Legacy Senior Jonah Lester was honored as one of only 62 high school Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation (NFF) Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter at an awards ceremony on March 20, 2022. Honorees were nominated by their coaches and selected based on their academic performance, leadership in the community, as well as their athletic accomplishments.
The Lester Family at the NFF Awards: (l to r) Elijah, Jason, Debra, and Jonah
Jonah recalls being taught from a young age that he should use the gifts God has given him to bring honor and glory to Him. He lives this motto and exemplifies it to his teammates in all that he does. He is not one to exploit his talents and even said “Knowing that He has given me the ability to play the game compels me to use that gift.”
Throughout his football career, Jonah has learned many life lessons. He distinctly remembers working with his coach in 6th grade who was having them run the “Big 10,” an exercise where they run 10 yards, do 10 push-ups and continue to repeat that drill. It would have been easy to do less than the full 10. At one point his coach remarked, “You aren’t cheating me if you don’t do the full amount, you are only cheating yourself.” These sage words have stuck with Jonah and he applies this concept in all areas of his life. During his senior season, Jonah showed incredible grit and determination as he worked through his own personal injuries as well as many injuries to his teammates.
Coach Scott Smith, who coached Jonah throughout his years at LCA and was present at the awards ceremony, commented “I am so proud of Jonah and his leadership and accomplishments this year. This is a well-deserved honor.”
The NFF awards, established in 1959, honors the best and brightest high school scholar-athletes at both the local and national level. Past honorees include Peyton Manning, Steve Young, and Troy Aikman.
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