Hurricane Florence cancels IMG-St. John's national showdown

The game of the year - No. 4 St. John's vs. No. 11 Miami Central

As the East Coast braces for Hurricane Florence's impact, high school sports, even one of the most nationally anticipated games of the season, are put on the backburner. 

From Florida to Maryland, games are being postponed ahead of Florence's expected Friday morning landfall.

Saturday's national Top 10 football matchup between fifth-ranked IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at No. 4 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) was canceled on Tuesday morning. No makeup date has been set and it's unlikely that it will.

St. John's athletic department, tweeted the game was canceled "due to the impending hurricane and Maryland's declared state of emergency. As a result, the IMG Academy's football team is unable to travel to DC for this matchup."

Within the last few hours, Washington D.C. Major Muriel Bowser joined Maryland and Virginia and other eastern seaboard states in declaring a state of emergency as the Category 4 storm approaches.

The South Carolina High School League announced in a tweet that "As ordered by Governor @henrymcmaster, all athletic events and activities are canceled in the 26 counties included in the Hurricane Florence region until the order is rescinded."

Forecasts call for Florence to make landfall in North Carolina and potentially stall as it heads inland. In addition to storm surges, Florence could bring as much as 36 inches of rain to the Carolinas over a 24-36 hour period.

North Carolina High School Athletic Association Commissioner Que Tucker issued a statement that said, per state policy, that the regular season schedule is governed by the member schools and conferences, but added that "Every decision should be made with the safety of all participants in mind. This includes players, coaches, students, spectators and any others."

IMG is coming off a trip to Las Vegas — it defeated Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 35-0 in the Polynesian Football Classic on Friday — and on Sept. 21 its scheduled to travel back to the West Coast to face No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

St. John's is coming off one of the biggest wins in school history, and certainly will go down as a game of the year nominee, with a 37-34 five-overtime home victory over Miami Central.