IMG Academy barely survives St. James 44-42; Nov. 13 showdown looms
IMG Academy (6-0) remains No. 1 in the Rivals High School Football Composite Top 25 after barely getting by The St. James Academy 44-42 at home in Bradenton, Florida, according to www.on3.com.
The Ascenders "received more than a scare" in the thriller, per the source, but they didn't move from the top spot.
St. Frances Academy (5-0) holds at No. 2, setting up a potential 1-2 matchup on Nov. 13 in Baltimore, Maryland. The game is not confirmed — the source says the two "could meet" and "if everything works out the way it should," it could be the de facto national title game.
WHAT HAPPENED
The St. James Academy pushed IMG to the brink, but the Ascenders escaped Bradenton with a 44-42 win, per www.on3.com. The one-score thriller was the closest test IMG has faced all season, yet the result did nothing to shake the Ascenders' grip on No. 1.
St. Frances Academy had no such drama. The Panthers traveled to Texas and blanked Legacy School of Sports Sciences 46-0, according to the source. That shutout kept St. Frances perfect at 5-0 and locked in at No. 2, with its defense still looking like one of the nation's best.
The week's real movement came further down the rankings. Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) slid from No. 15 to No. 22 after a 34-30 loss to Bergen Catholic (N.J.) on Saturday, per the source. Mater Dei (Calif.) fell out of the top 25 entirely, according to www.on3.com.
Those shifts leave the top of the board untouched, with IMG and St. Frances separated by one spot and one undefeated record each.
THE NUMBERS
The numbers tell a clean story at the top. IMG Academy sits at 6-0, St. Frances Academy at 5-0, per the Rivals Composite Top 25 as of Oct. 6. The two are separated by one spot and one undefeated record each.
The Rivals Composite Rankings are a proprietary algorithm that pulls from Massey, MaxPreps, ESPN and SI, according to the source. That blend of public-domain listings gives the weekly board its shape — and this week, the shape barely moved.
St. Frances Academy’s defense is "one of the top units in the nation," anchored by EDGE rushers Anthony Sweeney, a five-star Texas Tech commit, along with Jermaine Smith and Jayden Travers, a Nebraska commit, according to www.on3.com. The Panthers have yet to allow a score in that 46-0 trip to Texas.
The movement that did happen came lower. Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) dropped seven spots, from No. 15 to No. 22, after its 34-30 loss to Bergen Catholic, per the source. Mater Dei (Calif.) fell out of the top 25 entirely, according to www.on3.com.
The Nov. 13 game is not confirmed — the source says the two "could meet" in Baltimore. But the records and the rankings are set: IMG at No. 1, St. Frances at No. 2, with the composite math backing both.
THE REACTION
The source is blunt about what the 44-42 result means for the rankings: IMG Academy "doesn't move from the top spot" despite the close call. The Ascenders "received more than a scare" when they barely got by The St. James Academy in what the source calls a "thriller" in Bradenton, Florida.
St. Frances Academy, by contrast, "made it look fairly easy" in its 46-0 defeat of Legacy School of Sports Sciences in Texas, per www.on3.com. The Panthers' defense remains "one of the top units in the nation," and the result did nothing to shake their hold on No. 2.
The framing around both teams points in one direction: Nov. 13. The source says "who knows, maybe it's the de facto national title game we wanted but just a year later" — but that label is speculative. It applies only "for those who want to acknowledge it as so anyways," per the source, and the matchup itself is not confirmed; the two "could meet" in Baltimore.
What is confirmed is the math. IMG at 6-0, St. Frances at 5-0, sitting 1-2 in the Rivals Composite Top 25. The close call didn't cost the Ascenders their spot. The shutout didn't move the Panthers up. The narrative, for now, is set.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
IMG Academy packs its bags and heads north into Indiana to take on New Palestine, per www.on3.com. The Ascenders hit the road for their first test since the 44-42 scare, with the No. 1 ranking intact but the margin for error now visibly thin.
St. Frances Academy "now has arguably its toughest game of the entire season until Nov. 13 when they face off against The St. James Academy," according to the source. That meeting is the same St. James squad that pushed IMG to the brink in Bradenton — a useful measuring stick for the Panthers' defense before any bigger stage.
The potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between IMG Academy and St. Frances Academy is set for Nov. 13 in Baltimore, Maryland, if both teams win out, per the source. But the game is not confirmed; the source says it happens "if everything works out the way it should."
That conditional hangs over everything. New Palestine and St. James both stand between the rankings and the showdown fans are already circling. The math is simple: two wins, and the de facto national title game becomes real. One slip, and the narrative resets.
For now, the calendar does the talking. IMG goes north. St. Frances stays home. Nov. 13 waits.
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