25 Teams in 25 Days: St. Patrick Fighting Irish

The St. Patrick Fighting Irish enter the 2026 football season with something they haven’t had in several years: momentum. Last fall, the Irish posted one of the program’s most successful seasons in recent memory. St. Patrick finished with three victories and secured its first playoff appearance since 2020, marking a significant step forward for a program that has spent the last few years rebuilding. Head coach Nathan Encrapera believes the turnaround started long before the wins showed up on Friday nights.

“The way they care about each other. I think that’s the biggest difference,” said Nathan Encrapera. “We have good kids and I think the way they’ve taken ownership of each other as it relates to football and their teammates in the building and those types of things are going to reap some benefits.”
“I care more about brotherhood than I do winning games. Obviously winning games is a big part, but brotherhood is really important to me and it’s one of those things that will be with me my whole life,” said Layton Davis. “We have good leadership in the weight room. We have a few guys putting up a lot of numbers at a really young age. That’s one of those things that are really important to us.”

That culture has changed the expectations around the program. After getting a taste of postseason football, the Irish aren’t satisfied with simply making the playoffs—they want to become a consistent contender.

“The whole aspect of how we approach practice has changed,” said Encrapera. “We understand what bad practices look like, what bad preparation looks like, and we understand what good preparation looks like and I think they’re ability to hold each other accountable and creating an environment where they’re going to compete and understand that it’s fun to win and they got a little taste of that and they want a lot more of it this year. ”
“How much we’ve grown this year and how much each player grows and the coaching staff grows it’s just insane,” said Kenner Williams.
“Junior year was definitely a big step. We added a few attributes and coaches to our team,” said Davis. “Our team also had a lot more leadership and I believe that’s the biggest thing. A lot of people have stepped up in the past three years of my experience. The leadership has come a lot way and it really shows in the games and how older guys can influence the younger ones.”

The program’s growth extends beyond the locker room. According to Encrapera, the roster has nearly doubled in size over the last two years. That increase has created healthy competition for playing time while generating excitement throughout the school.

“The roster is twice the size as it was two years ago, so I think that’s creating some competition in some spots and I think there’s good buzz about the team through the school, so I think we’re getting a lot of interest, so that’s the best thing we have going for us right now. Kids are getting competitive and we’re starting to chomp at the bit a little bit, so everybody’s excited about getting out here on Friday night,” Encrapera said.

With expectations continuing to rise, the goals for 2026 are clear. Players say returning to the playoffs is the first objective. Once they’re back, they want to accomplish something the program has rarely done—win a postseason game.

“Making playoffs is the first goal,” Williams said.
“Winning big games and hopefully taking the next step to going back to the playoffs.” Davis said.
“They’ve set some goals and I think it’s about wanting to get back to the playoffs and we want to find a way to win a playoff game,” Encrapera said. “I know the school has done it I think just one time and I think that’d be something special for those guys that have been in the program, that senior class, it’ll be something good for them. We always say when enough games to make it to the dance and when we get there we need to make some noise when we do. Winning a playoff game would be big for us.”

St. Patrick will begin its 2026 campaign on Aug. 28 when it hosts Christian Collegiate Academy, looking to prove that last season’s playoff appearance was just the beginning.