Westlake Duo Know Well the Route to a Passing Grade : Quarterback: An interest in children has Kevin Crook gaining ground toward a career as a pediatrician.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE —  When quarterback Kevin Crook rides to Westlake High’s away games on the team bus, he puts aside his own worries and makes time for the team’s ball boy.

They talk throughout the trip, Crook sharing football tips with Jason Gaviati, a 13-year-old youth football player who hopes to ride the same bus as a player for the Warriors in three years.

But not all conversation revolves around Crook and football. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior who has passed for more than 2,000 yards and has led Westlake into the playoffs asks about the youngster’s life and wonders about the boy’s hopes and dreams.

“I like to get them to talk because it makes them more comfortable,” Crook said. “I don’t do much of the talking. I want to hear what’s going on in their lives.”

Before this season, ball boys didn’t ride the team bus, but Crook insisted. He wants them to feel closer to the team.

That thoughtfulness and sensitivity for youngsters extends beyond football. When Crook is away from the football field, most of his time is spent with kids. Whether it’s teaching them, working with them or just hanging out. And once Crook is through with football, his full attention will turn to youngsters.

“I want to be a pediatrician when I’m done with football,” he said. “I’ve known that’s what I want to do since I began high school.”

Those plans can wait for a while. Crook has his hands full at the moment.

Crook has led Westlake to a 7-2-1 record, including a 5-1-1 mark in the Marmonte League and the No. 9 ranking in the area. The Warriors finished second in the league, behind Newbury Park, the No. 1 team in the area. Westlake plays Santa Barbara in a first-round Southern Section Division III playoff game Friday night at Thousand Oaks High.

Crook’s personal numbers have been as impressive as the team’s. He has completed 142 passes in 263 attempts for 2,210 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Only record-setting quarterback Keith Smith of Newbury Park has better numbers in the league.

Pre-med studies and football carry equal importance when he considers college. Crook, with a 3.8 grade-point average, will sacrifice attending a Division I school if it means getting a better chance at medical school.

“Ohio Wesleyan has a great graduation rate into medical school,” he said. “And I’ve talked to them about football, too.”

Several other schools piqued Crook’s interest for both academics and football. Loyola Marymount, Northern Arizona, UC Santa Cruz, Chico State and Washington State top Crook’s list of academic schools, and he’s quick to point out that he’d love a chance to play for the Washington State football team.

In the meantime, Crook directs his interest in young people by working with them in different sports.

He helps coach a youth basketball team and spent part of his summer as a camp counselor. He visits local youth football teams and works with the quarterbacks. But he admits those visits have become less frequent as the football season has entered its stretch run.

“I just don’t have the time right now,” he said. “Once the season’s over, I’ll go right back to coaching basketball.”

But Crook, 17, has managed to save some off-field time for at least one youngster. Crook has befriended Gaviati, his eighth-grade next-door neighbor. When he has time, Crook watches Gaviati play for his youth football team or they just hang out like brothers would.

“I have a sister but I’ve never had a little brother,” Crook said. “He’s like a little brother to me that I never had.”

Crook’s success is somewhat surprising because this is only his third year of organized football. He never got a chance to play youth football.

His father, Gordon, wouldn’t let him play until he became muscularly developed. His father worried about possible damage to his son’s knees.

“He had really big knees for his height,” Gordon Crook said. “After he filled out, then we talked.”

Finally, Kevin received permission to play before his sophomore year, but had no clue what position to play.

When he played for a flag football team in junior high, Crook was a receiver. He’d never considered playing quarterback until the junior varsity coach asked if he could throw. Replied Crook: “I don’t know but I’ll try it.”

Crook played quarterback for the junior varsity in 1991, then moved to the varsity in 1992, sitting behind starting quarterback Brian Field. The Warriors slipped to 3-7 last season, with Crook playing only in mop-up situations, completing 33 of 86 passes for 385 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.

With Field graduating and the starting job his, Crook dedicated himself to improving his long-range potential over the summer. Using a high-protein diet and a rigorous weightlifting program, Crook gained 30 pounds.

And through the tutelage of Westlake quarterbacks coach Darryl Smith, Crook improved his football mechanics.

“He must have taken 10,000 drops this summer,” Smith said.

Smith designed drills to help Crook deal with reading defenses and the pass rush. And the results have paid off for the Warriors.

But more important than Crook’s physical improvement have been the intelligence and leadership he brings to the huddle. Coaches and teammates believe those intangibles are Crook’s strengths.

“He’s been a lot more confident this season,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “Last year he wasn’t completely sure of himself when he came in. He’s made a big jump this year.”

Teammates have noticed improvement in both leadership and ability. Wide receiver Billy Miller, Crook’s favorite target, is impressed with the difference.

“Last year he would be nervous when he came in the game,” Miller said. “Now he’s much more confident in the pocket and he’s a great motivator. He goes into the huddle, gets everyone quiet, calms everyone down. To do that after playing football just three years is really unusual.”

On the practice field, Crook eagerly helps the other quarterbacks. When they run a drill, he volunteers pointers, helping his backups perfect their footwork in the pocket and while throwing on the run.

“He’s the kind of guy who knows what he’s part of and he has to teach things to younger players,” Smith said. “That’s one of his best strengths. If his work ethic stays as it is, he will be a success, in whatever he does.”