New York State finalist Terry Adams returned to the final and brought an individual championship back to the CHSAA with a 3-2 decision over Rush-Henrietta’s (V) Jayden Scott.
St. Francis secured the MMHSAA regular season league title. Nolan Thomas was named the MMHSAA Wrestler of the Year, and St. Mary’s head wrestling coach Zach Weiss was named the MMHSAA Coach of the Year. St. Francis and St. Joe’s both finished as Honorable Mention teams in the final 2017-2018 New York State Sportswriters Association wrestling ranking.
