Westlake to Kick Off New Era With On-Campus Stadium : Prep football: School joins six other Marmonte League members with lighted facilities; Royal has plans for one to open in 1994.

Westlake High has joined the ranks of Marmonte League schools that have on-campus, lighted football stadiums, and Royal is following suit.

Friday night, Westlake will play host to Agoura in the first on-campus game in the school’s 14-year history. At Royal, plans have been approved to build a $3.2-million lighted stadium scheduled for operation in 1994.

By then, all eight Marmonte schools will be playing on-campus home games under the lights. Westlake previously played home games at Thousand Oaks High, and Royal used Moorpark College as its home field.

“All we have to do is get dressed and walk on the field and play,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “No more packing. No getting on a bus. Everyone is really excited about it.”

Westlake’s home debut will mark a major step toward completion of what eventually will be a $1.2-million facility, including concrete grandstands, a press box, restrooms and concession stands.

The stadium, which will have a capacity of 5,000, currently includes a new electronic scoreboard and a re-sodded playing field with automatic sprinklers. Lighting, grandstands and restroom facilities are temporary.

Westlake paid for its stadium through fund-raisers, individual and corporate donations, and the financial help of the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the City of Thousand Oaks, according to Larry Walendy, vice president of the school’s booster club. The stadium should be completed by next fall, Walendy said.

“About half the money has been pledged or collected,” Walendy said. “We’ve been working on this for six years.”

Construction at Royal is expected to begin next September, according to Royal Principal Dave Jackson, who is a member of the project’s design committee. The stadium is expected to seat approximately 7,000 and will include a synthetic-surface running track, press box, electronic scoreboard, restrooms, concession stands and locker rooms.

The stadium is being funded by the Simi Valley Unified School District through city development fees, Jackson said. The stadium was approved last May by the school board and the City Council.

“We want it to be a multipurpose stadium to include football, soccer, track, band spectaculars and, possibly, field hockey,” Jackson said. “It will be a state-of-the-art facility.”

Royal, which opened in 1968, played home games at Simi Valley High before moving to Moorpark College in 1990.