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For over a year now, I’ve been able to join plenty of others in the following of one young man’s wrestling career.
The local wrestling circuit is a close knit family, pulled together weekly year after year thanks to a laundry list of youth tournaments, high school meets and state competitions.
If you are talented enough, people know who you are, and a lot of people know who Bo Pursel is.
For those that don’t, Pursel is a senior at Lansing where he has won three straight individual 5A state championships. He is currently 26-0 and ranked no. 1 in the state’s 132-pound weight class.
Simply put, the young man is one of the best ever to grace the mats for the Lions.
Yet, what impresses me even more than the grappler’s accomplishments is how he acts outside the white painted circle.
The kid is one of the most humble and appreciative people I’ve ever had the privilege to interview.
One would think that with all his exploits, cockiness or a sense of entitlement would seep in. Yet that couldn’t be farther from the truth in regards to Pursel, who I see often laughing with his family, friends and teammates before and after meets.
The point is, in an age where professional athletes seem to care more about themselves than anything else, it’s refreshing to see a young, local star put others first.
And that quality deserves to be highlighted.
Brent Lager joined the Leavenworth Times in 2010 after a year and a half of covering high school sports for the Platte County Citizen. Before that, he previously worked for the Columbia Missourian as well as Cumulus Broadcasting in Columbia, Mo.
