Cristiano Loyie-Silva
February 16, 2026
I started playing football when I was 10 years old. I picked it up quickly and fell in love with the sport immediately. I live in Richmond where there aren’t high school football teams so I played in a community football team. I was the wide receiver.
My first major injury happened in the second year I was playing on Team BC when I was 16. In the gold medal game, someone landed on me and broke my collarbone. That injury sidelined me for the entire summer. I struggled mentally and went through what felt like injury depression. I was stuck at home, unable to do much, and had to rediscover who I was outside of football.
The injury was a blessing in disguise. At the time, everyone wanted to play wide receiver, so, while injured, I taught myself how to play defensive back (DB) by watching films—something I had already done growing up in community football. When I finally returned, there was a fire in me to come back stronger. I played both wide receiver and DB.
I came to STMC for my Grade 11 year. For the first time, I was on a strong team where I could rely on my teammates. The brotherhood was something I had never experienced before. I trained hard all summer, and by camp, I had naturally stepped into a leadership role. With that confidence, I began playing more freely. We had a strong season. In the playoffs, we faced the second-ranked team while we were ranked ninth. Their receiver was ranked at the top statistically in every category. As the DB, I followed him all game, and he didn’t catch any balls. Unfortunately, they still beat us which ended our season.
In early spring camps, disaster struck again. I felt my knee pop and bruised the meniscus. I rushed back too soon and played in a tournament despite warnings. That decision was pure arrogance because I was thinking about myself and showing my talents instead of thinking of the team. During the game, my knee buckled again, and on a change of direction, it snapped—loud like a gunshot. I tore multiple ligaments.
This injury crushed me because I had to accept that I wouldn’t play my senior high school season. I felt like I let my team down. My mental health suffered badly for weeks, but eventually my mindset shifted from “Why me?” to “What now?” I focused on rehab, small milestones like running again, and mental strength.
I had surgery the summer before Grade 12. I started again from zero. School helped me mentally, and my recovery progressed faster than expected. I committed myself fully to rehab and growth.
Though Canadian colleges stopped recruiting me, a blessing in disguise was learning about prep schools in the U.S.A. I took a risk, connected with an agent, and doors began opening again. My goal is to be fully cleared to play by July 2026, attend prep school for two years, and earn a Division 1 opportunity. Long-term, I want to play professionally or stay in sports as a coach or physical therapist.
