The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the initial recipients of the Missouri and Kansas High School Coach of the Week award for this season. Lee's Summit North's (Missouri) Jamar Mozee and Mill Valley's (Kansas) Joel Applebee each received this honor after a strong performance by their respective teams this past week.
As a result of this honor, both schools will receive a $500 grant. Additionally, Mozee and Applebee will be presented with congratulatory footballs autographed by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and a certificate recognizing their selection. Each coach is now a finalist for his state's Chiefs Coach of the Year Award.
North is off to a 3-0 start for just the third time in the 20-year history of the school. This past week the Broncos beat North Kansas City 42-6. In three games, North has outscored its opponents 77-13 and this week will face rival Lee's Summit in an attempt to move to 4-0 for the first time since starting the season 6-0 in 1998.
Mozee said the entire program has worked hard and are seeing the fruits of their labor in the opening weeks of the season.
"This is a great honor to receive because it shows the hard work the kids and my staff have put in is paying off," Mozee said. "I want to thank the Kansas City Chiefs for considering me and the Lee's Summit North Broncos for this award."
Mill Valley opened the season with a 38-20 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. The Jaguars earned their first-ever win over the previously No. 1 ranked team and the victory helped catapult them into the top spot in Kansas Class 5A for the first time in school history.
Applebee said this win was a result of the work put in over the offseason.
"This honor is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of the young men who play in our program," Applebee said. "It also reflects the work ethic and efforts of our coaching staff. Thank you to the Kansas City Chiefs for recognizing that commitment."
The 2015 High School Coach of the Week program 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. The Chiefs Coach of the Week program is intended to honor individuals who are shaping today's youth and tomorrow's leaders.
Each state's winner is selected in collaboration with PrepsKC. For more information on this week's winners and the Chiefs Coach of the Week program, visit www.chiefs.com or www.prepskc.com.
