San Antonio Wagner Thunderbirds

Head Coach: Jason Starin (6th season; 23-28 record)

Last Season: 3-7; 2-5 in district

Wagner Key Players and Storylines

After four seasons in 5A, Wagner returns to the biggest stage of Texas high school football.

The Thunderbirds will be all about chewing clock this year with their option-based offense and aggressive defense. They want other teams’ mistakes to be costly.

Five starters returning on defense will lead that charge. They’ve got a strong core in the middle with junior linebacker Jeremiah Cruz (54 tackles, six TFLs), last year’s leading tackler, and outside linebacker Immanuel James (42 tackles, nine TFLs). Up front, nose tackle Juan Gutierrez only had 18 tackles last season, but his impact goes far beyond the stat sheet. The Wagner coaching staff noted he constantly demands double teams in the trenches.

Offensively, quarterback Javontae Hughes (423 passing yards, 323 rushing yards) is another player who got starting experience under his belt as a sophomore last year. Fullback J’Anthony Joyner Price (789 rushing yards, 12 total TDs) will be a reliable presence behind him with his vision and ability to churn out yards. The Thunderbirds also have a threat on the perimeter in slot Jozyne Scott, who rushed for 544 yards last year and also added 115 yards through the air.

My junior season highlights:
67 carr 540 rush 6 tds 117 rec yrds 1 td 7 tds total 657 all purpose and 2 td blocks. ⁦@CoachStarin⁩ ⁦@CoachAndrewDua1 @⁩ #AGTG https://t.co/6X7eroXeIs

— Jozyne Scott (@TopRatedJoJo) November 10, 2025

Wagner won’t have the depth of a traditional 6A program as the Thunderbirds make the transition back up a class. Still, their coaching staff believes this group is even stronger than last season, an improvement that they hope will lead Wagner back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

Wagner Thunderbirds 2026 Football Schedule

*Denotes District 27-6A matchup

• Fri. Aug 28 vs.Austin High at D.W. Rutledge 7:30 PM 
• Sat. Sept 5 @ O’Connor at Ferris Stadium 7:00 PM 
• Fri. Sept 11 vs. Del Rio at D.W. Rutledge 7:30 PM
• *Fri. Sept 18 @ Steele at Clemens HS 7:30 PM
• *Sat. Sept 26 vs. Judson at D.W. Rutledge 11:30 AM 
• *Fri. Oct 9 @ East Central at East Central HS 7:30 PM 
• *Thur. Oct 15 vs. NB Canyon at D.W. Rutledge 7:00 PM 
• *Fri. Oct 23 @ Clemens at Clemens HS 7:30 PM 
• *Fri. Oct 30 @ San Marcos at San Marcos HS 7:30 PM 
• *Fri. Nov 6 vs. Pieper at D.W. Rutledge 7:30 PM