Congradulation Bo on another fine run. Best of luck in Iowa.
Mike Flynn
Sports
Pursel adds state title to his glowing wrestling resume
By JASON NICHOLS, Times Sports Editor
TOPEKA — Bo Pursel hasn’t lost many matches in the state of Kansas. But he was hoping to get the chance to avenge one stinging loss — his last loss on Sunflower State soil — on Sunday at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.
That chance never came, but the smile on Pursel’s face suggested he felt just fine. Besides, he was on his way to collect his state championship plaque, following his impressive run through the 12-and-under, 76-pound bracket at the USA Wrestling Kansas Kids State Tournament.
For Pursel, wrestling isn’t just about winning — though he’s done plenty of that. It’s also about fun. He might be an 11-year-old student at Tonganoxie Elementary, but wrestling has already become a way of life.
“I practice usually three nights a week, sometimes four,” said Pursel, who offered that he never gets tired of wrestling. “I love it.”
Bo’s father, Mike, who wrestled at Leavenworth High in the early ‘80s, said he’s never seen a hint of his son getting burned out on the sport. Not only is Mike one of his son’s coaches, he’s also a frequent workout partner.
“Every morning, he drags me out of bed,” Mike said. “As long as that’s still happening, I’ll keep taking him.”
Bo breezed through his first three matches, beating Keagan Strange of Colby, Colby Waters of Ark City and Kyle Armstrong of the Brawlers wrestling club. In the final, he face Trey Humphrey, who pinned the wrestler who had beaten Bo in last year’s state final.
Bo shot in for a quick takedown to open the match, then picked up another later in the period for a 4-1 lead. A late reversal in the second gave him a 6-1 cushion going into the final period. Wrestling aggressive, but smart, Bo took Humphrey down early and worked on him the rest of the way in an 8-1 victory.
Afterward, he said he was concerned with his opponent’s strength.
“I wanted to make sure I didn’t get headlocked or any of that strong stuff,” he said.
Humphrey appeared to be in position to put Pursel in bad position several times, but Pursel stayed in control. At one point, he contorted his body in an attempt to score back points. Facing away from Humphrey, he reached both hands behind his body twisting Humphrey’s legs and hips around.
Much of it, he’s learned from experience.
Though he started slow as a 5-year-old, wrestling just three tournaments, then five as a 6-year-old, he’s taken on a heavy competition load since then, competing from October to the Fourth of July. Mike said that’s entailed more than 500 matches.
“He’s a scrambler,” Mike said. “He understands his hips and his balance. It’s nothing magical. He’s not the best athlete, but he’s probably the hardest worker.”
The Pursels have logged close to 8,000 miles this tournament season, Mike estimates. Bo works out with Team Central, an elite club that meets at Park Hill High in Missouri. Mike said Bo will attend Lansing schools next school year. The family lives on the border between the two school districts.
Bo has won tournaments in five states, including the Bighorn Nationals in Denver, the Dixie Nationals in Atlanta and the Liberty Nationals in Kansas City. The trio of victories earned him the Americas Crown Award, an honor attained by just 12 wrestlers in the nation.
“We have literally traveled all over the country for him to wrestle and he just seems to love it more the more we go,” Mike said.
And in Kansas, he’s been almost unbeatable, dropping just one match to a Kansas opponent in the last three years. He won the 2004 and 2005 state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling as well.
There are plenty of standout wrestlers from the Pursel family. Many area fans remember Chris Pursel, a three-time state champion from Effingham, who is now a red-shirt freshman at Iowa State.
Bo, who said his father is both the person who got him started in wrestling and one of those he looks up to most, will spent the next few months traveling to tournaments around the country on the weekends.
But he seems to have things in perspective.
Next on the list is the USA nationals. The goal?
“To win and have fun,” he said.
Sunday, he was doing both.
