Get to know the Vanier Cheetahs: Football Team
American football is a sport known for its intense physical contact and thrilling plays. The Vanier footballers have all that and more. With the season in full-swing, The Insider was able to interview defensive linemen Jordan Williams and Maxime Lefebvre, and defensive-back Saule Philanthrope to get the inside scoop.
To kick things off, Jordan shares that the team’s goal for this season is “To be champions” (Williams, 2025).
Teammate and defensive lineman Saule Lefebvre also agrees. According to him, the talented players and strong bond that the men have with each other, almost like a family bond, is the team’s strength (Philanthrope, 2025).
As for weaknesses, Jordan shares, “is our mental fortitude, and perseverance” (Williams, 2025). In other words, sometimes the ”team struggles with staying focused consistently, especially during long practices or tough moments in the game (Lefebvre, 2025). Maxime goes on to say how ”all it takes is one mistake for the game to slip away” (Lefebvre, 2025).
Despite these slip-ups, the players keep a positive mentality by having high hopes for the season’s outcome. Jordan predicts that the team will go ”4-4 in the regular season, [which] will [lead] to the bol d’or” (Williams, 2025).
Along with this optimistic prediction, the men all had pretty optimistic and heartfelt answers when they shared why they joined the team:
Jordan wanted to contribute to the Cheetah legacy” (Williams, 2025).
Saule “chose to join the Cheetahs because it was a different environment than before and [he] immediately saw a great opportunity to develop as a player and as a person” (Philanthrope, 2025).
And Maxime “joined the Cheetahs’ team because [he] wanted a change of pace. [He] was looking for a different vibe from [his] old team and the vibe [he] was looking for, you can only find it [at Vanier]” (Lefebvre, 205).
The men’s reasons for wanting to join the Vanier Cheetah’s truly speaks to the one-of-a-kind sports program Vanier College has to offer its students. With hard working staff and state-of-the-art gyms and training equipment, Vanier College has everything an athlete could need to succeed in the sport they play. But of course all student-athletes know that being committed to a sports team requires time-management and organization skills to perform well on and off the field.
Jordan uses his “breaks in between [classes] to get the work done” (Williams, 2025). Maxime takes “fewer classes during the Football season and more during the off-season” (Lefebvre, 2025). And Saule stays organized by studying and completing his assignments before the due dates (Philanthrope, 2025).
Being able to excel academically is a skill all Cheetah athletes can do. Doing so allows them to appreciate and enjoy the sport they play even more. To Saule, “football is one of the hardest sports because it [implements] tactical aspects, reflexes, and physical abilities. There is always something to work on which is [his] favorite aspect of this sport” (Philanthrope, 2025). Jordan enjoys “hitting other players and making friends throughout [his] time with the team” (Williams, 2025). And as it is Maxime’s first year on the team, he is simply proud of being a Cheetah footballer and looks forward to his upcoming years (Lefebvre, 2025).
With the physically demanding athleticism needed to play football, eating the right foods is important. Jordan and Maxime indulge in dried mango slices for the high in fiber content (Lefebvre, 2025). Saule usually orders a meal at Maison Shingdo, but for the most part, he likes “to treat game days as normal days to not overthink it” (Philanthrope, 2025).
Moreover, Maxime prepares himself by arriving “early to the facility to foam roll and stretch out. Then some of the Defensive Linemen and I go out onto the field to warm up and practice what we will do in the game. After that I go back into the locker to visualize and change. Before I even know it, we are running out of the tunnel” (Lefebvre, 2025).
With all its different colors, the Vanier football jersey has a story. When the players were asked what wearing the Cheetahs football jersey means to them, Jordan answered, “It means I am embracing something that’s more than myself. I’m representing the entirety of this school and the previous players who played here” (Williams, 2025).
Saule wrote, “It is more than a uniform, it symbolizes a legacy. Putting on that jersey is bigger than me” (Philanthrope, 2025).
And to top it off, to Maxime, “wearing this jersey doesn’t just represent our team but the whole Cheetah community from past players to the ones who will wear it after you. It represents years of greatness and dedication” (Lefebvre, 2025).
Such insightful and inspiring words from these players. Interestingly enough, all three players acknowledged in their answers that they are representing a legacy that started before them and that will undoubtedly continue. And with football being a sport that can be very intense and competitive, it is nice to know that the Vanier Cheetah footballers are aware of the symbolic importance of the jersey they wear.
Win or loose, the men use the following words to describe their team:
“Faithful, hopeful, ambitious” (Williams, 2025)
“Adversity, fight, believe” (Philanthrope, 2025)
“Any means necessary” (Lefebvre, 2025)
Favorite moments such as “winning against CVM and celebrating with my team and coach” (Williams, 2025), “beating our rivals Cegep du Vieux Montréal” (Philanthrope, 2025), or when Maxime “was subbed in during an important moment of the game, and was able to make a play to put our team in a more favorable position to win the game” (Lefebvre, 2025) all contribute to the thrilling Cheetah experience that speak to the words the men used to describe their team.
And finally, The Insider asked the footballers why one should join the team. Here is what they said:
“The guy’s here love playing this sport, everybody is driven and cares. We also have a long history of success and taking players to the next level” (Lefebvre, 2025).
“This football team is more than a sport club, it’s a community where you’ll create relationships that will make you grow as a person” (Philanthrope, 2025).
“To play for a great school and a great program” (Williams, 2025).
The Insider is sold! Where are the sign-up forms because we want to be a part of this team! Thanks to Jordan’s, Maxime’s, and Saule’s answers, it comes as no surprise why someone would want to join the Vanier College football team.
To finish, the rocky start to the football season does not define the Vanier football team. The team has a goal, to be champions. With that goal in mind, The Insider wishes the football team all the best in the games to comes!
Picture source: Vanier College Sports Complex
