High school football: No. 1 IMG Academy leaves no doubt with 49-14 pasting of No. 6 Northwestern

No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) showed Friday night it's not only the king of Florida, but laid claim to being the most complete and dominant team in the country playing high school football in the fall. The Ascenders scored 28 first quarter points, finding the end zone on all but one first half possession en route to a 49-14 pounding of No. 6 Northwestern (Miami).

IMG Academy (7-0) has never lost to the Bulls and showed early that the fourth try wouldn't be the charm for the Miami power.

After missteps on their first two offensive plays — a near pick-six on step-back screen and a 91-yard Lovasea’ Carroll TD run called back for a hold — the Ascenders carved up a Northwestern defense that had stood proud the previous week in a 21-14 rivalry win over Miami Central.

IMG marched 91 yards on its first possession, needing nine plays before Kaytron Allen rumbled in from six yards out.

And it wasn't just the Ascenders' offense that was dominating the Bulls as Omar Burroughs intercepted Taron Dickens on Northwestern's ensuing possession — his fifth interception in two games against the three-time defending Florida champions.

After Burroughs' interception, it didn't take long for IMG to extend the lead as J.J. McCarthy hit Shawn Miller down the sideline for a 47-yard scoring strike. The Ascenders built the lead to 28-0 and were in control. But the Bulls found signs of life as Zuberi Mobley capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive for Northwestern inside the second quarter.

IMG would score once more in the half on a 28-yard TD pass from Jackson Zager to Ari Allen on a fake field goal to boost the edge to 35-7 at intermission.

The Bulls started the second half strong and cut the lead to 35-14 as Dickens found a wide-open Steve Augustine 21-yard TD pass, the end of an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The Northwestern defense then held IMG to a three-and-out, the first of the game, before Burroughs recovered the muffed punt for the Ascenders. McCarthy and IMG made quick work of the 30-yard drive, finding Miller from 13 yards out. Allen's second rushing touchdown inside the fourth quarter started the running clock.

McCarthy was 8-of-20 for 202 yards and four TD passes. Carroll ran for 86 yards as did Allen, who found the end zone three times, twice on the ground and once on a swing route for a 13-yard strike.