BILLINGS — Collin Warnick certainly isn’t the biggest guy playing football at Billings West. But the defensive end sure seems to have a nose for the ball.
“He can get around some big guys because of the technique he uses on the field,” head coach Rob Stanton told MTN Sports.
“Honestly, I think that’s something that I’ve just kind of had ever since playing football,” Warnick said of his instinct for the ball.
West hosts Missoula Big Sky in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal Friday night at Daylis Stadium. The second-seeded Bears earned an opening-round bye while Missoula Big Sky dispatched Billings Senior 34-13 in its playoff opener last week.
Warrnick, now a senior measuring 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, is starting for the Bears after waiting in line, paying his dues and picking up some football tools from his older brother Carter, who played in West’s back-to-back state title games against Missoula Sentinel. Carter is now a defensive lineman at Carroll College.
“So, me and my brother have always had a really good relationship growing up," Warnick said. "Obviously, he went on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m planning on doing the same.”
Though Carter was quite a bit bigger than Collin, Stanton sees the similarities in work ethic.
“He’s worked tirelessly to get to that spot he’s at right now and he’s not 'little brother' anymore," Stanton said of Collin. "I think he’s played really big this year.”
Collin wears jersey No. 7, and he's playing like another guy who wore the number at West, a guy who later walked on at Montana State, became a team captain — and has what may still be MSU’s most legendary interception against rival Montana, one to give the Bobcats just their second-ever win inside Washington Grizzly Stadium, 21-16 in 2010.
“We had Mikey Rider speak to us this year, Stanton said. "He played for us in that state championship run against Helena Capital and he wanted to know who No. 7 was — because that was Mikey’s number — and Collin raised his hand. And I said he’s representing your number pretty dang well.”
