’29 WR/DB showed, against Shawnee, what he could do on both sides
Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) had a big game against Louisville’s Shawnee High. The Eagles won their third straight, ran the record on the year to 4-3, and got to play some kids they otherwise might not have gotten to play owing to the margin being 53-14. Oakley Watkins and staff have to like what they got out of freshman John Simon Bertram. Bertram caught three (3) passes for 67-yards, registered a couple of tackles, and picked off a pass and returned it 61-yards for a “pick-six.” What a game. Of course, if you had been following this athlete through his middle school years his being a star on any given night wouldn’t be so surprising.
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”
eCampus.com was built on a simple idea: make textbooks affordable, convenient, and accessible for every student. Founded in 1999 in Lexington, KY and backed by visionary investors like Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, the company has grown into a premier online textbook retailer for high school and college students nationwide.
Their mission has always been supporting student success both on and off the field through affordable access to the course materials they need. eCampus.com is excited to invest in our student-athletes through Kentucky Prep Gridiron (KPGFootball) which was founded to promote and assist young high school football players get promoted to “next level,” college football opportunities.
That is why eCampus.com sponsors the KPGFootball, Big Man on the eCampus series. This week’s Big Man on the eCampus is Lexington Christian Academy’s WR/DB, John Simon Bertram (’29).
Bertram is a guy who has been getting consistent play but who showed against Shawnee that maybe he should be starting. Bertram has the ball club’s only pick-six of the season, so far, and LCA is starting to round into playoff form.
Lexington Christian Academy (LCA) perennially competes for KHSAA championships at its level of play. Players developing into stars, like John Simon Bertram, have a ton to do with the program’s success.
Lexington, KY: You almost never know when a star will be born in HS football. We may have witnessed just that this past Friday night with the performance John Simon Bertram proffered.
Bertram is a guy in MS we are most familiar with being a “basketball guy.” He has played well on the hardwood and there is no reason to expect that to change during his High School career.
That being said, basketball has athletic requisites which translate very well to the gridiron. Bertram is a guy who knows how to hawk the ball, vertically explode to both run very fast and to high point footballs thrown his way, and who understands the need to train hard offseason to have in season results and success.
Friday night may have been the young man’s “coming out party.” Bertram caught three (3) passes for 67-yards on offense. Bertram registered a pair of tackles on defense. Bertram picked off a Shawnee pass, taking it 67-yards for a “pick-six,” the club’s first such statistic on the season.
It isn’t as if the kid hasn’t been playing this year. Through the first seven games, all of which have seen Bertram log (at least) some playing time (PT), Bertram has caught six (6) passes for 124-receiving yards, register four (4) tackles, and pick the one pass.
For a freshman playing for one of Kentucky’s premier programs (ranked 29th in the KHSAA all classes), Bertram has gotten plenty of Varsity run and acquitted himself very well. Bertram is a future star around the KHSAA in the ’29 graduating class, no doubt.
LCA has a huge upcoming game. The Eagles will brace to entertain a 7-1, Danville Admiral team, coached by veteran coach Steve Stonebreaker, in his first year at that particular school.
“Stoney” has been a winner everywhere he’s been. He has the Admirals looking more like the Sam Harp coached version than the team we watched play in 2024, that is for sure.
Danville cannot, and must not, be taken lightly by the Eagles this Friday night. The Admirals have beaten 5As Fairdale and Anderson County; lost by three (3) to 4A powerhouse, Lincoln County (6-1); and have beat Shawnee by a similar margin (41-0) as we.
Bertram is making quite the case for more PT
Friday Night Fletch
LCA has worked hard to climb to 4-3 on the year. The Eagles had lost three in a row to powerhouses Christian Academy-Louisville, Boyle County, and Franklin County prior to getting on this immediate run.
Beginning with the “Holy War” with Lexington Catholic, the Eagles are riding a three game win-streak. We can continue this climb, but only if we are firing on all cylinders.
Danville will be quite the test. However, should the Eagles survive this test, there will be no doubt LCA is a title contender in the 2A classification.
We see Bertram as a next level kid or future college football player though we conceded it is kind of early for such prognoses being Bertram is only in the 9th-grade. To be honest, Bertram is a “next-level” candidate in more than just football our sources tell us. Bertram’s frame isn’t close to complete and how it finishes will have something to say about what level collegiately he will be recruited to and in what sport.
We know this, Bertram’s performances this past “Friday Night,” as a 9th grader, only strengthens (in our minds) these predictions. We also know Bertram, both Montgomery and Whelan about whom we have before written over the last two (2) weeks, is a strong academic performer with both excellent class standing and sure-fire “full qualifiers,” in the NCAA clearinghouse, when the time comes.
For now, Bertram is one other thing in addition to all the other skills and assets we have highlighted. Bertram is among the very best WR/DB prospects in the KHSAA’s ’29 graduating class. Bertram is also our eCampus.com, Big Man on the eCampus for this week!
Join us next week as we return to honor another eCampus.com, Big Man on the eCampus. Until then, from any classroom to every field, eCampus.com delivers an easy, fast, and affordable way to order textbooks for students everywhere.
This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
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