M2 Training Center Standout Tanner Guenot Continues His Climb

MOSHANNON, Pa. —Tanner Guenot’s wrestling journey began with family long before he became a PIAA state finalist, Fargo All-American and West Virginia commit. The Bald Eagle Area High School standout and M2 Training Center wrestler grew up following the example of his father, uncles and grandfather, all of whom wrestled before him. “My journey came into wrestling with my dad and my uncles and my paps,” Guenot said. “They were all wrestlers, and they were pretty good wrestlers a long time ago. I started wrestling at 5 and I’ve kept with it ever since. I love it.”

Representing Bald Eagle Area High School and M2 Training Center in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, Guenot has developed into one of the state’s most dangerous young wrestlers through family support, high-level coaching and a demanding commitment to year-round improvement. He credits his dad, Coach Mark McKnight of M2 Training Center, Coach Eric Gibson and his Bald Eagle Area coaches as major influences on his development. “I think just my dad and some of my coaches,” Guenot said. “Coaches are big influences on me, and I always do better when I listen to my coaches, so I make sure I do.”

The greatest difference between Guenot’s early years in the sport and the wrestler he is now is confidence. His technique, strength and experience have improved, but he believes confidence is what has helped him perform against the best competition. “Just knowing how to wrestle and thinking I can win every match, with anybody in front of me,” Guenot said. “I think that’s probably helped me the most, just believing I can win.”

That belief was on display during the 2026 PIAA Championships in Hershey, where Guenot competed at 133 pounds in Class 2A and reached the state championship match. He finished as the PIAA state runner-up following a hard-fought 1–0 loss to Trinity’s Will Detar, but the tournament run showed his ability to compete on Pennsylvania’s biggest stage. Guenot said the outside doubt he heard before the event gave him additional motivation, explaining, “For me, it was just being counted out. I heard people saying I wasn’t going to win my semifinals match, my finals match, all week, and even my quarterfinals match. I just felt like I was doubted too much and I felt disrespected. I won both of those matches.”

Guenot handled the pressure of the state tournament by keeping his attention on what was directly in front of him. He did not allow himself to look too far ahead in the bracket or spend energy on expectations from others. “I was just staying one match at a time,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to think ahead or let anybody or any pressure really get to me. Just kind of staying on my own, focusing, and taking the tournament as it goes.” Though the final did not end with the title he wanted, Guenot immediately found lessons in the experience, saying he needed “to be more persistent,” put combinations together and “shoot with the intention that you’re going to score every single time.”

The loss has become a source of motivation rather than a negative memory. When a wrestling session becomes physically difficult or life presents a demanding challenge, Guenot uses the feeling of coming up short as a reminder of what he wants next. “I usually just start to remember it whenever something gets tough,” Guenot said. “It could be a tough wrestling practice or just a tough mental challenge for me in life. I usually just remember stuff like that, and it motivates me to just tough it out, do better.”

That perspective is evident in Guenot’s training schedule. During the high school season, he is consistently on the mat, often training more than once in a day. “Usually during the season, I’m wrestling every day, sometimes twice a day,” he said. “In the offseason, I’m lifting probably more than I’m wrestling—wrestling a couple times a week and lifting every other day.” The offseason focus on strength, paired with continued mat time at M2 Training Center, helps him prepare for national events and the pressure of another Pennsylvania postseason.

Guenot’s preferred style starts in neutral, where he wants to impose his pace immediately. He takes pride in getting the first takedown, setting the tone and forcing opponents to react. “I like to be neutral,” Guenot said. “I like to get a takedown early and just set the tone of all the matches that I wrestle.” He also identifies his defense as a major strength, describing himself as “crafty,” “hard to score on” and “stingy,” because he believes that if he can secure points without giving many away, “anytime I score points, I win a match.”

After the scholastic season, Guenot took his talent to the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. Wrestling at 138 pounds in junior boys freestyle, he finished fourth in the country and reached the Fargo semifinals, a result that placed him among the nation’s strongest wrestlers in his age group. He said Pennsylvania folkstyle competition prepared him for the national grind because “you see a lot of high-level opponents everywhere you go” and “there’s really no escape in it.”

During his Fargo run, Guenot recorded significant wins over Konner Larkin, Jensen Boyd and Nicholas Sorrow. In his 11–8 quarterfinal win, he established offense early and continued answering whenever his opponent threatened to gain momentum. “For me, it was just scoring early and keeping my lead,” Guenot said. “I went out and I got points. I wrestled hard. I earned some points, and then I wanted to hold my lead. He may get a score and I’d get one back and just continue to stay ahead of the match.”

Although a loss in the semifinals prevented him from wrestling for the Fargo championship, Guenot left the tournament with stronger belief in his national standing. He called it “a big confidence boost overall,” adding that he knew he was “good enough to be in the Fargo semifinals,” even though he entered the event wanting to win the title. He said the disappointment is part of the process, explaining, “I was a little disappointed with my loss in the semis, but I know it’s just motivation. It’s all part of the plan.”

Guenot sees national competition as an important part of his continued growth because it exposes him to different styles and wrestlers he does not face every week. Those matchups give him opportunities to discover new techniques, identify improvements and return home with a sharper perspective. “It’s just having that live feel against guys you don’t wrestle with every single day,” he said. “You pick up new stuff, you develop new stuff, and some of all your stuff kind of comes together.”

His future after high school is set to include West Virginia University, where Guenot has committed to wrestle collegiately. The decision was personal because West Virginia believed in him early in the recruiting process. “West Virginia took a chance on me early, early just as a junior,” Guenot said. “I feel like that’s my why, that’s my reason as to why I’m going there, because they believed in me from the start.” He added that he loves the school and does not see another place that compares: “That’s West Virginia in my eyes. I love it there, and that’s where I want to be.”

Before he reaches Morgantown, Guenot is focused on completing his high school career with a PIAA championship. He plans to compete in major national events, including Super 32, but is clear about what matters most during folkstyle season. “My only goal is just to be a state champ,” Guenot said.

Away from wrestling, Guenot enjoys hunting, fishing, playing golf and spending time with his family, friends and girlfriend. Living in a rural area gives him the opportunity to be outdoors, and he said that as long as he is spending time with the people he loves, he is happy. “I really like to hunt and fish,” Guenot said. “I like hanging out with my friends, playing golf, hanging out with my girlfriend, just having a good time with the people I love.” Golf is also his second sport at Bald Eagle Area, where he is a starter and hopes to become “a state qualifier, state placer.”

Balancing academics, training, lifting and recovery requires discipline outside the wrestling room as well. Guenot tries to finish assignments at school or early in the week so that he can be fully present at practice later in the day. “I think just doing homework in school or during the day, getting stuff out of the way early in the week, is important,” he said. “Then you can focus on your wrestling goals or your lifting goals or whatever it may be.” He believes students can manage both responsibilities as long as they stay organized and “balance them out.”

Wrestling has taught Guenot lessons that extend well beyond victories, losses and medals. The sport’s physical strain and mental toughness requirements have shown him that difficult tasks can be handled through persistence and belief. “Wrestling makes everything pretty easy,” he said. “There’s really nothing that’s a super-hard challenge in life. Be a wrestler, and you know that.” For Guenot, knowing he has endured demanding practices and major-match pressure reinforces the idea that “there’s nothing you can’t do, really.”

He has also learned from being around high-level wrestlers associated with the Penn State wrestling world. Guenot admires the way elite athletes approach their craft with unusual dedication and work ethic. “They’re just different type of people, and it pays off for them,” he said. “They have crazy work ethics, and they’re crazy dedicated to wrestling. That’s all they think about.” He tries to take the same approach by dedicating himself to his own goals as much as possible.

For younger wrestlers, Guenot emphasizes patience and long-term growth over shortcuts. “Stay disciplined. Don’t cut too much weight. Just grow, get strong,” he said. He believes young athletes should avoid rushing their development and focus instead on becoming stronger over time, because “trying to peak at the right time in high school is important” and will help them in the long run.

Tanner Guenot has already reached the PIAA state final, earned a top-four finish at Fargo, beaten national-caliber wrestlers and committed to a Division I wrestling program. Still, he remains driven by the goals ahead, especially a return to Hershey and the pursuit of a Pennsylvania state championship. At the end of his interview, Guenot made sure to recognize the outlet telling his story, saying, “Shout out CrankMat. I think he’s the man. Everybody’s got to know it.”