Coaching Staff

Coach Adam Behrends has been the Head Coach of Staples Football since 2019. Before coming to Staples, Coach Behrends coached at IMG Academy for nine years. Coach Behrends helped launch the program, and has been an assistant coach for the IMG National Varsity team that went a combined 53-4 from 2013-18. The program finished in the top-five of the MaxPreps and USA TODAY national rankings each of his last four years, and developed more than 140 student-athletes who went on to Division I football programs. During his career, Coach Behrends has worked with players from the youth level up to the NFL, at all positions. His specialty was defensive backs and quarterbacks. In addition to his coaching duties with the varsity football program, Coach coordinated and directed weekly summer camps, designed and directed the football-specific portion of the Cam Newton Skills Challenge, coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers during the 2011 NFL Lockout, and has coached at the Under Armour All-American Combine in St. Petersburg in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Prior to becoming an Assistant Coach, Coach served as an intern within the IMG Academy Athletic & Personal Development program and Football program in 2010. He has led and directed speed and strength sessions, as well as leading strength and conditioning programs. As a coach with the varsity football program, Coach Behrends has helped guide the development of dozens of top NCAA prospects. Among the players he has worked with are the likes of Seattle Seahawks RB Bo Scarbrough, Florida State and Florida Atlantic QB Deondre Francois and Michigan QB Shea Patterson, all of whom were selected to the Under Armour (Scarbrough, Francois) and U.S. Army All-American games (Patterson). Notably, Patterson bagged Army-All American Game MVP honors in 2015, on the heels of guiding IMG Academy to its first undefeated regular season. He also made an impact with the IMG Academy Pre-Combine/Draft Training program. With the Combine program, he worked with several position groups, including quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, linebackers and defensive backs. Those players include the likes of Seattle Seahawks QB and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson, Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Josh Dobbs, Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill and Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater. During his collegiate football career, Coach Behrends played as a Defensive Back at Minnesota State-Mankato after transferring from Ellsworth Community College where he was an all-region Defensive Back in 2006. Coach Behrends graduated from Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, and was an all-conference defensive back in 2003. Coach is originally from Bettendorf, Iowa where his brother Tony, still lives. Coach’s oldest brother, JR, resides in Iowa City.

Coach Jacowleff serves as the Offensive Coordinator and is directly responsible for the Wide Receivers and Defensive Backs. Last season, the Wrecker Wide Receivers set Staples High School records for most receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in a single season with 2,327 yards and 26 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, the Wrecker Defensive Backs allowed a measly 56% completion percentage, offenses averaged only 139 passing yards per game with 8 TD against 7 INTs. Coach Matty is also a Varsity coach with the State Champion Staples Lacrosse Program. Coach Matty is a Staples High School Alumni, where he played Linebacker for the Wreckers and was Captain of the 2014 team. Coach Matty resides in Westport and is finishing up his Master’s in Education from Fairfield University after obtaining a Business degree from Northeastern University.

Coach Ryan Connors has been with the Staples Football Varsity staff since 2018. Coach Connors will lead the Offensive Line and Linebackers after serving as the Running Backs coach for the previous four seasons. He is a 2015 Staples graduate and played three years at the Varsity level as a Defensive Back and Linebacker. Coach Connors attends Sacred Heart University where he is seeking a degree in Education and resides in Westport.

Coach Dan Devore rejoined Staples in 2020 for his second stint on the Wreckers Football Coaching Staff. Initially, Coach Devore was the Staples Defensive End and Linebackers coach from 2007-2010. In 2019, Coach Devore served as the Defensive Line Coach at Joel Barlow High School. In 2013, Coach Devore was the Offensive Line Coach at Weston High School. Coach Devore started coaching football at Notre Dame High School in 2002 where he coached all levels before coming to Staples in 2007. When he became a Wrecker in 2007, Coach Devore also joined Laddie Lawrence and the Track & Field program as a Staples Field Coach. Coach Devore played Quarterback and Linebacker at Plymouth State College and finished his education at Sacred Heart University.

Coach Ron Clarke has been a part of the Staples football staff as Defensive Coordinator for the Freshman Football team for the past 4 years and will move up to coach outside linebackers for the varsity team. Coach Clarke has been a youth sports coach in Westport since 2003, including coaching Football for nearly a decade and has coached almost all the current players on the Staples Varsity team during this time. The former Fairfield University Baseball player has coached Baseball as well and has served on the Board for Westport Youth Baseball as well as serving in a variety of roles for the Gridiron Club, Staples Rugby and the Staples Matmen.

Coach Steve Anderson has been the Head Coach of Staples Freshman Football since 2018. Coach Anderson began his coaching career in the spring of 2005 when he went back to Trumbull High and helped bring Trumbull to a Division II State Championship. He later went on to be an assistant Varsity Lacrosse Coach at ND-West Haven for 7 years. Coach Anderson has also coached girls soccer and boys basketball through the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for the past thirteen years totaling over 35 seasons. In addition to coaching the Freshman Football team, he is currently the Assistant Varsity Lacrosse Coach of the State Champion Staples High School and is coaching Youth Lacrosse with Westport PAL. Coach Anderson is also the grade director of the 2030 Eclipse Lacrosse Club. Coach was a two sport athlete at Trumbull High School where he participated on the Football and Lacrosse team and was named All-FCIAC for both sports. Anderson continued his playing career at the University of New Haven where he competed on the Men's Lacrosse team. He also continued his football career playing semi-professionally out of New Haven until 2015.

Coach Andrew Pfefferle is entering his third season with the Staples Football Freshman team and first as Defensive Coordinator. He graduated from Staples in 2012 and currently is a Certified Personal Trainer. In the Spring of 2019, he was an assistant coach for PAL boys lacrosse and helped out with the Mini Wreckers teaching them the fundamentals of the game. Coach Pfefferle was a three sport athlete at Staples playing Football, Hockey and Lacrosse. His passion outside of work is powerlifting, his goal for the future is a 1,000lb Squat.

Corey is entering her 11th year as Assistant Athletic Trainer at Staples. Corey is certified with the National Athletic Trainer’s Association and is licensed through the state of Connecticut. She graduated from Sacred Heart University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training. Upon graduation Corey worked in a clinic outreach position in lower Westchester County for a year, as an athletic trainer for 4 different high schools. She returned to Connecticut in 2009, again working in a clinic outreach position with New Canaan Youth Football, Staples High School, and various other clinic and outreach opportunities through the summer of 2010. She is also a Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner and owner of Core Sports Medicine. Corey is originally from Hartsdale, New York and currently lives in Bridgeport with her dog Bubbs.