WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Julius Bolden remembers the first touchdown he ever scored like it was yesterday.
He says it came in the first grade on an inside handoff. He would bounce it outside for a 60 yard run to the endzone.
So it only makes sense that the guy they call ‘Juice’ would continue that trend as he got older.
As a senior for the Northwest Grizzlies, Bolden would rack up nearly 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
“Coach Martin said at the beginning of the season that I was going to get the ball a lot, so, I just knew that I was going to ball out this season,” said Bolden.
His knack for piling up the yards and the frequent house calls to the endzone would help Bolden lead his Grizzlies squad to the 5A state championship game. They would ultimately fall to Mill Valley 49-35 and finish runner-ups for the third straight season.
“We just missed the mark on a couple of plays, we had a couple of turnovers and stuff, we couldn’t get it this year either, it was really tough,” said Bolden.
The football journey for Bolden doesn’t stop there. Earlier this month, he signed his national letter of intent to play for Northern Illinois next season.
“They just had a lot of faith in me, when they talked to me they just seemed like they were the most interested college in me and I really like how their coaching staff is,” said Bolden. “He said that he liked to run the ball a lot and that a lot of Northern Illinois running backs have had successful careers in college and in the NFL.”
What should make the transition to college a little easier is the fact he’ll be joined by his Northwest teammate, Wetu Kalomo.
“Me and Wetu are really tight, I thought it would be pretty fun to go there with him,” said Bolden.
Northern Illinois, which plays in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), finished the 2020 season winless at 0-6.
