Moncman back on Parkland sideline
Senior is serving as an inspiration that nothing is impossible
For much of the high school football season, AJ Moncman wanted to be in two places at one time.
As the drum sectional leader with the Southern Lehigh High School band, Moncman had to be at most of the Spartans football games.
But he also wanted to be at as many Parkland games as well since his father, Tim, is the coach of the Trojans.
“It was definitely hard for him the last two years, especially this year being his senior year,” said AJ’s mom, Kim Moncman. “Just knowing that he had to make a choice was hard. He loves the marching band at Southern Lehigh because they are like a family to him and they’re such a good group of kids. Being the drum leader was great for him. But he missed the Parkland games.”
However, the Trojans’ run to the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals has given AJ a chance to be with his other family, the Trojans football team, the last few weeks.
He was on the sideline for the team’s District 11 6A semifinal win over Northampton on Nov. 10 and was back again last Friday night
when Parkland routed Freedom for the district championship.
He’ll be there again at 1 p.m. Saturday when the Trojans take on Philadelphia powerhouse St. Joe’s Prep.
Parkland has lost four times in a row in the state tournament to the Hawks from the Philly Catholic League and the Trojans are underdogs again in this one.
But if the team is looking for inspiration they need not look further than their own sideline where AJ Moncman’s entire life has been about showing people that there’s nothing you can’t do if you want something badly enough.
AJ Moncman has been blind since birth, and yet few high school seniors in the Lehigh Valley are doing more.
He is a member of the National Honor Society and a leader in the band at Southern Lehigh. He’s also a reporter for D11Sports.com. and a nationally recognized power lifter. His irrepressible enthusiasm, boundless energy and zest for life have made him a popular figure on two high school campuses.
He hasn’t decided on a college yet, but will make his future campus a better place just from his positivity and desire to be the best person he can be.
He rarely needs a kick in the butt, but if he does, it generally comes from his older sister, Taylor, who is a standout lacrosse player and captain at Temple University. She was selected captain for her upcoming junior season.
Taylor and AJ Moncman have always been close.
“He means so much to me and I love seeing all that he has accomplished so far and will continue to accomplish,” Taylor Moncman said. “He has taught me so much about life. He helped to teach me that you shouldn’t judge people until you get to know them. He also taught me to appreciate the little things more, things that I might take for granted, things like seeing the sun set. I know that AJ possibly will never have that, so I had better enjoy it.”
AJ has never complained about what he can’t do. He simply tries to compensate by pouring his heart into everything he can do.
“AJ has the type of personality that when you meet him and get to know him, you walk away as a better person,” Tim Moncman said. “He has never made an excuse in his life. That’s the way my wife has raised him and I’ve helped out a little bit. Taylor has been a big help too. She has never been easy on him. She knows how special he is and wants to bring it out of him.”
AJ doesn’t give himself time to feel sorry for himself.
“I always say it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain,” he said. “I try to live by that and I know my dad has put that on the board for some of his speeches. The great thing about it is that it can apply to just about anything. You’re going to face obstacles in life. Either you can just wait for those obstacles to pass or you jump and leap over them.”
AJ is thankful to have supportive parents who were both college athletes and have spent years in coaching; Tim in football and Kim in swimming.
But he’s most thankful to have Taylor as not only a sister but an unofficial life coach.
“She’s my biggest fan, but also my biggest critic,” AJ said. “She’s always the one to tell me when I need help, or when I just need to stop. She knows when I need encouragement and when I need to listen. She knows me better than I know myself.”
He has never been able to see, which he considers a blessing because he feels it would be much more difficult to have sight, and then have to adjust to a life without it.
“I’ve never known what it was like to have sight and then not have it,” he said. “I’ve only known a life without it.”
He also has a sense of humor. Asked what is most difficult for him, he said without flinching “Driving. That’s kind of hard.”
For a person who can’t see, he has a great vision for his future.
“I’m always looking for the next challenge,” he said. “The marching band was hard because you have to count steps and everything, but I think after a year or two I got used to it and now I can almost march without needing a guide. My band director does a great job of working with me on that.”
He gets to the Parkland weight room as much as possible with the help of the Trojans’ powerlifting coach Erik Steiner, who is also a teacher at Southern Lehigh.
Steiner has produced numerous individual and team state powerlifting champs.
Moncman finished second in the state last year and has qualified for the high school nationals in March. He is ranked 12th in the nation at 242 pounds and is looking to get down to 231 to participate in the state and national meets starting in February.
Meanwhile, he’s pursuing his dream as a sports journalist and has a knack of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of virtually every team in the area and can also identify key personnel at the mere asking.
East Stroudsburg University coach Jim Terwilliger is a family friend since he was also a member of the Parkland coaching staff for a few years.
During a recent visit Terwilliger asked AJ Moncman which linemen he should be recruiting from the Lehigh Valley. The young Moncman said he would give him a list and Terwilliger would most certainly value it.
“He just loves football and honestly I think his goal in life is to become one of the first blind college football coaches,” Kim Moncman said. “And for not actually seeing it, he really knows the game and gives Tim suggestions and he gives insights that we don’t think about it because his mind works so differently.”
“Hearing him and my dad talk about football you can hear the excitement in AJ’s voice,” Taylor Moncman said. “His memory and his mind are superior to ours, it’s crazy to me.”
AJ got to meet former USC long snapper Jake Olson who is also blind.
“We got out there and had lunch with Jake and his family and it was interesting to hear those two talking,” Tim Moncman said. “Taylor and Jake’s sister are the same age and they were all sitting there talking about everything. Jake and AJ are two unique individuals who have done great things and are going to continue to do great things, and the bottom line with both of them is that there are no excuses.”
Tim Moncman said AJ taught him that there’s more to life than winning football games, although that remains important in his job.
“It used to be football all the time, but now I see that it’s really more about the relationships and overcoming adversity,” he said. “My priorities have changed. I don’t have to always be that tough guy. I use AJ as an example to other kids because he has never complained, never made an excuse, and has just gone out and lived his life. He takes honor calculus and physics and never saw a number in his life.”
AJ had been a member of the Southern Lehigh golf team and wrestled, but now it’s all about powerlifting, and football, of course.
“Hopefully I can help someone along the way,” AJ said. “I’d be lying if I said I never got down about being blind. But I will never dwell on it. I just want to do what I can to inspire others. Some things in life are going to be tough, but you can get through it. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself. Sometimes we all need help, but the key is to keep pushing, keep trying. When people say you can’t do something, just tell them that yes, you can.”