KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Kansas City Chiefs announced their Week 8 Coach of the Week recipients for the 2025 season.
Platte County High School Head Coach Bill Utz (Missouri) and St. James Academy Head Coach Tom Radke (Kansas) are the Chiefs Week 8 selections for their teams' performances in the seventh week of the high school football season. This weekly honor aims to recognize Kansas City-area head coaches for their success on the field and leadership off the field.
As part of their recognition, both coaches will receive a $500 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation, a Chiefs bucket hat, a certificate of recognition and a custom game ball. Both coaches also qualify for the Eric Driskell Coach of the Year Award, which is selected at the end of the high school regular season by a panel from the Missouri and Kansas Boards of the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association.
The Platte County Pirates defeated the Ruskin Golden Eagles 70-6 on Oct. 17 during Senior Night after just one half of play. The Pirates are now 8-0 and have won 22 straight dating back to the start of the 2024 season. Heading into the final game of the season against Raytown on Friday, Platte County is averaging 58.4 points per game while only allowing only 11.5 on the defensive side.
"We are honored to receive this award, and greatly appreciate the team recognition," Utz said. "It is a direct reflection of the time and effort our coaches, players, and community have dedicated to our program. Thank you to the Chiefs and the area media outlets that support High School football so well."
Utz is in his 18th season leading the Pirates and has an impressive stretch, leading Platte County to a MSHSAA Class 5A State Championship in 2024. He was also named the 2024 MSHSAA Class 5A Coach of the Year. Utz holds a 152-62 record during his tenure with the Pirates. Previously, Utz had stints with Mid-Buchanan in Faucet, Missouri, and Stewartsville.
The St. James Thunder moved to 6-1 on the season with a 38-35 win over Class 4A No. 1 Kapaun Mt. Carmel, handing the Crusaders their first loss of the season. St. James passed for 292 yards and four touchdowns and brought in 95 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown on the ground. St. James is seeking its best regular season record since 2015 after the team finished 9-1. The Thunder will take on the Blue Valley West Jaguars at home on Friday night for Senior Night.
"This is an incredible honor for our coaching staff who has done such a great job this season of getting our guys prepared each week in a really tough league and non-conference schedule," Radke said. "The Chiefs and PrepsKC do so much for high school football in the metro area, so it is truly a blessing for our coaches, school and fans to be recognized in this way by them. It has been an incredible year so far with opening our new stadium, to starting 6-1 and now being recognized as Chiefs Coach of the Week."
Radke is in his 16th season with the Thunder and has coached the team to back-to-back KSHSAA 4A state titles in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, Radke was named the Chiefs Eric Driskell High School Coach of the Year. Previously, he was the head coach for KC Piper from 2007-2010. The Aurelia, Iowa, native played collegiately at Iowa State, appearing in six games at wide receiver for the Cyclones.
Now in its 29th year, The High School Coach of the Week program is a joint initiative between the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League. In addition to highlighting head coaches for their team's performance, this award honors individuals who make a difference in the lives of high school student-athletes by preparing them for life beyond football.
The Kansas City Chiefs partner with PrepsKC to select Coaches of the Week from Missouri and Kansas each week. For the past 16 years, PrepsKC has been Kansas City's only complete multimedia outlet covering high school offering a dynamic website, weekly magazine and comprehensive weekly radio show. More information about PrepsKC, including scores, schedules and coverage can be found at www.prepskc.com.
