Cut to mid-January, and it was time to get serious. Though he had seen success and was still ranked highly at 127, five losses spotted up his 28-match resume heading into Mid-Winter Mayhem and he felt better equipped to handle business a step down at 121.

“I just wanted to at the best weight possible and give myself a better chance,” said Guenot. “I decided that I needed to get down because the postseason was coming up.”

He’d proceed to put together a strong run at one of the biggest tournaments the state has to offer, taking fourth and only falling to two of the best wrestlers in the state in Butler’s Santino Sloboda and Line Mountain’s Brock Rothermel.

And since then, he hasn’t lost, winning 14 matches in a row – 12 featuring bonus points. As it stands, he’s 19-2 since shifting weights, with nine of those victories coming against state-ranked wrestlers.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area sophomore Tanner Guenot wrestles during the District 6 Class AA tournament on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Altoona.

Amidst his title run at Ultimate Warrior, another large tournament, Guenot was one point of majoring No. 6 Elijah Scriven (Hickory), one takedown away from majoring No. 9 Gage Swank (Muncy) and posted an 8-0 major against No. 24 Dylan Batman (Derry Area) to advance to semis. That match against Scriven earned him his first title at the event.

“I’ve been feeling a lot better at 121. I feel like I’m peeking at the right time and getting better as the season goes on. So, I’m excited for the next couple tournaments, like districts, regionals and states,” said Guenot prior to the start of the individual post season. “I want to do the best possible.”

So far, he’s lived up to that aspiration.

At districts, the Eagle bulldozed his way to his second District 6 Class AA title in two seasons and never saw anything less than a tech fall. Through that run, he posted tech falls over No. 21 Connor Myers (Penns Valley) and No. 23 Jack Silfies (Bishop McCort), having already pinned Silfies earlier in the month.

“I’m happy to be a two-time district champ and would love to be a four-time district champ,” said Guenot. “But the next step right now is regionals, so I’m just looking to become and regional champ and then a state champion.”

At the Southwest Regional this weekend, the sophomore will be looking to build off a runner-up showing at last year’s event. Likely standing in his way will be No. 3 Dom Deputy of Chestnut Ridge – the top seed in the 121 bracket.

That should be a good test to gauge how much he’s improved since that Mid-Winter run. As it stands, that’s the only event since the class switch that has created blemishes on Guenot’s 41-7 record. He believes those losses to Rothermel – ranked No. 4 at 121 in Class AA – and Sloboda – ranked No. 3 at 127 in Class AAA – were good learning experiences that could pay dividends down the stretch.

“I think it was good to have those matches to see what I’m up against,” said Guenot. “The only thing I can really do it practice, keep getting better and try to change of outcome of those matches later on in the season when it matters.”

Now, it matters, and Guenot looks forward to giving it his all through the closing stretch of his sophomore season. As it stands, he’s in the midst of a storied area career in the making, with two district titles, a regional silver, state medal and almost 80 wins through two seasons with Bald Eagle.

“Sometimes, I feel like being done and just want the season to be over, but I remind myself that, ‘You only get these opportunities how many times in your life?’, so that helps me to stay good mentally and physically in my head,” said Guenot. “Got to live in the moment and not take anything for granted.”