The next step

After driving 49 hours, passing through four states and visiting eight different schools, former Sacred Heart High School defensive standout Michael Monier has decided on where he will continue his gridiron career.
That choice: Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.
Monier, the Evangeline Parish Defensive Most Valuable Player and a first team All-District selection in 5-1A this past football season, had plenty of choices when it came to playing on the next level.
Colleges like Mississippi College, Missouri Valley College, Wayland Baptist and Ouchita Baptist were just part of the list that held Monier in high regard when it came to his presence on the defensive side of the ball.
But, when it came time to make a decision on where he was going to don the gridiron equipment, Monier had no hesitations.
“I knew coming in that I wanted the experience of a Christian education, a school that was not too far, that was great academically and was a fit football wise,” stated Monier. “The reason I chose Lyon was because it checked all the boxes. Not only that but they were able to get my scholarship up to where it would cover all of my tuition.”
“Lyon is also close to home and close to my sister that lives in Texas,” Monier continued. “That was also a big reason for me wanting to be here.”
The road to Monier’s choice was a grueling one. Monier and his dad, Dr. Chuck Monier took off on journey that took place over three weekends and ended with a total of 49 hours of driving time.
The two began their trip by heading to Lyon College. The duo then moved on to Missouri where they visited the campuses of Evangel College, Missouri Valley College, and Central Methodist University.
From there Monier and his dad traveled to Kansas for a stop at Sterling College. The journey ended at Wayland Baptist in Texas. Crazy as it seems but all of those visits actually took place over the course of one week.
After the conclusion of the initial trip, Monier took day trips to Ouachita Baptist in Arkansas and Mississippi College.
“I had contact with all of the schools that we visited on the trip, so it wasn’t just a random trip,” said Monier. “After we finished our visits, I narrowed it down to four schools, Lyon College, Central Methodist, Wayland Baptist and Ouachita Baptist. But, in the end I just wanted to stay as close to home as possible and Lyon was the closest.”
Regardless of the final decision, anyone of those schools would have been happy to have a player the caliber of Monier. The big interior defensive lineman put together a very solid senior season in 2019.
When all was said and done last year, Monier had collected 65 total tackles (12 for a loss), 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Besides those impressive stats, Monier was one of those players that teams had to account for in their game plan.
Monier is expecting to get some time on the field at Lyon, despite the number of veterans that return to a team that went 7-3 a year ago.
“I think the plan is to put me in as a substitute this upcoming season to give some breathers to the older guys,” commented Monier. “Their roster is heavy with younger players, so there may be an opportunity for me to get in a lot of playing time if I can show them how much I want to play.”
More importantly for Monier is the academic side of college life. Monier is leaning toward either the teaching profession or a spot in the criminal justice field.
“I just want to be able to serve the community and have a job that has some security,” stated Monier.