Photo from Fairmont Area Schools: Former Fairmont High School football players [left to right] Tyler Bicknase, Joe Long and Mathew Martin signed their official Letters of Intent on National Signing Day that took place on Wednesday, Feb 4.

FAIRMONT – Fairmont High School seniors Joe Long, Tyler Bicknase and Mathew Martin signed their official Letters of Intent this past Wednesday in the Cardinal gymnasium as part of the National Signing Day that took place around the country on Feb 4.

All three have decided to continue their football careers at the collegiate level, attending NCAA Division III and NAIA programs across the Midwest to further develop their talents.

“It’s almost like I’m playing high school football again,” Long said. “I get to meet a lot of new people, travel to a lot of new places, and play games.”

Long, a quarterback for the Cardinals, was the latest of the three to announce his initial commitment, making his official choice on Dec 29 to play for head coach Peter Haugen and the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties.

The initial interest in playing college sports wasn’t at the top of Long’s mind at first. But after posting a series of highlights and clips from his time at Fairmont, coaches and recruiting coordinators at schools like St. John’s University (MN), the University of Minnesota Morris and St. Olaf College began to take notice.

“I didn’t really know if I wanted to play sports, but the more interest I got, the more it persuaded me to want to,” Long said.

Gustavus was another school that reached out to Long in the early stages. He said that their commitment to keeping in contact was one of the main reasons he chose their program.

“The defensive coordinator, coach [Landon] Rauen, was the one who was recruiting me,” Long said. “He kept in touch often. He came to a basketball game and a couple of football games, so I could tell he was really about the team and they wanted me.”

Unlike Long, offensive and defensive linemen Bicknase and Martin knew they had a passion for playing football beyond high school after their first handful of seasons.

“Football was the main sport I fell in love with as a kid,” Bicknase said. “I always knew I wanted to play at a higher level.”

Bicknase’s sophomore year was when recruiting began to gain traction. With guidance from the older players, Bicknase began posting film on his social media platforms in hopes of getting seen.

Despite getting attention from Dakota State University, Minnesota State University and the University of Sioux Falls throughout his sophomore and junior campaigns, Bicknase had his sights set on the University of Wisconsin River Falls because of the persistent efforts they made to keep in touch.

“I wouldn’t say my mind was made up, but I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to go to River Falls,” Bicknase said. “The coach had just been in contact with me since my junior summer. …That’s a place I wanted to go, where I was wanted.”

Bicknase made his official commitment on Nov 6. His biggest aspirations at WRF are the opportunity to play alongside other players at this level and to test his own skills against competition in practices and games.

“Just seeing how that pace of play is different from high school,” Bicknase said regarding what he’s looking forward to the most.

Martin began pursuing his college football aspirations during his junior year, attending camps and clinics hosted by coaches to showcase his skills.

“I went to quite a few of them, and I thought they were good,” Martin said. “I went to some smaller camps that schools put on themselves, and a couple of big prospect camps up in the cities that had multiple other coaches.”

“Development wise, the smaller camps that coaches put on were more crucial. Those prospect camps, you learn a little bit, but not as much as the ones that coaches themselves put on.”

Recruiters began reaching out to schedule potential on-campus visits a year later. Out of the schools that reached out, such as Luther College, Concordia University and Gustavus Adolphus, Waldorf was one that stuck out from the rest.

Much like Long and Bicknase, it was the constant communication that edged Martin towards the program. The Vikings even surprised Martin one day at school in hopes of furthering the relationship.

“Some schools would take a little bit to respond,” Martin said. “My recruiting coach at Waldorf, he responded super quick and kept that connection all throughout [the process].”

With their letters of intent signed, Long, Bicknase and Martin now turn their attention toward their final months as Cardinals before taking the next step in their football careers at the collegiate level.