The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their Coach of the Week honors for the sixth week of the 2019 season. The awards go to Odessa High School coach Mark Thomas and DeSoto High School coach Brian King.
As a result of this honor, both schools will receive a $500 player health and safety grant from the Hunt Family Foundation. Each school will also receive a Gatorade Sideline Kit, including coolers and Gatorade products. Additionally, both coaches will be presented congratulatory footballs autographed by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and a certificate recognizing their selection.
Both 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. One coach will be selected from the pool of weekly winners and will be honored at the 2020 Pro Bowl as the Eric Driskell Coach of the Year.
The Bulldogs beat Warrensburg, 54-6, to move to 7-0 on the season. The win is also the 16th straight regular season win for Odessa after the Bulldogs went a perfect 9-0 in 2018.
"This award is an honor and humbling," Thomas said. "I would like to thank the Hunt Family and Chiefs organization for their generosity and commitment to high school football in the KC Metro area. With the number of tremendous coaches in the Metro, being selected for this award is only possible because of the outstanding play of our football team and the hard work of my coaching staff. This award is certainly not due to the work of one person, but I accept this award on behalf of our team and coaching staff."
The Wildcats beat Basehor-Linwood, 28-16, to move to 6-0 on the season. DeSoto is also 4-0 in the United Kansas Conference and have outscored all of its opponents 286-53 in the six wins.
"It is a great honor to be named Chiefs Coach of the Week," said King. "This recognition is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of our kids and coaching staff. For the Chiefs to take the time to recognize our team means a great deal to our program. We are grateful for this recognition and for the Chiefs' support of our program and high school football."
In its 23rd season, the 2019 High School Coach of the Week Fueled by Gatorade 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 10 seasons 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.
