Westlake High head football coach Jim Benkert is sick and tired of doing work around the house in December.

Benkert would rather be at work on the FieldTurf at Warrior Stadium, where he has coached Westlake's football team for the past 18 years. With the Warriors missing the playoffs the last two years, Benkert is itching to get back in the postseason this year and avoid the chores around the house.

"With us not making the playoffs the last two years, I go home and I can either mow the lawn or clean the garage," Benkert said. "So my options are I'd rather make the playoffs. I guess my motivation is not wanting to mow the lawn."

Even though We s t l a k e missed the postseason the last two years, Benkert's had enormous success with the Warriors.

Benkert has a career record of 137-59-5 at Westlake, including trips to the playoffs every year from 1993 through 2003.

Benkert's finest coaching work may have been in 2003, when the team went undefeated for the first time in school history and won the CIF championship while finishing as the third-ranked team in the state.

"That was a special team," Benkert said. "Nine guys on that team went on to play Division I football. That could have arguably been one of the top teams in the country that year."

Jim Benkert Six years after graduating high school in 1976, Benkert started his coaching at Crespi High School in 1982. While at Crespi, Benkert helped guide his 1986 team to the CIF-Big 5 championship.

After the 1988 season, the only football coach in Westlake history, George Contreras, stepped down.

"The position opened up in 1989 and it's the only job I ever applied for," Benkert said. "People have asked me over the years why I'm not in college football or why I haven't moved on. I tell them this is what I've always wanted to do. I don't want to move, I love where I live. I have what I consider my dream job, and when you have your dream job, you don't leave it."

Benkert has also been the athletic coordinator at Westlake for the past five years. He previously earned his teaching credential from CLU and his master's degree in education from Grand Canyon University.

Though Benkert has coached high school football for the past 24 years, he didn't get into football himself until he was in the 10th grade. Before then, most of Benkert's time included camping with his

family.

"My dad was a forest ranger so we went backpacking a lot when my friends were out playing f o o t b a l l , " Benkert said. "I always wanted to be an athlete though, so when we were out in the High Sierras camping, football was still on my mind."

Though football eventually took on a bigger role in Benkert's life, he hasn't forgotten about his family.

"The one constant since I took over here (Westlake) in 1989 is that it has remained a real family affair," Benkert said. "My dad used to drive all the way from Phoenix to see my games, and my mom still never misses a game and has the same seat every home game in the bleachers. My nieces, nephews and brothers all seem to be able to see a number and tell me what players I coached wore it."

The family support also has its superstitions like the one with Benkert's 94-year-old grandma, Evelyn Lampe. Before any Warriors game, Lampe must win a game of solitaire for good luck. Lampe, like her grandson, has won many games.

"Most recruiters will tell you that the best athletes come from Southern California," Benkert said. "So I'm able to coach good quality, high-caliber kids here, and I love it."