7. Touchdown Catches

Every year, the football team's goal was to reach the Minnesota State High School League championship game. It was played at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis. So, every year, a photograph of the Metrodome was placed in each player's locker. This served as a daily reminder of how far the team wanted to go. For Adam's senior year, the team was good enough to make it. But would they?

Head Coach Flint Motschenbacher put the kids to work, and that hard work paid off. The Lakers' offense started fast and never slowed. On the second play of the season, Adam sparked the team with a 39-yard reception versus Melrose. It set up a Lakers touchdown, and the rout was on. Adam added a thrilling 74-yard touchdown catch later in the game, giving Detroit Lakes a 47-20 victory.

Game after game, the Lakers brought home wins. Adam caught passes here and there--usually explosive deep plays--but he was mostly utilized as a tremendous blocker. He helped Detroit Lakes run away with the season. In their final regular-season game, the Lakers dominated Duluth-Central to finish with a record of 8-0 and the 2007 North Country Conference Championship. That was good enough to earn them a number-one seed in the playoffs.

They defeated ROCORI, 35-20, in their first playoff game. Then, on November 8, they squared off against Sartell-St. Stephen in the Section 8-4A championship.

The Lakers had early opportunities, and Adam found openings in the defense. But the passes fell incomplete, and those missed chances seemed to deflate the Detroit Lakes players. The Lakers were trounced, 35-8, and the dream season ended. It was a difficult loss for the whole community, who held such high hopes for the season. Adam was disappointed, as well. He had failed to make it to the Metrodome.

Despite the heartbreaking finish, Adam enjoyed a great deal of success. He tallied 20 catches on the season for 535 yards (an impressive 26.8 yards per catch) and 7 touchdowns. He was nicknamed "Adam 'All He Does Is Catch Touchdowns' Thielen" and "Motschenbacher's Most Dangerous Weapon" by a local sports writer. And Adam was named to the all-conference and all-state football teams.

Not surprisingly, Adam attracted attention from a couple of colleges. The University of Minnesota--Duluth tried to recruit him. But when their head coach moved away, Adam lost the offer. Minnesota State University--Mankato also showed some interest. But their coach moved, too, and Adam was again left empty-handed.

The senior took it upon himself to try and find a team that wanted him. He toured the campuses of multiple colleges--especially midsized colleges with strong football programs, like the University of North Dakota. Yet the coaches who talked to him all seemed to agree: Adam was too short, too skinny, and too slow. He was told more than once, "Stick to basketball."

Perhaps they were right. Adam wanted to play sports in college. If basketball gave him the best chance, then he would look for a team that would take him. But, first, he had one more season of high school hoops to play.

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Excerpted from Adam Thielen: A Minnesota Football Hero by Lindsay VonRuden, Ryan Jacobson
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