By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)
For Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette, football has been far more than a game. Instead, it’s provided him a ticket to a better life, and has also opened his eyes to opportunities he likely wouldn’t have had otherwise.
The speedy running back grew up in Brandon, Manitoba with a single mother who raised him, along with his four other siblings – all of whom are boys.
“It was actually pretty tough for me,” he says of his time in the wheat city.
“I had a rough childhood growing up there, as far as being a handful for teachers and people in the community, and just doing things and hanging out with people that I probably shouldn’t have. I really just wanted to get out of there. I’ll always love it, it’s my hometown, but I don’t see myself living there in the near future.”
Despite what was going on around him, football was still a big part of his life. He took a liking to the sport as a kid, where he admired receivers like Steve Smith in the NFL and Milt Stegall in the CFL.
Unfortunately, St. Pierre-Laviolette was reduced to the role of a fan, as his mother couldn’t afford to enrol him in the game when he was younger.
But in grade eight, everything changed. His mother was able to get funding from KidSport, enabling him to play a year in the Westman Youth Football Association. He became a natural at the running back position due to his quickness.
“In the youth league, the fastest kid gets the ball,” he says. “So I just fell in love with being a running back at that point and never tried to change it.”
Crocus Plains experience
The coaching staff at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School noticed his performance in the league, and convinced him to join their program for the following year. The running back said the adjustment to high school football was tough at first, but once he got used to the flow, it became an invaluable outlet in his life.
“Football was one of the first places where I saw real structure in my life,” he says.
“At first it was a little rocky because I wasn’t used to taking orders from anybody and stuff like that, but the more I came to love the game, the more I understood that it’s something I had to do, and the more it just converted into life lessons and more than just football.
“That’s the greatest thing about the sport. It’s helped me become a good person, and not just a better athlete but a way better person. I would not be where I am today if I didn’t play ball.”
Individually, St, Pierre-Laviolette enjoyed one of the most impressive careers in Winnipeg High School Football League history. In his junior and senior seasons from 2012-13, he racked up a whopping 2,426 yards and 27 touchdowns.
“We were a real family, we were really tight,” he says of his time with Crocus Plains.
“It’s the first team I’ve ever played on where everyone was really friends and hung out every day. We were just a band of brothers. It didn’t matter if we were winning or losing. “
Junior football exposure
Despite his accolades on the field, the stud running back had trouble finding a university program to play on after high school due to his grades. Ultimately, he decided to take the junior football route instead, suiting up for the Canadian Junior Football League’s (CJFL) Winnipeg Rifles in 2014.
St. Pierre-Laviolette was just 145 pounds in his debut season, but managed to secure the starting running back position, alongside former all-star running back Colton Smith from Miles Mac. The weight was lifted from his shoulders slightly, due to the fact that the Rifles had veteran pivot Tyler Vieira under centre, as well as Kurt Goodrich – one of the best to ever strap on the pads for Winnipeg – at receiver.
After one year with the Rifles, the running back moved to Regina, where he enjoyed a tremendous career with the CJFL’s Regina Thunder.
When he first suited up for the Thunder in 2015, the team already had an established running back in current Saskatchewan Huskie Colton Klassen. Despite this, St. Pierre-Laviolette still churned out 777 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns.
“There’s so much more pressure when you’re labeled the starter, and the game doesn’t fall singly on you, but you’re one of the biggest parts of it for your offence. When I was able to come to Regina and have that pressure taken off of me, it helped me improve my game,” he says of the 2015 campaign.
The following year was even better, as the Brandon native won the conference rushing title with 1,020 yards and was also named an All-Canadian.
Playing pro in Sweden
His momentum didn’t stop there, as during the offseason, he received an offer to play professionally in Sweden for the Uppsala 86ers. Originally, the running back thought the message he received on Facebook was spam, he but decided to follow up anyways.
It turned out that his information had been passed on by an international agent, who had seen St. Pierre-Laviolette perform well during Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie camp the summer prior. Uppsala’s starting running back was unavailable to start the season, which is when the 86ers came calling.
After pondering his options, the Canadian decided to take the risk, heading to the Swedish Superserien league for the 2017 season. There is no age limit in the league, so he was playing against athletes that were twice his age at times. In Sweden, the season is also 15 games long, and teams play American rules, with 11 players instead of 12.
“It was a really great experience,” he says of his time in Sweden. “I loved playing football down there a lot, and I feel like it also opened some coaches eyes to the fact that hey, maybe this kid might be someone worth looking in to.”
Individually, St. Pierre-Laviolette led the six team league in rushing, utilizing his game-breaking speed to burn defences.
“[The coaching staff] tried to get me to do power runs, but I don’t think they were expecting me to be as small as I was,” he says.
“As soon as they realized my running style, we switched it all up to zone, and they utilized my skill set to make it work for me, which was awesome, because I’m not trying to go around trucking people.”
Personally, the trip to Europe opened St. Pierre-Laviolette’s eyes to the allure of other countries.
“We got to travel to Finland for a game, so I took an overnight cruise to do that, which was awesome,” he says. “When you’re driving down the highway, you’d see old castles and stuff like that. It was completely different and a very beautiful country.”
The Swedish season lasted until July, giving the Canadian the chance to be back in time for the 2017 CJFL campaign as well, where he was ranked as the fourth best junior player in all of Canada entering the season. Injuries derailed him slightly, but he was still impactful on the field.
Commitment to the University of Manitoba
St.. Pierre-Laviolette’s accomplishments in junior as well as Europe peaked the interest of multiple U SPORTS schools. The decision as to where to take his talents came down to the University of Regina and University of Manitoba, and he ultimately settled on the Herd.
“The U of M just seemed like the better fit for me. It was closer to home, and I’ve always wanted to be a Bison. School-wise, I feel like that’s going to be the best for me to succeed, he says.
He noted that he’s both “excited and nervous” to return to the books.
“I haven’t been to school in 4-5 years, so it’s definitely going to be a change to head back and try and be a student. But it’s also exciting that I have a chance to get an education, and if football doesn’t work for me, I then have something to fall back on.”
The junior football veteran has already met with coach Dobie and multiple players on the roster, such as fellow running back Jamel Lyles. With Lyles’s power and St. Pierre-Laviolette’s speed in the backfield, the possibilities are endless.
“He basically told me not to consider him a starter or me a starter,” the latter says of his conversation with Lyles. “We’re just kind of going to be the one-two punch, and whatever they feel like is going to help them win games, I’m more than willing to do.”