Ascenders
| 10/03/25 @ Venice | 27-14 |
| 08/22/25 @ Hoover | 34-13 |
| 08/28/25 @ Winslow Township | 35-14 |
IMG Academy had won six straight on the road, but on Friday they bumped up to 6-0 to make it seven. They came out on top against the Venice Indians by a score of 27-14. The 27-point effort marked the Ascenders' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Eric McFarland went supernova, picking up 117 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Le'Khy Thompkins handled things on the ground, rushing for 112 yards.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something IMG Academy proved: they limited Venice to a paltry 1.6 yards per carry. The team can thank Andre Alexander for the heroic effort on defense: he. IMG Academy didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 9.1.
IMG Academy's defense didn't let Darryon Jones, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as five different players picked up one apiece.
As for Venice, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3. While losing is never fun, they can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while IMG Academy is ranked first).
Despite the defeat, Venice had strong showings from Jones, who threw for 204 yards and one TD, and Tyree Mannings, who picked up 138 receiving yards. Mannings has become a key player for the Indians: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 100 receiving yards, but 1-2 otherwise.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. IMG Academy will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Varsity Opponent at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th. As for Venice, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Riverview Sarasota at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Indians will need to watch out since the Rams have now posted at least 31 points in their last six games.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
