LEBANON, Mo. — Will Christian has coached a starting NFL offensive lineman. Keep that in mind when you read how he describes John Berry in this next statement.
“Pound for pound, he’s the strongest, I’d say,” said Christian.
That is what Lebanon has in its senior running back: the most powerful student the longest-tenured Ozark Conference coach has mentored; a freak of an athlete that finds his name atop several lists on the wall of the weight room.
“You can have a kid work as hard as he wants and he isn’t going to power clean what John Berry can power clean.”
That is 365 pounds, to be exact. Throw that in with a 525-pound squat, 550-pound deadlift, 325-pound bench, and 35-inch vertical, and you have a package in a 205-pound body that not many 18-year-olds possess.
“Some of that is God-given, but that’s also potential that had to be tapped into,” Lebanon strength and track coach Garrett Wade said. “He placed 8th in the state in the shot put going against offensive lineman. That shows you how explosive he is out of the box.”
The potential Wade speaks of started showing itself when Berry began playing football in fourth grade. He didn’t consider it very fun at first, but gradually warmed up to it. His formative years were spent as a lineman before he transitioned to ball carrier upon entering high school.
“It’s like a video game,” said Berry. “You just think about doing your own job and I trust all my linemen and running backs to do their jobs. It all just falls into place.”
Video game numbers have followed.
Christian stressed that Berry has been anything but a flash in the pan. He managed 13 hundred yards in nine games as a junior after rupturing the bursa sac in his knee.
“I was in a wheelchair for 3 days because I couldn’t bend my knee or walk. You basically have to learn to walk again and then you get back on the field and have to relearn some other stuff.”
Berry rebounded with an all-state track finish and landed a spot on the cover of the O-Zone Fall Magazine. He felt rejuvenated coming into his senior season completely healthy, and the results speak for themselves.
He’s put together 2,160 yards on 297 carries with 24 total touchdowns. His performance against Branson last week made him the Lebanon’s single-season and all-time rushing leader with 3,937 yards.
“Some of it feels natural but you’re not going to get anything without hard work in this world.”
With a 4,000-yard career within striking distance, the senior will lead the Yellowjackets into their first district championship game at home since 2012. They host Ozark, a mirror of physicality in many ways.
“I know it’s a championship game, but you have to think of it like any other game.”
Berry brushed his hair out of his eyes several times as he talks. He mentioned it needed cut. It looked as though it hadn’t been touched all year. It’s suggested that he couldn’t cut it until the season was over.
“It’ll be a while, then.”
