Football Preview: IMG Academy Ascenders vs. Central Red Devils
On Friday IMG Academy will have to hit the road after three straight games at home. They will venture away from home to challenge the Central Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
IMG Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Mandarin, who was ranked 22nd in their home state at the time (IMG Academy was ranked first). IMG Academy simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Mandarin 49-6 at home. The Ascenders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by 21 points or more this season.
IMG Academy found their leader in underclassman Jayden Wade, who threw for 88 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a rushing score. Another player making a difference was Ty Hawkins, who rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Central put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They came out on top against Enterprise by a score of 34-21.
Tristan Williams continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 224 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 111.4 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Alford, who threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
IMG Academy's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. As for Central, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. IMG Academy has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 202.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 198.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
IMG Academy strolled past Central in their previous matchup back in September of 2022 by a score of 41-26. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Central's Jaylen Epps, who threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for IMG Academy to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
