Michigan-bound Park Hill QB Kendrick Bell wins Simone Award as KC’s top football player

Park Hill quarterback Kendrick Bell is the 2022 winner of the Simone Award, which annually recognizes the top high school football player in the Kansas City metro.

The award was presented Tuesday at a ceremony at Park Hill High School. Bell enjoyed a stellar senior season, passing for a school-record 3,165 yards and 35 touchdowns and running for 670 yards and another 10 touchdowns for the Trojans.

Bell has committed to playing college football for Michigan, where his older brother Ronnie — the 2017 recipient of the Simone Award — was a grad-student wide receiver and one of the Wolverines’ top players this year.

The original Simone Award was created in 1931 by Dr. D.M. Nigro and bestowed until his death in 1976. The award was reinstated in 1983 by Anthony Simone and his wife as a tribute to their son, Tommy.

The winner is determined through votes from the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association, high school head coaches around the metro and select members of local media organizations.

Other finalists for the 2022 award included Lee’s Summit North offensive lineman Cayden Green, Shawnee Mission Northwest running back Malik O’Atis and Liberty North quarterback Sam Van Dyne.

Past winners include former Royals outfielder Bubba Starling, K-State quarterback Skylar Thompson, former NFL quarterback Josh Freeman, and Drew Lock, the former Mizzou star from Lee’s Summit who now plays for the Seattle Seahawks.

Center’s DeLong honored by Chiefs

Center High’s Bryan DeLong is the Eric Driskell High School Coach of the Year for the 2022 football season, as selected by the Kansas City Chiefs and PrepsKC.

The award was bestowed to DeLong during Tuesday’s Simone Awards ceremony at Park Hill.

Throughout each season, the Chiefs select and honor two high school coaches each week: one for KC-area Kansas schools and one for Missouri programs. From those honorees comes a shortlist of finalists for the coach of the year award. This year’s finalists were DeLong, Olathe Northwest’s Lorne Clark, Gardner Edgerton’s Jesse Owen and Blue Springs South’s Alan Wilmes.

DeLong, a Chiefs Coach of the Week for Week 7, was chosen for the annual honor by a panel comprised of the Missouri and Kansas Boards from the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association.

Central High School will receive a grant from the Hunt Family Foundation, and DeLong will be recognized at the Chiefs’ Jan. 1 home game — he’ll throw out a ceremonial “first pass.”

Center finished the season 11-1, losing to defending Missouri Class 4 champion Smithville in the quarterfinals.

Past Thomas A. Simone Award winners

1983: Jeff Kelso, Park Hill

1984: Shawn Long, Grandview

1985: Craig Phillips, Lee’s Summit

1986: Tim Ryan, Rockhurst

1987: Kenyon Rasheed, Rockhurst

1988: Derrick Hart, Schlagle

1989: Jeff Handy, Blue Springs

1990: Kevin McIntosh, Hickman Mills

1991: Andy Murray, Blue Valley

1992: Nate Minnis, Blue Springs

1993: Jason Thoren, Lawrence

1994: Eddie Brooks, Blue Springs South

1995: Arland Bruce III, Olathe North

1996: Ladell Betts, Blue Springs

1997: Josh Brewer, Olathe North

1998: Sean Doyle, Rockhurst

1999: Brandon Shelby, Rockhurst

2000: Darren Sproles, Olathe North

2001: Maurice Mack, Olathe North

2002: Jim Bouknight, Olathe North

2003: Michael Keenan, Oak Park

2004: Chase Coffman, Raymore–Peculiar

2005: Josh Freeman, Grandview

2006: Zack Rampy, Blue Valley

2007: Nathan Scheelhaase, Rockhurst

2008: Blaine Dalton, Blue Springs South

2009: James Franklin, Olathe North

2010: Bubba Starling, Gardner Edgerton

2011: Evan Boehm, Lee’s Summit West

2012: Dalvin Warmack, Blue Springs

2013: Dalvin Warmack, Blue Springs[1]

2014: Drew Lock, Lee’s Summit

2015: Skylar Thompson, Fort Osage

2016: Julian Ross, Staley

2017: Ronnie Bell, Park Hill

2018: Graham Mertz, Blue Valley North

2019: Arland Bruce, Olathe North

2020: Conrad Hawley, Raymore-Peculiar

2021: Mikey Pauley, Blue Valley Northwest