Prospect Spotlight: Nate Litke – Spring Lake Park (2022)

Not only was Spring Lake Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="116256" first="Nate" last="Litke"] making the jump from junior varsity to varsity in 2020, he was doing it by playing not one but two new positions. As the season wore on, he would take on even more responsibility. As he prepares for his senior season, Litke is preparing for his role to expand again. "I played both ways last year on JV – running back and linebacker," Litke said. "I focused more on offense this year. I usually played slot. I sometimes would motion out to wide receiver. Towards the end of the season, I played some running back. I worked my way up through the depth chart, and I became the guy who could make those plays." As the season went on, the junior’s time on the field increased. "It was interesting at the start, but I started to take a role as a key player in the game. I had a bunch of guys coaching me up, so it made the jump (from JV) easy. Once I got there, I tried to have as much fun as I could." Litke had to learn two new positions – slot and wide receiver. "The transition went well. I just tried to gain as much knowledge from the coaches as I could," Litke said. "I just had to go out there and apply what I learned in practice and games. The hardest part was reading the defense and knowing what kind of release I was doing, adjusting routes or adjusting my blocking depending on where defenses lined up." It should come as no surprise what Litke feels is his strength. "My strengths are that I am versatile. I can run the ball and catch it. I am not a one-way player." Like all teams last fall, the Panthers also had to be versatile. "It was a great season," Litke said. "Despite all the circumstances, we did as much as we could to make it the best. We didn’t have any cancellations – we did our job on that. We had many good guys who committed to the team and pushed themselves in the off-season and in-season. Being able to be conference champions was cool." Led by their defense, SLP finished with a record of 6-1. They gave up an average of five points a game. "Our defense was insane," Litke told prepredzonemn.com. "We had nine seniors on defense – guys who knew the playbook—we shut out five teams. On offense, we switched our offense and went to more of a passing look. We found ways to throw different looks at the defense and get them guessing." Because of graduations on the defensive side of the ball, Litke expects to play both ways as a senior. "Next year, I will be moving back to running back because we are moving back to a split-back offense. I am hoping to play linebacker again too." To get ready to be on the field practically all game next season, Litke has been getting ready for football even when participating in other sports. "I have been doing a lot of weight training and a lot of footwork and small technique details, moving laterally and being explosive." One of those sports is basketball. "I usually played one half on JV, and then I would get in a little bit on varsity," Litke explained. "It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was a fun season. I usually played shooting guard or small forward. I am a good three-point shooter and a defender." In the spring, Litke competes on the Panthers’ shooting team. "Our team finished in first in both trap and skeet shooting. I did trap (shooting) when I was younger, but I went to skeet this past year. It is harder than trap. There is a lot more movement involved. I like the pace better." "During basketball," the 5’11", 190-pound junior continued, "I would lift two times a week with the basketball team, and on days the team didn’t lift, I would try to lift before school. During trap and skeet, I had time to do lifting and fieldwork." Litke – who enjoys hiking and anything outside – recently picked up his first DII offer. "I went up to Northern State this week for a camp. I got to see the facilities, and I got my first DII offer. I also have a roster spot from Augsburg. I have been to camp at Bemidji State and am going to the North Dakota State camp this weekend. I am also going to Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota camps." Recruited as a running back, Litke has interest from many DIII schools and a handful of DII programs. "They like my quickness. The coaches like that I can do a lot of things and that I am composed. They like my hands and quickness." If things go as Litke expects during his senior season, colleges will like that he can do even more things – on both sides of the ball.