Under the Friday night lights at Michigan’s St. Johns High School, visiting teams must have thought the student section was stranger than most when they started chanting: “UN-CLE TIM-MY!” And “NE-PHEW AUS-TIN!”
The stars of the small town’s chants are now Chargers: Senior captain Tim Moinet and redshirt sophomore Austin Koneval. And their hometown’s chants were true: Moinet’s older sister is Koneval’s mother, making him Koneval’s uncle. However, they describe their relationship as more like brothers, and they’re as close as their numbers on the field: Koneval 23, Moinet 24.
“He’s like a brother, that’s just how it is,” Moinet said. “Growing up we lived less than a mile apart, we were together 24/7, so I know everything about him, everything about his personality and vice versa. That’s huge on the field because I know what he’s thinking, where he’s going to go and what I need to do to help him out.”
The two played their first season of football together when Koneval entered fourth grade and Moinet fifth. They credit their first coach, Moinet’s dad Norm, for teaching them football fundamentals.
“Football’s always been a family thing for us,” Koneval said.
They developed a love for the same position— defensive back— and they started as safeties on the St. Johns varsity football team for two years together.
“Both of us loved high school football. It was an absolute blast for us,” Moinet said.
Andy Schmitt, the assistant high school coach at the time, said the fun they had on the field was clear to anyone watching.
“They’re both extremely passionate about football. It was obvious how much they cared for each other and for the team and it was always exciting to watch them. They were great guys to coach,” Schmitt said. “Tim was always looking out for Austin and Austin was always open and receptive to his advice.”
Schmitt started coaching the St. Johns Red Wings after his three-year stint as starting quarterback for Eastern Michigan University. He brought his experience in college football recruiting to the high school and made it a point to help Moinet.
“He was a senior at the time and I thought he was getting a bit overlooked. He was an awesome player,” Schmitt said.
Hillsdale snatched up Moinet and played him as a true freshman, and a year later Koneval joined the Chargers’ roster.
Senior defensive back Dan Pittman, Tim’s roommate all four years, describes both of the guys as quiet, but said their personalities differ on game day.
“Tim lets his pregame emotions get the best of him. He gets really amped up,” Pittman said. “Austin’s always pretty quiet. He’ll come off a big play and just walk off like yeah, whatever.”
Moinet, the rover, and Koneval, the free safety, have a constant flow of communication on the field.
“If I mess up I get really pissed off and he’s always there to say ‘Come on, lets keep going,’ and keep my head level. It’s nice because we’re always on the same page,” Koneval said. “I’m not really here by myself because he’s got my back.”
Hillsdale’s defensive coordinator Craig Blanchard said the two are “gifted players.”
“They’re my most physical players. They’re able to communicate and draw strength from each other,” Blanchard said. “There’s a lot of ups and downs in this game, and having each other to lean on and work together is pretty neat.”
While both of them play on the field at Muddy Waters Stadium, their family— parents, along with Moinet’s older brother, and two other older sisters, as well as Austin’s two younger siblings— sit in the stands and cheer them on. Football, however, is not the only thing that brings the family together. Bonding time is spent working out.
“Athletics really unite us as a family. We all love working out together, training together, and afterwards we’ll go play volleyball, baseball, football— that’s what we do all summer, and it’s always a great time,” Moinet said.
The two safeties work out so much that the football team calls them Greek gods.
Their synergy on the field and hard work off the field are paying off —Koneval won the Big Stick Award in the first season game against Findlay, a title that goes to the player with the biggest hit of the day, and last season Moinet was named the team’s defensive back of the year and earned an All-GLIAC honorable mention.
Like position, they share similar academic interests. Both gravitated towards Hillsdale’s physical science major. Austin aspires to be a chiropractor, and after graduating this spring Tim will pursue a degree in physical therapy.
You can catch the uncle and nephew in action at the next home game against Grand Valley State University on Oct. 4.