KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the Coach of the Week honors for the fourth week of the 2023 season. The Week Four awards go to Lee's Summit West Head Coach Willie Horn (Missouri) and Gardner-Edgerton Head Coach Jesse Owen (Kansas).
As a result of this honor, the awarded schools will receive a $500 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation. Additionally, the coaches will be presented a pair of sunglasses, courtesy of Oakley, a congratulatory commemorative Super Bowl LVII coin and a certificate recognizing their selection. These coaches are now qualified for the Eric Driskell Coach of the Year Award, which will be voted on later this fall. The Eric Driskell Coach of the Year Award is selected by a panel comprised of the Missouri and Kansas Boards from the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association.
Lee's Summit West is off to a 5-0 start after a 53-21 win over Lee's Summit. Only five games into the season, the Titans have already surpassed their three-game win total from last season. The Titans currently sit in first place and are aiming to be the Suburban-Gold District Champs. In his second year at Lee's Summit West High School, Horn credits the entire program for this honor.
"This is a great honor to be named Coach of the Week, but this award is a team award," Horn said. "Without the hard work of our coaching staff and players every day we wouldn't be in this position. So I thank my team and staff for putting in the work, and let's keep picking up our shovels every day!"
Last week, Gardner-Edgerton improved their record to 4-0 after a 49-10 win against Mill Valley. The Trailblazers ended Mill Valley's three-game winning streak and improved theirs to four, while also taking first place in the Sunflower District. Owen and his team are extremely grateful to win this award.
"We would like to thank the Kansas City Chiefs organization and PrepsKC for recognizing the efforts of our team," Owen said. "Our players and coaching staff work hard to represent our high school and the Gardner-Edgerton community. The Chiefs have always been a first-class organization. We hope to honor this award by continuing to build a first-class high school program."
In its 27th season, the 2023 High School Coach of the Week is a joint initiative of the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League. This program is designed to recognize and reward Kansas City area high school coaches for superior performance on a weekly basis while honoring individuals who are shaping today's youth and tomorrow's leaders.
The Kansas City Chiefs partner with PrepsKC to select Coaches of the Week from Missouri and Kansas each week. PrepsKC is the only complete multimedia coverage of high school football in the Kansas City Metro. For the last 14 years it has combined a dynamic web site, weekly magazine and comprehensive weekly radio show. More information about PrepsKC, including scores, schedules and coverage can be found at www.prepskc.com.
