Chris Peterson Column: Dane Warp was one of a kind

I have always enjoyed the month of August. Well, I should say, at least now that I am an adult. As an adolescent, August meant school was approaching and summer was ending. Yet for me, August has always been about something else - the return of football.

If you look around the country, you will see NFL teams opening training camp and soon, if they haven't begun already, high school and college football teams will follow suit.

Of course, the Havre Blue Ponies won't start practice for another week (Aug. 12), but last week, they were on the field for the first Blue Pony football camp under new head coach Ryan Gatch. And from the outside looking in, everything seemed the same as it always has.

Gatch had his players (most of them anyways, not all were in attendance) running through drills and learning his system, meeting new coaches and doing whatever possible to prepare for the upcoming season.

Yet, as I stood on sideline and watched the Ponies work, the same thing kept popping into my mind; I kept thinking how something was missing - more like someone. That someone is former Havre High quarterback Dane Warp.

Maybe it's because Warp has been the face of Pony football for the past four years or maybe it's the fact that he put together one of the great careers in the history of Havre football and was under center for just about every snap the last four seasons, but regardless, Havre football without Dane Warp will take time getting used to.

It will certainly be strange to see someone else lining up under center for HHS this season and even though change is a constant in sports, particularly at the high school level, it made me think about how truly lucky we were to have watched him these past few years.

Of course, I didn't work for the Havre Daily News during his first two seasons of playing high school sports, so I can really only comment on the last two years, but in my five-plus years working as a sports journalist, I can honestly say that he was one of a kind.

Certainly, anyone who is familiar with Havre High football knows all about Warp's many records and accomplishments, so don't worry, I am not going to list them. In fact, even if I tried, I'm not sure there is enough space in the sports section to include them all.

But stats don't make a player great; they are simply a product of his talent. And when it comes to talent, Warp's had few rivals in the history of Pony football.

Obviously, trying to compare players from different era, especially in high school sports, is folly. I can't even say that Warp is the greatest quarterback ever to don the royal blue, because for one, I am only knowledgeable about the last 20 years, and second, in that time, there have been some quarterbacks who are legendary in their own right.

Matt Kegel, who led Havre to the state championship game in 1997 and the state semifinals in 1998, certainly deserves to be mentioned among the best, as does Gary Wagner, who not only broke many of Kegel's records, but was instrumental in delivering the Ponies their last state championship in football, which came back in 2004.

I know firsthand how good Wagner was, seeing as I blocked for him as part of the offensive line in 2003, his first year as a starter and watched him quarterback Havre to a state title one year later. He didn't have the strongest arm, but was he accurate. He was also a great decision-maker. But more than anything, he was a winner and quite possibly the most competitive person I have ever known.

Most observers would probably agree that Kegel was the most talented of the three, at least in terms of pure passing. I'll never forget watching from the stands as a kid as his passes soared. Back then, he seemed like a giant and looked like the college football player he eventually became.

Kegel was always accurate, but his deep ball accuracy was especially good, which is probably why he ended up starting in the Pac-12 for Washington State for one season and even got an opportunity to compete in an NFL camp with the Minnesota Vikings.

Those guys were special and so was Warp. At times, he made things look so easy and with his combination of arm strength, accuracy and athleticism, he really seemed to have the game at his fingertips.

Sometimes with great athletes, we can't fully appreciate them until they're gone. They spoil us with their greatness and because we sometimes become accustomed to that, it can be hard not to take it for granted.

But trust me on this one Havre, players like Dane Warp don't come around often, in fact, most of the time, they don't come around more than once in a generation. I'm just glad, if that estimation comes to fruition, that I was lucky enough to be there for it and to see things from a more in-depth perspective than most.

Make no mistake, there are still plenty of reasons to be excited about Havre football in 2016. Gatch is a proven head coach and he has a roster stocked with returning talent, including All-State honorees Parker Filius and Jase Stokes.

So in all honesty, I can't wait for Havre football. I love the tradition, the Friday nights at Blue Pony Stadium and the genuine excitment and enthusiam Havre has for its Ponies.

While we can all look forward to another season, at the same time, I'd be lying if I denied the twinge of regret I feel each time I realize I will never see No. 6 play another snap for the Blue Ponies.

So thanks again, Dane Warp, for the magic and the memories, you truly were one of a kind.