“Very professional” coaches draw Laval commits

Laval adds an international commit and three Québec commits to their Class of 2018.

Life has taken defensive end Loïc Sapart from West Hills College and linebacker Yanis Chihat from Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy on two very different paths. While the former had a tour in the United States, the latter has stayed in his hometown province. Life as also brought the two together on the Laval Rouge et Or.

Receiver Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc from Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy and running back William Lavoie from Collège de Valleyfield will also be joining the Rouge et Or.

Loïc Sapart

Courtesy of Loic Sapart.

For most of Loïc Sapart’s life, he lived and played in his native Belgium before moving to California in 2016. Ready to add a new country to his residency list, Sapart took a look at what the Great White North had to offer.

“My father has some relatives living in Canada and (they) told him that the Rouge et Or are a very professional team with great facilities and (they are) a top team,” Sapart said. “(The coaches) are very professional and are also very friendly. I have received a very warm welcome from the staff.”

Going into a new locker room can be a difficult time regardless, but for an international student, there is a new layer of difficulty. “As a foreigner and not knowing anybody, I was a little bit stressed about that point. The coaches even helped me find a place to stay with teammates,” he said.

For three years, Sapart played with the Waterloo Warriors in the Belgian Football League. (Not to be confused with the U Sports team). He also represented the national team, the Belgian Barbarians (Belgian American Football League), for three seasons. In 2016, he moved to the United States and played with the West Hills College Falcons (North California Football Conference).

A year prior to moving to the States, Sapart got a taste of America while playing in the International Bowl in Arlington, Texas. The 6’6, 248lbs athlete was playing for Team World U19. While with the Falcons, he won a NCFC American Division championship.

“I’m very happy to play for the Rouge et Or. I have started practicing with the team…and I really enjoy the people and the facilities,” Sapart said. “I am just not used to the snow and the cold!”

Yanis Chihat

By broch.ca.

To be the best, you have to play with the best, and for Yanis Chihat, playing for Laval allows you to do just that. “Firstly, the campus is amazing. They have all the tools to be a great program. Also, I wanted to compete with the best players in the circuit and Laval is probably the best. In general, I really felt like it was a good fit for me,” he said.

When it came to the coaches, Chihat said he couldn’t say anything bad about them. “(Head Coach) Glen Constantin is a great coach and more than that, he’s a really good person,” he added. “Also, I heard a lot of good things from my coaches at CNDF about the Laval coaches.”

Chihat spent three years with Le Notre-Dame du CNDF (RSEQ Division 1). Before that, he played with Les Scorpions de Armand-Corbeil (RSEQ) in high school. The product of Terrebonne, Québec, won a Bol d’Or with Le Notre-Dame in 2016.

The 6’5, 220lbs linebacker and defensive end is interested in taking finance or management.

Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc

A fellow member of Le Notre-Dame du CNDF, Antoine Dansereau-Leclerc will be staying in Québec City, Québec. He is from Longueuil, Québec, and he stands at 5’8, 165lbs.

William Lavoie

Standing at 6’0, 223lbs, William Lavoie played with Le Noir et Or du Collège de Valleyfield (RSEQ Division 2) in Valleyfield, Québec.

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