LEES SUMMIT, Mo. — Royce Boehm’s storied run as Lees Summit West’s football coach is ending.
Boehm, 50, told FOX 4 News via telephone he’s stepping down from his job on Thursday morning. Boehm explained the reason for his decision is to spend more time with family.
“It’s time for ole dad to watch his boys play,” Boehm told FOX 4’s Sean McDowell. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Boehm, who accepted the position in 2004, said he wanted to release his secret during a team postseason football banquet, which was held on Wednesday evening. Instead, he waited for Thursday morning, when he met with his current team during a 7:15 a.m. meeting at the high school. Boehm told FOX 4 News he fought away the tears during Wednesday’s banquet.
“I love the kids, and I’m going to miss them,” Boehm said. “They’ve been my life. They’ve been like sons to me.”
The 2015 campaign for Boehm’s Titans was under par, with a (6-6) overall record, and an early playoff ouster at the hands of Kickapoo High on October 30th.
Boehm is the only head football coach the school has ever known, having opened in 2004. His time as the Titans head coach is second-to-none in terms of success. In 12 years at the helm, Boehm’s teams have won MHSHAA state football championships on three occasions:
- 2007 – Lees Summit West won Missouri Class 4 Championship by defeating Parkway Central 35-0.
- 2010 – Lees Summit West won Missouri Class 5 Championship by beating Webster Groves 44-21
- 2013 – Lees Summit West won Missouri Class 5 Championship by upending Parkway Central 55-21
In a dozen years on the sidelines, Boehm has graduated numerous student-athletes, some of whom have gone to play at the next level. Former Lees Summit West Center Evan Boehm, the coach’s oldest son, is now a four-year starter on the offensive line at the University of Missouri. Former Titans Running Back Monte Harrison is now a minor league baseball prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, where he was drafted in the second round of the MLB first-year player draft.
Boehm’s, another of “his boys,” younger son, Tyler, a linebacker for Lees Summit West, is also being recruited by several division one schools to play college football. Boehm says he wants to spend his weekends watching them play ball.
Boehm explained that he will remain at the high school as a teacher, but his time as coach will end immediately.
