The Pine Island football team wanted to start the second quarter of its playoff game Saturday with a statement. To no one’s surprise, the ball went to one of the best runners in the state.

“It worked perfectly,” Nick Thein said.

“It” was not another dash but instead a little razzle dazzle, and Thein fooled the Lake City defense with a 62-yard touchdown toss.

“Pretty awesome,” he said of his second career pass.

That’s also a good description of Nick’s entire senior season. He’s been pretty awesome for an undefeated team ranked No. 6 in Class 3A. The 9-0 Panthers, who have outscored opponents 369-33, will be vying for their first state tournament appearance since 2013 in Friday’s section championship against Winona Cotter.

“Make a state tournament and make a run, that’s what drives us,” Thein said. “Make history for Pine Island. Put our names down in the history book.”

For this school an hour southeast of the Twin Cities, Thein has been the catalyst of the quest.

Thein has rushed for 1,617 yards (12.6 per carry) and 27 touchdowns despite playing in the second half of only a few games because of lopsided scores. His 27 touchdown runs are second most in the state, behind the 29 by Hermantown’s Martin Sleen.

In Saturday’s playoff win, he rushed 15 times for 206 yards and four touchdowns.

Thein has also caught a touchdown pass and now passed for a touchdown, too.

“We definitely expected a lot out of him, and he has surpassed that,” Pine Island coach Mitch Schiltz said.

Thein credits his success to his participation in other sports. He started in wrestling at age 3 and owns 133 victories at the varsity level. He also helped Pine Island win its first baseball state championship in June.

“Winning on that big stage at Target Field, it teaches you a lot as a player and person,” he said. “How to handle those big moments and capitalize on them.”

His style as a running back is a mix of tough and elusive. The toughness stems from his wrestling background; his career varsity record is 133-61. If he stays healthy, he has a shot at breaking Ben McPhail’s school record of 170 wins this winter. He also ranks fourth in program history with 235 takedowns.

“Wrestling has been the most beneficial thing for me in my football career,” Thein said. “The balance it teaches you and how to stay on your feet and power through someone. And just being tough when you’re down. Wrestling teaches you how to be tough.”

He doesn’t shy away from contact, but his quickness enables him to break off long runs.

“Shiftiness is definitely one of the best parts of my game, making someone miss,” he said.

Schiltz called Thein’s vision as a runner “probably the best that I’ve been around,” which is noteworthy considering he coached former Vikings punt returner Marcus Sherels at Rochester John Marshall.

“They both had the same kind of toughness,” Schiltz said.

Thein deflects praise for his individual success, calling his offensive line “the best part of our team right now.” He is focused solely on team goals, like repeating the joy the baseball team brought to Pine Island’s community after winning a state title.

“That’s what we want to do for football, too,” he said.

. . .

CATCHING UP WITH ...

Tanner Morgan trying out every option

Tanner Morgan filled binders full of notes and quotes about leadership during his five-year stint as the Gophers’ starting quarterback. He keeps those notebooks in his home office, opening them at least once a week to guide him in his post-college pursuits.

“I’ve never had this much [schedule] flexibility in my life,” he said.

He had a brief stint on the Vikings practice squad, assisted a high school football team and helps run a quarterback training business. He leads weekly Bible studies for a national organization and has given nearly 30 public speeches this year. He has served as game analyst for Big Ten Network and landed a gig on the Fox 9 pregame show for Gophers games.

Now 26, he’s also married with two daughters, ages 2 and three months old.

“Athletes are really good at dreaming in the present,” Morgan said last week. “But how can we continue to have outsized dreams after that? That’s kind of where I’m at. I have big dreams for my life. I’m going to chase the doors that are open.”

Morgan thought he knew exactly the path he wanted after finishing his Gophers career ranked No. 2 in program history in passing yards, touchdown passes, attempts, completions, total offensive yards and starts by a quarterback — trailing Adam Weber in all those categories.

Morgan set his sights on coaching, joining P.J. Fleck’s staff as an offensive analyst for the 2023 season with the goal of becoming a college head coach someday. That plan was interrupted briefly when injuries hit the Vikings quarterback room in 2023, starting with Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury.

The team needed someone to quarterback the scout team in practice and Morgan was in town, so he left Fleck’s staff to assist the Vikings in a pinch two different times.

He loved coaching, but the time commitment required in that profession made him pivot to a new plan.

“Big sacrifice, big reward,” he said. “Even now, to be honest, I’m like, ‘Should I get back into that?’ To me, what I’m doing now is, I’m running to open doors and I’m trying a lot of things to see what sticks.”

He has discovered personal and professional fulfillment in a variety of interests.

He has stayed in football by training quarterbacks for QB Motion Midwest. His client list is primarily high school players from different states but also includes Cincinnati Bengals practice squad quarterback Sean Clifford, formerly of Penn State.

He turned down high school head coaching opportunities to maintain his preferred work-life balance. His philosophy as a private quarterback coach is to supplement, not overstep. “How can we be a developmental program that aids high school coaches?” he said.

His other duties keep him busy enough. Employed by Search Ministries, Morgan leads Bible studies several times a week. Other organizations have invited him to speak on leadership.

He prepares for speeches as if he’s still a quarterback rehearsing a game plan.

“I enjoy the challenge of, ‘How can I open to capture the audience’s attention? What’s the message I want them to leave with?’ ” he said.

Morgan delivered a historic season in 2019, setting a host of school records and finishing fourth nationally in quarterback rating, behind only Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields, as the Gophers finished 11-2.

“Legacy as a player dies pretty quickly unless you’re a Hall of Fame guy,” he said. “Legacy of how you impacted people goes a lot further. People will remember how you made them feel.”

That’s what motivates him in this new chapter of life. He’s not sure where this road will lead him. Maybe broadcasting. Or perhaps a life in ministry, a career in motivational speaking, even a return to coaching.

“I’ve had to have grace with myself and know that I don’t have to have it all figured out,” he said. “There are a lot of things out there. Let’s attack whatever happens and be our best in those areas.”

. . .

FOOTBALL ACROSS MINNESOTA

Game balls

Mike Grant: Eden Prairie coach notched his 400th career win in the Eagles’ first playoff game vs. Lakeville North, becoming only the third coach in state history to reach that milestone.

Luke Dehnicke: Minnesota Duluth tight end caught eight passes for 230 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the University of Mary. His receiving yards were second-most nationally in Division II this season.

Kyle Mages: Concordia (Moorhead) linebacker posted nine tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in a win over Augsburg.

Social shoutouts

Stayin’ alive: Two Rivers pulled off this late touchdown and two-point conversion to stay alive in the high school playoffs.

Fresh off the field: One of my favorite features of “Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver” is the postgame interviews with players and coaches from the field or team bus. Here’s a fun one from last week.

Bulldogs dance: With plenty of touchdowns, and even some dancing, this video recapping Minnesota Duluth’s victory is worth a watch.

He said what?!

“They absolutely dominated the football game from start to finish. I told our football team that those were three hours of not very good football.”

– Gophers coach P.J. Fleck after Iowa routed his team 41-3 at Kinnick Stadium.

Numbers to know

6: Touchdown passes by Minnesota Duluth’s Kyle Walljasper in a win over the University of Mary.

28: Sacks allowed by the Vikings, third-most in the NFL.

123: National rank for Gophers in total offense out of 136 FBS teams.

Grab your popcorn

Chaska at Chanhassen, Friday, 6 p.m. This might be the best matchup of the playoff weekend, between two ranked teams in Class 5A. Chanhassen has lost only once and has eclipsed 40 points in back-to-back games. Chaska owns a three-game winning streak since losing to Chanhassen 28-14 on Oct. 3.

A FAM final word

“Embarrassing.”

Los Angeles Chargers 37, Vikings 10.

Iowa 41, Gophers 3.

Nothing more to say.

. . .

Thank you for reading Football Across Minnesota (FAM), my weekly column that tours football topics in our state from preps to pros. FAM will publish midday on Tuesdays. I appreciate feedback, so please reach out anytime. — Chip (email: anthony.scoggins@startribune.com; on X: @chipscoggins)