Joe Boswell can be an intimidating presence both on and off a mat.

The senior for the Canal Winchester High School wrestling team has a muscular body and a sizable scar on his face that runs from the bottom of his left cheek to his lower lip.

He also has the reputation of being a bit rough around the edges, as he admits that he participated in several fistfights and got himself in trouble frequently when he was younger.

Thus, Boswell said many people have been surprised once they’ve gotten to know him.

“When people see that I’m muscular and that I have a scar on my face, they’re usually intimidated to talk to me, especially because I’ve kind of been a troublemaker in the past,” said Boswell, who sustained his facial scar while jumping a fence. “But I never bully anyone and I always try to be nice to everyone who does talk to me. A lot of people don’t know this, but when I see someone who is handicapped, whether it’s physical, mental or social, I try to go out of my way to help them out because I have a family member who is (mentally) handicapped and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Boswell, who began wrestling at age 6 while growing up in Flint, Mich., shows a lot less compassion when competing in matches, as he uses his strength, speed and athleticism to pummel most opponents into submission.

He won 13 of his first 15 matches this season at 138 pounds.

“When I was in kindergarten, I started getting into a lot of fights, so my parents put me into wrestling so I could blow off some steam in a more productive way,” Boswell said. “Going to wrestling practice and training for wrestling always kept me out of getting into trouble in the winter.”

Boswell, whose family moved to Canal Winchester when he was in seventh grade, enjoyed a successful freshman season, earning a 29-21 record at 119 and qualifying for the Division II state tournament, where he went 0-2.

But the following summer, his father, Robert, accepted a job with United States Army Africa and the Boswell family moved to Vicenza, Italy.

As a sophomore at Vicenza Department of Defense High School, Boswell dominated most of his competition while wrestling against opponents from other military schools throughout Europe, and he went on to place third at 135 in the European Championships.

“We didn’t have a coach at our school, but I had a lot more technique than most of the kids I wrestled in Europe,” Boswell said. “The competition was a lot slimmer and I didn’t have a lot of trouble winning most of my matches there.”

Boswell enjoyed the Italian culture and food in his new home, but he felt uncomfortable in some situations because he didn’t speak much Italian.

When his mother, Julie, chose to move back to Canal Winchester to be closer to family and help take care of her sister, Melissa, after her father, Steven Liapis, died in 2009, Boswell decided to return with her.

“Joe lost a lot that year he was away, and he was definitely rusty when he came back,” Canal Winchester coach Trent Brooks said. “But Joe’s very athletic and talented, and he’s a hard worker, so he was able to catch back up on everything in a relatively short amount of time.”

As a junior, Boswell went 42-8 at 130, capturing Division II sectional and district titles before going 0-2 at state.

During the week leading up to state, he was slowed by a staph infection that gave him a fever, caused painful swelling in his right leg and left him feeling fatigued.

“I was so (angry) because that ruined my run last year,” Boswell said. “I was so physically drained, I could barely get out of bed and my leg swelled up to the size of a baseball. I ended up losing to kids who shouldn’t have been able to give me a good run at state.”

After spending several hours during the past offseason training with classmate and teammate Royce Calloway, who is the Indians’ starter at 160, Boswell has started strong this season.

In the Panther Invitational on Dec. 17 at Pickerington North, he went 5-0, beating Dayton Christian’s Jacob Danishek — the 2011 Division III state champion at 112 — 11-9 in the final. Boswell dominated Danishek from the neutral position, scoring three consecutive takedowns.

“Joe is, by far, the most athletic kid we’ve ever had come through our program,” Brooks said. “I hope (beating Danishek) lets him know what his potential is. If Joe gets his head on straight, there’s no reason he can’t place (in the top eight) in the (Division I) state tournament.”

As he continues his quest for a state title, Boswell said he is drawing inspiration from his father and his older brother, Jack.

He hopes to follow in their footsteps by attending the Virginia Military Institute, with the goal of becoming an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Robert Boswell retired from the Marines before being hired by United States Army Africa. Jack Boswell is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and will be deployed to work in another country in June.

“My brother and my father are good role models and they inspire me to try to do my best in everything that I do,” Boswell said. “I’m planning on dropping down to 132 pounds by the end of the season, and my goal is to be a state champ before I’m done wrestling.”