Commitment Report – Chance Backer (2020)

With the offers he had, Chatfield senior <strong></strong> knew he was going to have the opportunity to play college football. Instead of drawing the recruiting process out, he knew what he wanted. In addition to college football – he wanted to enjoy his senior year with his teammates. The Gophers came into the season as an inexperienced bunch. "We came into the season with six seniors after graduating twelve last year," Backer said. "With that, we did good this year. Our junior class stepped up a lot. They worked hard. We had some sophomores start, especially on defense. My little brother – Sam – is a freshman and was a running back. I am pretty sure he led the conference in rushing yards." The team finished with a record of 8-3, losing in the Section 1AA finals. The Gophers relied on the running game and Backer's main position group – the linebackers. "On offense, we were mainly a running team," Backer said. "Sam kind of carried the team on offense. Our passing was okay. We had a few good receivers." "The last couple of years we have had a good linebacker crew," Backer continued. "That is probably the strength of our defense." Backer was a three-year starter – the last two years, he started both ways. He was happy with his individual performance in his senior year. "We did a lot more with the tight end blocking down on the linebacker. I took pride in blocking for our running backs. We did a little bit of trips. I was usually blocking, but that was fun lining up out wide. At linebacker, I stopped the running game up the middle and flowed to the outside. On runs to the outside, I follow the ball well, and I made a lot of tackles on the outside." Backer usually played the strong side inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Recruited as a linebacker, Backer made sure his senior year of football was a priority. "I committed early because I wanted to enjoy the season - enjoy the season and try to get as much done as we could," northstarfootballnews.com's 59th ranked senior said. "I thought I played well. I led the team in tackles – same as a junior. I thought I blocked well on offense." Backer – who likes the outdoors who likes to hunt and trap - also committed early because he found a program that fit. "The main reason I picked Winona State was the coaching staff," Backer – who also considered Minnesota State-Mankato and Bemidji State said. "They constantly keep in touch with me. They talk to me about non-football stuff. They just liked BS-ing with me. They made me feel like I was part of the family. They are renovating their stadium, building an indoor field, and renovating the football building. I also like to be able to stay close to home. I have a lot of family in Winona. My mom played basketball at Winona State – that was part of it two." The Winona defensive staff want him to play inside linebacker. "They run a Tampa Two defense," Backer told northstarfootballnews.com. "They recruited me to play a middle linebacker position. In that defense, the middle linebacker needs to be able to drop into coverage, and that is what they recruited me to do. Across the board, the schools liked my speed and how I was able to use it." After the football season, Backer jumped right into the winter sports season. "I play basketball. I am not a huge basketball guy, but I am starting so far. I play a forward. My job is to go in and play hard, get as many rebounds as I can, and play defense. I use basketball to stay in shape. This spring, I will be running track. Last year was my first year in track. I ran the 100, the 200, and was the anchor on the 4X100 and 4X200. I went to State in the relays last year, so hopefully, we do that again this year." The 6'2" 200 senior is usually in the weight room in the morning. "Right now, we are focusing on powerlifting – deadlift, squats, hang clean, dumbbell benching, stuff like that." Able to focus on his teammates during the football season, Backer can now focus on his futu