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Layton • It is a mild fall Wednesday and the trees on the mountain hulking over the practice field just are beginning to change color as Layton Christian Academy linebacker Colin Greenhill saunters to the sideline.

He approaches quiet, unassuming, and if it weren't for his size — broad shoulders, barrel chest — or if you had not seen him minutes ago delivering violent hits on a carousel of ball carriers, you might have little idea that Greenhill is one of the state's best linebackers in Class 1A.

Yet Greenhill is among the state tackling leaders with 68 in six games. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Greenhill finished third in the state with 139 tackles in 12 games last season.

Though Greenhill said he's proud of ranking among the state leaders, he refuses to take credit. He defers to his teammates with a quick nod of the head to where they're huddled on the sideline gathering their gear.

"We've got a great D-line. That helps a lot," Greenhill said. "Also, just everybody's going to the ball with me, so it makes it easy on me."

But the number of tackles doesn't tell the whole story of Greenhill's contributions to the Layton Christian Academy defense. The senior is physical enough to see occasional time on the defensive line, yet athletic enough to be effective in pass coverage, which makes him a truly versatile threat.

"As the defensive coordinator, you want to put your players in position to make plays, and having him in the middle allows us to do a lot of things," LCA defensive coordinator Roger Horne said. "He has the ability to go sideline to sideline to stop the run, and he's fast enough to get into pass coverage."

That versatility is crucial for a small school like Class 1A LCA, which doesn't have the talent pool that many larger schools possess. Greenhill's ability helps mask any deficiencies the defense may have.

"Every defense has weaknesses, and we're well aware of what ours are, and so is Colin, and we design things to have him help us hide those," Horne said.

Greenhill also gets occasional carries on the offensive end, though he prefers to keep the specifics under wraps to keep the opposition off-guard. He has 157 yards on 21 carries — an average of better than seven yards per carry — and he's rushed for a pair of touchdowns this season.

"I just play wherever the coach needs me," Greenhill said. "They ask me that week, and I'll play it. That's it — I'm a team player."

The total package Greenhill provides unsurprisingly has caught the attention of college coaches. While he entered his senior year without an offer, Greenhill said he's been in contact with a variety of schools, including Southern Utah, Utah State, Colorado, Colorado State, Weber State, Harvard and Washington State.

"He's got the ability, the desire to do it," Horne said about Greenhill's chance to play at the next level. "He's got the physical and mental aspect of it." —