Gehlen Catholic three-sport athlete Keaten Bonderson made his collegiate decision as part of National Signing Day on Wednesday. The senior signed his letter of intent to play football at the NCAA Division II level at Wayne State College in the fall.
To play sports at the next level, it takes dedication and only a select few are able to do it past high school. Bonderson says getting the opportunity to do that is one that he does not take lightly.
Bonderson says he connected right away at Wayne State with the coaching staff. He says once he took the visit and got on campus, he knew it was the place to be.
Bonderson’s recruitment got to take him all over the Midwest getting offers from plenty of Division II schools and getting to go on official visits with schools as high up the ladder as Iowa State. Bonderson says the only thing that mattered to him was getting an opportunity to have an impact right away. He says Wayne State provided him that opportunity.
When his Gehlen Catholic football career came to an end this past fall, Bonderson held the career receiving yards, career receiving touchdowns, and the career receptions records for the Jays. His head coach Jeremy Schindler says his speed and his hands are two aspects that will serve him well in the transition to the college game.
The Wildcats are looking at putting Bonderson in the slot as a wide receiver. He says that will give him the opportunity to show off that speed and have a major impact on the offense.
Off the field, Bonderson proved to be a strong senior leader for his football squad that made back-to-back trips to the Class A playoffs this past season. Coach Schindler says his competitive nature allowed him to be a leader and will be a strong asset in his jump to the college game.
As for the Gehlen program Bonderson leaves behind, the hope is that this signing will drive more kids to improve their game. Coach Schindler says playing in college is a great opportunity and can be a strong motivation for kids to step their game up.
Wayne State finished the 2022 season with a record of 9-3 and earned a share of the Northern Sun Conference regular season title. The Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for just the second time in school history (2008) before falling to #19 Minnesota State 26-9 in the opening round.
