The Kansas City Chiefs have announced this week's recipients of the Missouri and Kansas High School Coach of the Week awards. St. Pius X's (Missouri) Rick Byers and Leavenworth's (Kansas) Mark Littrell each received this honor after a strong performance by their respective teams last week.
Byers and St. Pius X won an overtime thriller last Friday night against O'Hara by a score of 21-20. St. Pius X's defense held strong on the game's final play, stopping an O'Hara two-point conversion to seal the victory. This Friday the Warriors will play Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School. Littrell and Leavenworth started district play with a win last Friday night defeating Lawrence, 16-8. The Pioneers improved their record to 3-4 on the season and will travel to Lawrence Free State this Friday night.
As a result, both schools will receive a $500 grant toward player health and safety equipment and/or education. Byers and Littrell will be presented with congratulatory footballs autographed by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid, a certificate recognizing their selection, in addition to a special-edition Chiefs Coach of the Week hat. Each coach is now a finalist for their respective state's Chiefs High School Coach of the Year Award, which will be announced at the conclusion of the regular season.
The 2013 High School Coach of the Week program is a joint initiative of the Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football League. The program is designed to recognize and reward Kansas City area high school coaches who have created successful programs for teams and players both on and off of the playing field. This includes coaches that champion philosophies which advance and promote player health and safety.
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame linebacker and current Director of Special Events Gary Spani will visit the winners each week for a special presentation to honor them at their respective schools.
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 PrepsKC.com.
