By Ken Hansard

Pittsburg High School senior quarterback and cornerback Carsen Nickelson was named by his teammates and coaches as their team captain.  This is quite an honor, considering that the Dragons, who were 5-4 in an injury plagued season last year, return the nucleus of that club, including a host of seniors who have started the past two to three seasons. 

Nickelson, who was an Honorable Mention All-State nominee last year, relishes his nomination as team captain far more than his All-State selection. “I was most proud of being named a captain for this team because that means way more to me than any All-State award.”

That kind of selfless attitude and willingness to serve others is part of what makes Carsen special.  The Dragons, under Head Coach Josh Lattimore, have fostered a strong team culture.  It is quite obvious when listening to Nickelson and his teammates, that they consider Coach Lattimore’s words to be far more than just platitudes, “We put in a lot of time during the summer, and we were all just really excited to get back out there.  Something we really focused on was getting tighter as a group and building our team chemistry.  I believe that we have really improved in that area, and that has helped us jump out to a good start. A lot of people believe that they can lead until the going gets tough, so I challenge myself to be that leader.”

When asked about goals, Nickelson’s remarks reflected his respect for his coach and his care for his entire team, “Our team goal is to go 1-0 each week.  No matter who we are playing, Coach Latt challenges us to have that same mindset each and every week. Making a run in the playoffs is going to be a challenge.  We are in the 5A East division, which might be the toughest in the state, but we know that we can compete with anyone as long as everyone competes and gives it 100 percent.”

The Dragons are currently halfway through the regular season.  Their record at this time stands at 4-1, with the lone defeat coming in a hard-fought loss to Shawnee Mission South.  “We are happy with where we are, but we are definitely not satisfied. We know that we could very well be undefeated this season, but we have to put that loss in our past and just look to go 1-0 each week from here on out.”

Nickelson says that his love for sports comes from his dad. “I was always around the football team because my dad was the head coach for 12 years, so I grew up around football. I also fell in love with baseball. I just loved everything about the game and have loved it so much I hope I get the opportunity to play it in college.”

 Nickelson is also a standout in the classroom.  He carries an impressive 4.0 GPA and is an Honor Roll student.  Following high school, Nickelson would like to play baseball collegiately.  He is also considering attending Pitt State University to major in the medical field, with a tentative end goal of getting into medical sales or physical therapy – possibly with a sports’ organization.