Community Corner

5 Questions With Yoni Monat: National High School Sportswriter of the Year

For someone who aspires to be a sportswriter, it doesn't get much better than the experience Sharon's Yoni Monat got last month.

The recent Sharon High graduate was honored with Bob Ryan High School Sportswriter of the Year Award at the National Sportscasters and Sportswriter (NSSA) annual banquet in North Carolina, June 10.

Around town, Monat is a one-person media crew, providing his stories to Sports Illustrated for Kids, Sharon Advocate, Hockomock Sports and Sharon Patch.  

He's even an author at the ripe old age of 17, putting together a 300-page, hardcover book, featuring his articles as the Sharon High football marched to the 2012 Super Bowl Championship.

Monat also produced a two-hour documentary about the Eagles' state championship season. 

Now, he's the subject of Five Questions with Sharon Patch.

Sharon Patch
 1: What was your reaction to getting the award? 

Monat:
In North Carolina at the NSSA Awards Banquet in June, I was introduced in front of 400 sports media personnel by Mr. Bob Ryan, a former Boston Globe sportswriter and a National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall-of-Famer. He told the crowd that he read my two submissions (a game story about Sharon football's Davenport Division-clinching win over Foxboro on Nov. 10, 2011, and an opinion piece on how Major League Baseball could attract more young fans) and was impressed with my writing. That Mr. Ryan selected me for an accolade to which his name is attached was an incredible honor. With my parents cheering me on, shaking Mr. Ryan's hand on the stage was a moment that I will always cherish.

Sharon Patch: 
2. Who were you looking forward to meeting before the event?

Monat:
I did not expect the experience to be so incredible. I was fortunate to chat with many kind individuals at the top of the sportscasting and sportswriting professions, including Messrs. Dick Vitale, Mitch Albom, Peter King, and Dan Patrick.  

Sharon Patch: 3
. What advice do you receive from the people you met there? 

Monat:
Everybody with whom I chatted encouraged me to continue pursuing my passion of journalism. Mr. Vitale put it most succinctly: "Chase your dreams." It was meaningful that they were impressed with my book about the 2012 Super Bowl Champion Sharon High football team. Hearing the above foursome deliver speeches to their peers, when accepting their national awards, was highly memorable, as each of their messages resonated with me.

Sharon Patch: 4. What was the most memorable event you covered at Sharon High? 

Monat: Dec. 1, 2012 was arguably the greatest day in the history of Sharon athletics. That morning, the Eagles' football team won 2012 EMass Div. III Super Bowl, downing Wayland, 12-3. In a season of firsts in team history - including the first Hockomock League title - the state title served as the crowning achievement for a remarkable group of young men who committed themselves to completely turning around a once-pathetic program. From Sean Asnes' 71-yard touchdown run to outstanding work all day in the trenches to Brad Schiff's game-sealing interception, the Eagles' effort was the final statement that the bleakest of circumstances - here, an 11-74 record over 2004-11 - can be reversed through extraordinary dedication. 

My being at practices and games all season to chronicle the day-to-day progression of the squad, culminating in that state title victory, was a tremendous privilege (an opportunity that (Sharon) head coach Mr. Dave Morse presented to me last spring). It certainly was an incredible storyline for my productions in the coming months - publishing a book of my articles from the season and producing and two-hour highlight film on the campaign. I am thrilled that many townsfolk have told me that both works allowed them to relive the Eagle Pride of a most memorable season.

Sharon Patch: 5. If you could cover one sports event, what would it be? 

MONAT: I think that covering the Eagles' Super Bowl victory was about as exciting as could be. Not often does a single sporting event leave such an impact on an entire town. That victory cemented the reversal of the negative connotation associated with Sharon football around town and throughout Massachusetts. With 4,000 'Screamin' Eagles' packing Bentley University in 30-degree, snowy weather, the team fed off of the fantastic support of the community, refusing to let off of the gas until the final whistle sounded with the Sharon captains hoisting the Super Bowl trophy high into the air. What could beat that?


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