Westlake senior Campbell McCrea didn’t have much time to crank up his career as a defensive back.

Moments after team captain Louie Swope went down with a season-ending knee injury on a punt return in Westlake’s 2009 district opener against Bowie, McCrea found himself filling in at free safety facing a formidable threat.

DeAndre Perry, Bowie’s 6-foot-4-inch speed merchant, split out wide to the left while shifty running back Brelyn Sorrells went in motion to the right. As Perry burned downfield at the snap, Sorrells filled the slot and cut across the middle.

Assignments flashed through mind of McCrea, a converted wide receiver who had only been enrolled at Westlake for six weeks. Do I offer deep help on Perry? Do I let the linebacker cover Sorrells? Do I take that h-back running free in the flat?

But then McCrea let his instincts take over, and he closed on Sorrells with a fury. Just as Sorrells reached up and grabbed the pass, McCrea delivered a crushing blow that jarred the ball loose and left Sorrells in a daze on the turf of Chaparral Stadium.

A dozen games later, McCrea started in the secondary before almost 20,000 fans in the Class 5A Division I championship game in San Antonio’s Alamodome. Such a debut season at Westlake should help McCrea – and the Chap defense – handle the hype in its season opener Saturday against Lake Travis at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium.

“But I was more nervous in my first game than I was in the championship game,” he said. “By the end of the year, there was such a difference. I learned so much, and I got so comfortable at safety.”

McCrea’s ability to adjust helped Westlake exceed expectations in Coach Darren Allman’s first year. He went from playing wide receiver and defensive back for the Hill Country hamlet of Fredericksburg in 2008 to starting for one of the most prominent Class 5A programs in the state in 2009. He spent most of nondistrict play last season as a reserve wideout before the coaching staff began cross-training him in the secondary in the bye week that preceded the Bowie game.

Such preparation paid off after Swope’s injury.

“That was a tough week after Louie went down,” McCrea said. “Everyone had to trust me, and I had to perform.”

McCrea performed with aplomb, tallying 68 tackles, seven interceptions and one fumble recovery. His return to a veteran defense has lifted the Chaps near the top of this season’s preseason polls.

Westlake welcomes back 12 starters from last year’s 13-3 squad, including five all-district players. However, seniors such as McCrea must fill the leadership void if the Chaps hope to build on last season’s success.

“It’s time for us [the seniors] to assume that responsibility,” McCrea said. “We have a lot of guys coming back, and we’ll have to lead this team.”