Northfield football players sign on for college

The pair were recognized on Wednesday, Feb. 1 during a special signing ceremony at the high school, which was attended by family, coaches, teammates and friends.

Kelly plans to play football at the University of Minnesota Duluth and Schulz will join the football program at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. this fall. Both schools are members of the competitive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, which is widely recognized as one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II conferences in the nation.

Kelly (6-6, 250-pounds) earned All-District honors for the Raiders during his prep career and looks to play on the offensive line at UMD — most likely at the tackle position. Schulz, who also earned All-District status at Northfield, will also play on the offensive line at Augustana at tackle or guard.

“It is truly a special day for our program and an extra special day for Joey and Haden to be able to sign their letters of intent to two prestigious universities and ones with very good football programs,” Northfield head coach Brent Yule said during the signing ceremony.

“These two have spent countless hours on the football field, practice field and weight room. They put a ton of effort into our program and their individual football skills, which has led to success and is the reason they are here today and to have this opportunity.”

The location in Duluth, quality academics and a strong football program were top draws for Kelly, who is undecided on his academic major but is considering about an education major at this point.

“We’ve been going to Duluth all our lives. I just really liked the campus and loved the area and after meeting the O-line (offensive line) coach I just loved it. Those were my main reasons for committing to UMD,” Kelly said.

A longtime connection to the program at Augustana and its staff were key components for Schulz in making his college choice. Schulz plans to study business management at Augustana.

“I’ve always liked the program and I’ve known the coaches really well — head coach Jerry Olszewski, Chase King and Matt Bacoulis the o-line coach, I’ve known them my whole life. That’s a nice program there and I knew I would like it there,” Schulz said.

There is a bit of a Northfield tie to the program at Augustana as King and Bacoulis both served on the football coaching staff at St. Olaf College during Olszewski’s tenure as the Oles’ head coach from 2008 to 2012.

“Both are really good kids and hard workers,” Yule said. “When they get there to the college program and get into a college weight room and the training table, they are going to put on weight and they are going to be able to adapt to the game really well.”

He added, “For big kids, both are really athletic and have really good footwork, and I know that was a big part of what colleges were after. They both can be very versatile. Both have really good work ethics and will do well at both of those schools.”

A former player at NSIC rival Winona State, Yule is excited to be able to watch a Raider alumni play for the teams at UMD and Augustana.

“The two schools they are going to are great football programs traditionally and the conference, the NSIC, is one of the best and deepest in the country. It will be great to see them compete and experience really good collegiate football,” Yule said.

Yule also sees the success of Kelly and Schulz as providing an inspiration for younger players at NHS and a key to the future of Raider football.

“When they (the NHS players and students) see kids from Northfield get the opportunity to play at the Division II level, it means a lot because kids want to do that,” Yule said. “When they see that it is possible — especially two from one line and in one year, it is pretty special thing.”

Minnesota Duluth finished second in the NSIC Northern Division standings with an 8-3 record and Augustana placed fifth in the NSIC Southern Division with a 7-4 record in 2022. Of note, Minnesota Duluth won NCAA Division II national championships in 2008 and 2010.