It's rare for an offensive lineman to generate enough buzz to win a major award – and I am not talking about stocking-covered leg lamp from A Christmas Story either (at least not in this instance). The major award to which I refer is the Simone Award. Now, there are plenty of candidates sure to jump into the conversation as the seasons goes along.

But, if you ask me right now, who the best player in Kansas City is, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a name other than Lee's Summit West tackle Evan Boehm, who has committed to Missouri. The award generally goes to a quarterback or running back much like college's Heisman Trophy. Still, there is no rule that says it can't be handed to one of the big uglies up front, and here's why the perfect storm might be brewing for Boehm to become the first OL to land the award when December rolls around.

First, the Titans are poised for another run at the Missouri Class 5 title. That alone will generate some added attention for Boehm as well as LS West's stud quarterback Luke Knott, who could steal a few votes from his teammate and also has be contender one of the guys on the preseason short list as a Simone Award finalist. But these kind of awards don't go to guys on scrubby football teams. The Titans, by all accounts, will be anything but scrubs.

On top of that, Boehm, who is the reigning Buck Buchanan Award winner as Kansas City's top lineman/linebacker, isn't known merely as a behemoth, some unmovable yet unmoving object that sets the edge in the pocket. Boehm, who is also a championship-caliber wrestler, is ferocious and agile. He is nimble enough to get to the second level in run-blocking and thick enough to become a wall in pass protection. He's an athlete and a football, not a big body coaches just throw out to get in the way of smaller, faster guys.

But the real key is that he's Royce Boehm's son. It may not be what people want to hear, but there has always been a political bent to the Simone Award. For starters, the coaches make up the bulk of the voting block and have a great deal of respect for one another. Chip Sherman's son won the Fontana Award in 2001 as the top small-class player after helping Platte County to a state title and Zach Rampy was the 2006 Simone Award winner after leading Blue Valley to a state title. There is precedent here.

Gene Wier swung the Simone voting Josh Brewer's way in 1997 after he quarterbacked Olathe North to an undefeated state championship. Was he the best football player in Kansas City that year? History says yes according to the Simone Foundation. Brewer, who later joined the Marines, will forever have his name associated with gridiron greatness. Although rare and unprecedented, there is a perfect confluence of circumstances that point to Boehm as the kid to beat already. I, for one, can't say I'd disagree with the choice. Then again, there is a lot of football to be played before anybody can lay claim to any sort of hardware.

No doubt, the Boehms – father and son – are more worried about the trophy handed out the weekend after Thanksgiving in St. Louis rather than the one given a few weeks later at a local high school.