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Tonganoxie football coach rewarded for teams play

By Keith Burner - | Oct 18, 2000

Success has its price.

The Tonganoxie High School football team, on the way to its best start in recent history, has paid for that success with hard work, dedication and pride.

But success also has its rewards X one of which is recognition.

Last Wednesday that recognition came from the Kansas City Chiefs, when they named first-year coach Mark Elston as the Kansas high school coach of the week.

Ed Budde, former 14-year Chiefs player attended football practice with Chiefs representative Jeremy Slavens Wednesday afternoon. As Chieftain players looked on, the two men presented the award.

The Chiefs have 16 ambassadors who visit and rate area football games in Kansas and Missouri. On Oct. 6, an ambassador watched the Tonganoxie/Parsons game. Coaches and teams are rated on the teams performance and sportsmanship.

Elston was named coach of the week on the Kansas side, and Tony Severino, head football coach at Rockhurst High School, Kansas City, Mo., received the honors on the Missouri side.

In presenting the award in Tonganoxie, Budde congratulated the team.

Tonganoxie displayed excellent special teams play, with a 50-yard field goal and a punt return for a touchdown, Budde said.

The award included $500 to Tonganoxie High Schools athletics department, a football with Elstons name on it, a Chiefs cap for Elston, T-shirts for coaches and players and a certificate signed by Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham and owner Carl Peterson.

Its a fantastic honor, but it should be spread around the coaches and players, Elston said. They deserve more recognition than I do.

Elston said that, more than anything, the award serves as an example that people are noticing the hard work his team has put into the success it has gained this season.

Recognition is a great motivator because kids get to see the rewards for their efforts, he said. They are realizing that others are taking notice of what weve accomplished so far.