The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their Coach of the Week honors for the second week of the 2019 season. The awards go to Winnetonka High School coach Benny Palmer and Olathe East High School coach Jesse Owen.
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.
After finishing 1-9 last season, Winnetonka is off to a 3-0 start, including Friday's 24-21 come-from-behind win over Grandview.
"Appreciate the recognition, this team and this coaching staff deserves it," said Palmer. "We are off to a good start to this season and ran into a really tough Grandview team this week. We faced a great deal of adversity and made a run that showed some real heart. We have high expectations this season and that type of grit is going to take us a long way. Thanks to the Chiefs organization and PrepsKC for all the work they do supporting KC high school football and this recognition."
Olathe East beat Lawrence Free State 26-17 to move to 1-1 on the year.
"On behalf of Olathe East High School, we would like to thank the Kansas City Chiefs organization for recognizing our football program," Owen said. "It is an honor to have such a well-respected franchise recognize the efforts of our players and coaching staff. We are very grateful to be the KC Chiefs selection this week."
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.
