Commitment Report: Corey Guenther (2018)

Brian Jerzak

December 31, 2017 @ 12:45 AM

North St. Paul had a season to forget in 2017. With an 0-9 record it was tough to find positives to the season. One of the obvious positives to the season was senior lineman Corey Guenther. The past two years he has been anchoring both the offensive and defensive lines of the Polars. Despite the losses, Guenther recently punched his college football ticket and he didn’t even have to go far to do it. The season for the Polars was one that could have gotten guys like Guenther down but the senior lineman found plenty of positives during the year. “Being able to be a captain – helping the young guys on and off the field – that was awesome and a privilege,” Guenther said. “The bond I had with my teammates – we called ourselves brothers – was awesome. We were one of the closer teams I have ever been on.” Through each loss, Guenther and his Polars’ teammates were able to stay positive. “We were able to forget about the last game and move on to the next practice and the next week,” Guenther said. The season on the scoreboard was disappointing for Guenther, but off the field he had a great experience with recruiting. “It was one of the best times of my life,” the Polars’ senior told northstarfootballnews.com. “Some days I think about what a blessing it is to be in the position I am. When I was stressed over the decision I would think about how lucky I am. Such a small percentage of players get the opportunity to play at the next level. I have always been grateful for that.” Towards the end of recruiting Guenther had the most interest from Concordia-St. Paul, Augustana, and Southwest Minnesota State. He also had interest from Minnesota State-Mankato and Upper Iowa. “A lot of the schools liked that I am a successful wrestler. It helps with knowing leverage, mental toughness and the ability to move on to the next thing.” Last season he advanced to the state semi-finals. As of late this week Guenther was 15-0 wrestling in the 285 pound weight class. “Hopefully I can get to the top of the podium this year.” In the end it wasn’t football that swayed Guenther to pick the Golden Bears. “It is close to home – that helped – but the defensive coordinator, he spent two days with me creating a path for my major with possible job openings, internships and stuff like that. It showed the coaches really care about you off the field.” Guenther – who is looking to major in biology – will go into camp as an interior defensive lineman. “They said they want to red shirt me, but they had a senior at nose tackle last year so the spot is open. If I am good enough they will play me.” The 285 pound lineman was also recruited as an offensive lineman. He expected offense was his path to college football but eventually that changed. “I was expecting to be an offensive player so I need to get better at my explosion and get off of the line of scrimmage and using my hips. Wrestling really helps with that.” As soon as wrestling is over it will be full speed ahead with preparation for college football.