The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their Coach of the Week honors for the seventh week of the season. The honors go to Odessa coach Mark Thomas and Shawnee Mission South coach Brett Oberzan.
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, bottles 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 2019 Pro Bowl as the Eric Driskell Coach of the Year.
Odessa finished its regular season at 8-0 and ranked No.1 in the state. The Bulldogs also locked up the Missouri River Valley Conference West title this past week with its win over Harrisonville.
"I am truly honored and humbled to receive this outstanding award," Thomas said. "In a larger sense, however, this award is more appropriately deserved by the outstanding coaching staff I am fortunate to work with every day and the outstanding young men on our team who we have the honor of coaching. I am appreciative of the Kansas City Chiefs organization and PrepsKC for their generosity and the outstanding work they do for high school football in the KC Metro Area. I am very grateful."
Shawnee Mission South finished its regular season with a 6-2 mark, its best record in more than a decade.
"It is a great honor to be named Chiefs Coach of the Week," Oberzan said. "There have been many people involved that made this happen, from the administration, coaching staff, parents and players, it's definitely a family achievement. I could not be more proud of the way our players fight each and every day and have come together as a team."
In its 22nd season, the 2018 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. This new way to look at high school football combines 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.
