Liberty's Hicks Wins 2024 Simone Award

Liberty High School Senior Jaxon Hicks is the 2024 winner of the prestigious Thomas A. Simone Award.

The Thomas A. Simone Award is presented to the most outstanding high school football player in the Kansas City Metro area - spanning a distance from as far as Lawrence, Kansas, to Warrensburg, Missouri.

Hicks played running back and set a school record for the number of touchdowns scored in a season at 31, and also set a record for carry yards. 

He helped lead the Blue Jays to their first Final Four since 1997, where they lost to De Smet Jesuit High School in the semifinals. 

Hicks is the first Liberty Public Schools athlete to win the Simone Award.

The Thomas A. Simone Award is part of a larger set of awards called the Simone Awards. Because Hicks was selected as this year's winner, Liberty High School got to host the ceremony for all of the awards and their finalists. 

The ceremony was held on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, and was a surprise to students and staff at LHS. Everyone was called in for an all-school assembly, where finalists and families from other schools awaited. 

Hicks was surprised with the award and received a standing ovation when he made his entrance. 

The series of awards were handed out by the families they are named for, past winners and even some legacy Kansas City Chiefs players. 

Liberty High School's Trevor Bindel (OL) and Isaiah Hung (LB) were also recognized as semifinalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best high school linebacker or lineman in the large classes.

Liberty North High School's Motie Williams (OL/DL) was also a semifinalist for the award and recognized at the event. 

All four of the Liberty Public Schools players recognized were also named to the 2024 All Simone Team, denoting them as members of the best 73 high school football players in the metro.