The Kansas City Chiefs have announced their first Coach of the Week honors this week. The honors go to Shawnee Mission South coach Brett Oberzan and Odessa coach Mark Thomas.
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.
South finished its regular season with a 6-2 mark which is the 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, definitely a family achievement. I Could not be more proud of the way our players fights each and every day and have come together as a team.”
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 and for your generosity and the outstanding work you do for high school football in the KC Metro Area. I am very grateful.”
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.
