Gridiron greatness

Inspiration, a solid work ethic and brotherhood have driven Monier
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VILLE PLATTE -- Inspiration of playing of the game of football comes from many different places.
The inspiration that drove this year’s Evangeline Parish Defensive MVP, Michael Monier, was his dad.
See, Monier’s father, Dr. Chuck Monier, not only played in high school, but was also a part of the 1987 Division I-AA National Champion Northeast Louisiana University Indian (now University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks) football squad.
“I’ve always aspired to play football, especially with my dad having played on the collegiate level,” stated Monier. “Just the idea of playing maybe getting the chance to play on a higher level and seeing myself on TV one day is amazing to think about.”
Monier’s football career started at a very young age. As most kids in Ville Platte, Monier played Flea-Fly football at the ripe old ages of four and five. The stellar defensive tackle for the Trojans this past season then had to wait to play organized football again until his sixth grade year.
“It is hard to remember playing Flea-Fly because you are so young,” said Monier. “But, I guess my first real memories of playing was my sixth grade year. That was some gritty football. I think we even made it to the Crawfish Bowl that year. During my seventh and eighth grade years I started going to some football camps. Going to position specific camps allows you to work on your game and it can teach you a lot of work ethic. The best one for me was the offensive/defensive line camp at Nicholls.”
That work ethic was well learned by the senior. For the past two seasons, Monier has done enough to earn him first team all-district and all-parish honors. Just this past year, Sacred Heart’s big man in the middle finished the year with 65 total tackles (12 of those for a loss), 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 18 quarterback hurries.
“My real goal when I was a freshman was to see if I could get some playing time and to learn to fit in with the team,” commented Monier. “It was a good period of development. After having been a starter throughout my elementary days, it taught me how to deal with not having being the guy first up.”
Monier and his fellow senior classmates have been very successful in their careers. The seniors of this past season were the first to make it to a playoff game every single year in a long time.
Monier accredits the success of this senior class to a shared brotherhood that has developed over the course of his young life.
“Honestly, I can’t really explain it beyond the fact that we have always been together playing all of the sports,” stated Monier. “We have grown as a class because of that closeness. I know I have come to consider these people brothers and family. It’s just that fact that you know that the guy on the side of you is going to push themselves just as hard as everyone else and they were coming to battle just as hard as I was.”
Because of his accomplished high school career, Monier is looking to try and extend his playing days on the next level. The hard to handle nose tackle has some schools that have shown interest in not only his skills on the field but also his academic prowess.
“Right now I have had some interest from some Division II, Division III and NAIA schools,” said Monier. “I’ve had some pretty serious discussions with Mississippi College. But, I would definitely consider any offers.”
Wherever he lands, no doubt Monier will bring his work ethic.