Steven LeBlanc • Saint Stephen's Football

Saint Stephen’s welcomed a sophomore quarterback this summer and made him the starter. Steven LeBlanc, a true 2029 at 6-foot, 215 pounds, has already shown why. The Falcons opened 50-0 over Bishop McLaughlin, beat Hudson in Week 2, then dropped a 35-32 road game that still bothers him: they never found a second gear and held it.

“We just came out really slow. First game on the road,” LeBlanc said. “We had a lot of really big explosive plays. We’re easy to turn the switch, but we just need to figure out how to keep it going.”

Explosive fits how he plays. The arm is there. So is the frame. A 405-pound squat and 225-pound bench show up when a rusher gets home and he still delivers. What he wants now never makes a clip: stay on schedule after the first chunk play, finish drives, and not let a road crowd flatten the opening quarter.

Next is Out-of-Door Academy and the Headmaster’s Cup, the trophy the winner keeps all year. “We’re just going to keep the intensity high. We’ve been doing very good. Executing very well. Doing our jobs,” he said. “It’s going to be a very exciting game. It’s going to be a very close matchup. Hopefully come out with a W.”

LeBlanc came to Saint Stephen’s to lead a team and grow with the program. The Falcons are 2-1 because of those explosive plays.

Ask him why he suits up and recruiting talk falls away. “Definitely my mom. She’s my number one supporter. She’s been there through everything. She’s the strongest person I know.”

Friday against ODA is another chance to prove the switch stays on. Defenses know where No. 11 is. The question is whether they can keep him from flipping the field when Saint Stephen’s is clicking.