Will Hester from Lexington Christian is the @minguabeefjerky Protein-packed Performer of the Week @bigassfans, @CoachDCharles, @Oakley_Watkins, @CamGarnerLCA, @LCAEAGLESFB

’26 long-snapper the very definition of ‘Specialist’

Will Hester isn’t your typical “long-snapper.” Matter of fact, he has been described to us as a guy who long snaps like Roger Clemens use to throw fastballs. Hey, Clemens wasn’t called “The Rocket” for nothing. Hester is among the better lacrosse players in our commonwealth and hails from a pair of parents both of whom are doctors and from prestigious academic pedigrees. Hester’s 4.5-GPA as an AP “Honors” student would certainly support he ins’t far from joining this family tradition!

HB Lyon, Chief of Scouting, “KPGFootball”

Lexington Christian-Academy

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Today, the Mingua Beef Jerky Company still prides itself on using its old-fashioned, all-natural recipes which offer outstanding products to customers across the nation. The recipes are a family tradition, passed down from generation to generation.     

Our recipes and our quality ingredients, hand-cut from solid pieces of beef, are never chopped or formed like other brands, making our products superior and one of a kind. That would make our products similar to this week’s Protein-packed Performer, Will Hester, ’26 “specialist” from the Christian Academy in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Our recipes and our quality ingredients, hand-cut from solid pieces of beef…

Mingua Beef Jerky

Lexington, KY: Champions sweat the small stuff. You will never see a championship caliber football team which isn’t able to execute, at an elite level, in all three phases of football: offense, defense, and special teams.

Clemson’s famous coach, Dabo Swinney, once said, “I think teams win. I don’t think offense wins. I don’t think defense wins. I don’t think special teams [win]-teams win.”

To me, Coach Swinney is iterating what I have heard from many coaches. All three phases factor, all three phases matter.

A portion of special teams often overlooked are the long-snappers. We are as guilty of this as any other publication. We have before featured some long-snappers, but how many times? Not many, not enough.

Today, we give the position some attention by featuring, and awarding this very prestigious prize package, to Kentucky’s premier long-snapper. Will Hester is the long-snapper at Lexington Christian Academy (LCA). He fits the bill as an extraordinary specialist.

The online Oxford Dictionary defines a specialist as a person who concentrates primarily on a particular activity; a person highly skilled in a specific field. Hester delivers the long-snap to punters and holders.

Hester concentrates on this particular activity. Hester is highly skilled in its performance.

Hester is a long-snapper at LCA an fits the bill as an extraordinary specialist

Friday Night Fletch

Hester is 6’1,” and weighs in at 205-pounds. He carries a 4.5 GPA in AP (Advanced Placement) courses and is a ’26 prospect whose parents are doctors and hail from prestigious academic pedigrees. Hester may be among the very best lacrosse players in Kentucky.

What is the nexus between lacrosse and football? Have you ever before heard of Jim Brown from Syracuse?

Brown is the only man enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame (1995), National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1984), and the Professional Football Hall of Fame (1971), where Brown gained induction his first year of eligibility. Who knows, Hester may be the second.

We were able to speak with a former coach at LCA who was previously on LCA’s staff. He told KPGFootball, while preferring to remain anonymous, that Hester is a kid “…when you shake his hand, you’re lucky to get it back in one piece.”

LCA yearly competes for championships. The Eagles advanced to the title game in 2020 and 2021, the semis in 2022 and 2024, and the regional title game in 2023.

Reaching the third round being your five year low-water mark, makes you a solid contender in our book anyway. There are reasons, aside from athletic talent, Coach Doug Charles’ teams have been able to yearly advance. Chief among the reasons is an elite ability to execute.

LCA executes in all three phases of the game. LCA’s football program is knocking on the door. With specialists exhibiting the talent Hester has, it won’t be long before this door opens.

Join us next week as we return to honor another weekly prize winner. Until then, pop some Mingua Beef Jerky in your mouth and savor the quality and flavor which sets it apart from the competition. Remember, our product is superior and one of a kind; just like LCA’s Will Hester.  

This is Friday Night Fletch reporting for Kentucky Prep Gridiron and reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE. Don’t forget to SAVOR THE FLAVOR!

About Fletcher Long 1675 Articles
Two-time winner of Kentucky Press Association awards for excellence in writing and reporting news stories while Managing Editor of the Jackson (KY) Times-Voice

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