Football Preview: IMG Academy White Ascenders vs. St. John Paul II Panthers
After starting their season with three straight games on the road, IMG Academy White is finally coming home. They will be defending their home-fieldthey go up against the St. John Paul II Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. St. John Paul II took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on IMG Academy White, who comes in off a win.
IMG Academy White's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-0 win over Bayshore on the road. Given the Ascenders' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 96th, while the Bruins are ranked 453rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
IMG Academy White's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB eight times. It was truly a group effort as Jacob Hanson, Steve Hannon, and Danny McKenna picked up two apiece. Hanson is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least eight every time he's taken the field this season. IMG Academy White got some further help from Jackson Gaskill: he picked up a sack, made nine total tackles (4.0 for loss), and defended two passes in addition to snagging an interception which he returned one-yard for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, St. John Paul II fell victim to Lincoln and their airtight defense on Thursday. They were outmatched by the Trojans on the road and fell 49-0. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
IMG Academy White's victory bumped their record up to 3-0. As for St. John Paul II, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Everything went IMG Academy White's way against St. John Paul II when the teams last played back in August of 2023 as IMG Academy White made off with a 41-18 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was St. John Paul II's Tremaine Hughes Jr., who rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, and also threw for 265 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for IMG Academy White to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
