IMG Academy scheduled to face Texas power Duncanville in October high school football showdown

The ongoing pandemic has re-shaped the schedule of high school football preseason No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Tuesday offered some insight as to what that might look like as Texas powerhouse Duncanville announced it would host the Ascenders at Globe Life Field in Arlington – home of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers – on Oct. 9.

Set to be released in full Wednesday, IMG Academy will begin the season in the top spot of the MaxPreps Top 25 national rankings while Duncanville checks in at No. 6.

With many of the usual out-of-state showdowns wiped out by modified schedules amid COVID-19 concerns, the October matchup is easily the most high-profile at the prep level this fall.

In addition to the Duncanville matchup, IMG Academy is expected to open its season Sept. 4 against Venice (Fla.).

Duncanville's schedule includes marquee matchups against traditional rivals Cedar Hill and DeSoto. The Panthers open against Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth) on Sep. 24.

Omari Abor, Kendrick Blackshire, Savion Byrd, Jordan Crook, Roderick Daniels and Jaylen Early are among the stars for the Texas program, which has lost in the Class 6A Division 1 state championship game each of the past two seasons.