The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their Coach of the Week honors for the seventh week of the 2019 season. The awards go to Raymore-Peculiar High School coach Tom Kruse and Washington High School coach Camron Smith.
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 Panthers continued their strong season with a 35-23 win over Lee's Summit North to move to 6-2 this season. Ray-Pec also moved up to the No. 6 spot in the Missouri state rankings after winning their third-straight game.
"Thank you, and this is simply a team award," Kruse said. "Our players, coaches, trainers and managers put in an enormous amount of time and effort toward our program. It is an honor to receive this award and I want to thank the Kansas City Chiefs organization for being a part of high school football in Kansas City."
The Wildcats beat Schlagle to clinch the Kansas City Atchison League title for the first time in more than a decade. Smith said this was recognition of the work of the players and the assistant coaches.
"I would like to thank the Chiefs organization for this great honor," Smith said. "Although this award is being presented to me as a head coach, I believe it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of every player, manager, and coach within this program. 'Consistency is Productivity,' and we wouldn't be here without a consistent team of coaches that have worked together to coach every kid in the program to the best of their abilities. I would like to thank my assistants – William Collins, Nick McGrain, Cernyn Macon, Paul Gilmore and Derrion Brooks."
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.
