The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the recipients of the 2015 Missouri and Kansas High School Coach of the Year awards. Blue Springs South's Greg Oder (Missouri) and Mill Valley's Joel Applebee (Kansas) each received this honor after strong performances by their respective teams throughout the 2015 high school football season.
As a result of this accolade, Oder and Applebee will each be presented with their official trophies and a certificate recognizing their selection at a ceremony this Sunday, Dec. 27, at Arrowhead Stadium before the Chiefs take on the Cleveland Browns. Additionally, both schools will receive a grant of $1,775 from the Hunt Family Foundation designated for player health and safety equipment and/or education.
Head Coach Greg Oder and the Blue Springs South Jaguars finished their 2015 season 14-0 with a Class 6 Missouri state championship, the third championship in school history. The Jaguars ended the regular season with a record of 9-0, the team's best record in years. Their offense scored an average of 34.4 points per game and the defense held opponents to 14.3 points per game. Blue Springs South broke a seven-game losing streak to Blue Springs, a cross-town rival, in a 27-24 victory. Oder's prolific offense scored 27 or more points in every game since week one and scored 37 points or more in every game of the playoffs. Coach Oder and the Jaguars opened the 2015 playoffs with a dominant performance where they defeated Troy Buchanan High School 56-0. Blue Springs South headed into the championship game averaging 47.8 points per postseason game. The Jaguars completed their historic season by defeating Christian Brothers College, the defending Class 6 Missouri state champions, 37-28. The Jaguars collected their third state championship in the last 10 seasons, all against the Christian Brothers College Cadets.
"I am honored to be selected by the Chiefs and the fellow weekly award winners," Oder said. "While I accept this award, the credit really goes to my 13 assistant coaches and all the players who worked hard from the offseason until the final whistle of the state championship game. Everything we have achieved this year is truly a team effort and not the work of just one person."
Oder has been the head coach of the Jaguars since 2001 and has been a member of the coaching staff since 1992. He began as an assistant coach after spending three years as head coach at Plattsburg. Oder served as defensive coordinator under Dave Ross, as well as Buddy Young. As an assistant, he helped lead the Jaguars to the playoffs three times in their first four years, including a run to the Class 5A Missouri state championship game in 1995. Oder has more than 100 career wins to his name. He is a graduate of Truman State and received his Master of Education at Lesley University. Currently, Oder is a physical education instructor at Blue Springs South High School and previously taught math. In the 2015 season, Joel Applebee led the Mill Valley Jaguars to a regular season record of 8-1 and a number one ranking in the state of Kansas. Mill Valley had a high-powered offense, averaging 41.3 points a game, while holding opponents to less than 12.6 points per contest. Early in the season, Applebee coached the team to a thrilling victory over Derby 27-20, where he had previously served as the defensive coordinator. The Jaguars entered the playoffs with a 48-0 win over Turner in their final contest and collected a fourth-consecutive.
