Big changes include expanding to an 11-man football team, debuting a JV team and welcoming NFL talent to the St. Stephen’s coaching staff.

This week, under the Friday night lights at Denius Stadium, the St. Stephen’s Varsity Football team will kick off its season against McDade High School, marking the beginning of a new era in Spartan football.

For the first time in seven years, St. Stephen’s competed in 11-man football in its preseason opener against East Austin College prep recently. Longtime Varsity Head Football Coach and Football Program Director Jay Patterson, who is in his 14th year coaching football and serving as a dorm parent on The Hill, says the school decided in the spring of 2025 to make the transition after he and Athletic Director Jon McCain assessed the large number of varsity players and incoming 9th graders who showed interest in playing. During a typical year, the number of players on the roster is around 20 players, but that interest has more than doubled this year.

“I ultimately asked the players: do you want to go 11-man? And it was unanimous,” said Patterson. “The players, coaches and parents are all really excited!”

In fact, they took it a step further and decided to form the first-ever junior varsity team. Patterson said the absence of a JV team at St. Stephen’s has traditionally created a challenge: middle schoolers who joined the school’s Middle School flag football teams often decide to take a break from the sport during their freshman and sophomore years because they didn’t want to play against other varsity teams until their junior or senior years — and by then they had lost out on two years of training and game experience. Patterson says adding a JV team creates an opportunity to grow a stronger program and a direct pipeline of skilled players who will be more prepared to take on their varsity opponents.

As a 6-man football team, the varsity team competed in the Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations (TAIAO Division I). This year, the Spartans will play as an independent team and follow the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) and University Interscholastic League (UIL) guidelines. The program should then be eligible to compete in the SPC starting with the 2026-27 fall season. 

Powerhouse NFL Coaching Staff

Moving from six-man to 11-man also allowed Patterson to invest in and expand his coaching staff, to help develop players’ skills in specific positions. Through personal relationships and connections in the football realm, Patterson set the bar high, bringing on three former college and NFL players who live in Austin and are passionate about students and dedicated to growing the program. Together, they complement the existing coaches who have always provided steady guidance from the sidelines. 

The 2025-26 Spartan Varsity Football coaching staff includes:

Chris Breckwoldt ’86, Assistant Head Football Coach
Jordan Sexton, Defensive Coordinator & Running Back Coach
Kelton Malone, Wide Receiver & Defensive Back Coach
Ben Hines ’91, Program & Academic Liaison
Taylor Brown ’15, Offensive Coordinator, Quarterback & Defensive Back Coach
Matt Lepsis, Offensive Line & Defensive Line Coach
Kirby Portley, Tight End, Defensive Line & Linebacker Coach

Lepsis, a former Denver Broncos offensive tackle and two-time Super Bowl champion, also played at the University of Colorado. Portley is a former Texas Longhorn tight end turned lawyer. Brown ’15, who once wore the Spartan uniform himself, played quarterback for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio and decided to return to The Hill in hopes of helping lead his alma mater to victory.

On the first day of preseason practice, Patterson surprised his coaches and players with a large statement of school spirit: he had a white Spartan head professionally painted in the middle of the field at Denius Stadium, with the number 75 in the center of the school mascot, marking the school’s 75th anniversary year. 

Come on out and cheer on this new era of Spartan football, starting with their first varsity home game against McDade High School on Friday, August 29 at 7 p.m. Go Spartans!