With spread offenses all the rage in prep football these days, an abundance of depth in the secondary has turned from a luxury to a necessity.

And the Chaps have the necessary players to succeed in this era, said Darren Allman.

“We have defensive backs on the bench that could be starters at a lot of schools,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have a lot of options.”

Westlake’s options to tighten up 2009’s porous pass defense begin with the safety tandem of Campbell McCrea and Sean Potter. McCrea, a 6-foot, 188-pound senior, earned all-district honors a year ago after collecting 74 tackles and seven interceptions, which was three short of the school’s single-season record. Allman said that McCrea has developed into a team leader, which is impressive praise considering that McCrea transferred to Westlake from Fredericksburg just a year ago as a wide receiver.

Potter, a 5-10, 178-pound senior, started at cornerback a year ago but showed the tenacious tackling to play safety. He had 71 tackles in 2009.

One of Westlake’s few defensive concerns could be at cornerback, where the team welcomes two new starters to a unit that gave up 186 passing yards per game. Senior Chase Corona and junior Robert Smith lack experience, but they do boast the height to challenge the plethora of tall receivers on Westlake’s schedule. Both stand at least 6-feet.

“It’s always good to get some big corners that can move,” Allman said. “We were hurt by tall receivers last season.”

Seniors Thomas Robison and Nathan Peavey will also get plenty of playing time in Westlake’s nickel and dime packages, and junior Quentin Buck has pushed for a starting cornerback spot.

“And all those guys are versatile,” Allman said. “We can play them at safety or corner.”