The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the Coach of the Week honors for the ninth week of the 2024 season. The Week Nine awards went to KIPP Legacy High School Head Coach Michael Cobbins (Missouri) and St. James Academy Catholic High School Head Coach Tom Radke (Kansas).
As a result of this honor, the awarded schools will receive a $500 grant from the Hunt Family Foundation. Additionally, the coaches will be presented a pair of sunglasses, courtesy of Oakley, and a certificate recognizing their selection. These 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.
KIPP Legacy High School defeated Hogan Preparatory Academy High School 52-8 for its first playoff win in school history. This is KIPP Legacy High School's second year as a varsity program, and the win over Hogan Preparatory Academy avenged a first-round playoff defeat from last year. The victory also guaranteed the Gators their first winning season. Coach Cobbins said his program has made big strides this year and he is very proud of everyone involved.
"It's a great honor to receive this award with so many amazing and deserving head coaches who are all worthy of receiving this award in the KC Metro Area," Cobbins shared. "Thank you so much to the Kansas City Chiefs for recognizing us. This award is a true testament to the commitment and dedication of our players and coaches. Our players worked extremely hard this offseason, and they are now seeing the results. I'm so proud of my boys, I know they are thrilled. My staff is awesome, they have been great role models for our players, and they spend countless hours around the clock making sure that our team is ready to preform and is set up for success."
St. James Academy beat Blue Valley High School 48-22 in the first round of the Kansas Class 5A District Playoffs. The win advanced the Thunder to a second-round matchup against Basehor-Linwood High School. Coach Radke said this acclaim goes to the entire program.
"To receive the Chiefs Coach of the Week is such a great honor and blessing for our football program," Radke shared. "The guys have been building up for the playoffs all year and the way they stuck together through some tough losses mid-season is truly inspiring. The seniors have done such a great job of keeping the team focused and keeping the main thing, the main thing. I have to give huge props to our coaching staff, specifically our coordinators (Offensive Coordinator) Matt Joshi and (Defensive Coordinator) Jason Denton. They had our guys flying around and making plays against a great team in Blue Valley. Thank you to the Chiefs and PrepsKC for the recognition of all the hard work we have put in this season."
In its 28th season, the 2024 High School Coach of the Week 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 15 years, it has combined 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.
