Following a 40-yard field goal from IMG Academy kicker
Joseph Collins early in the second quarter, St. Frances Academy (8-3) closed out the half with 17 consecutive points during a dominant six-minute stretch that gave the Panthers separation.
Greg Proud booted a 44-yard field goal before junior quarterback
Jae’oyn Williams punched in the first touchdown of the contest from 1 yard out to give the Panthers a 10-3 advantage with approximately three minutes to go in the quarter. UCF commit
Jeremiah Koger put St. Frances in position for that score with a long reception to give the Panthers first-and-goal from the 5-yard line.
After a punt from IMG Academy (6-3) pinned St. Frances Academy at its own 6-yard line with approximately one minute remaining, Williams escaped for a 61-yard run on a quarterback draw to flip the field with 50 seconds remaining.
A spectacular catch by Maryland pledge
Damon Hall set up the Panthers at the 3 with seven seconds remaining before another Hall catch capped the drive and gave St. Frances Academy a 17-3 halftime lead.
St. Frances Academy three-star tight end Damon Hall catches touchdown pass just before the half as the 17th-ranked Panthers beat No. 5 IMG Academy 30-3. (Photo: David Custer)
The Panthers defense continued to thwart the Ascenders high-scoring offense in the second half as they forced two turnovers in the third quarter, including an interception deep in their own territory by four-star Auburn-bound corner back
Blake Woodby.
A 26-yard scramble from SMU-bound signal caller
Ty Hawkins gave the Ascenders a first-and-goal at the 6 midway through the fourth quarter. After a penalty back the Ascenders up, St. Frances Academy forced afumble resulted in a 71-yard a scoop-and-score touchdown by Tennessee commit
Darrion Smith to give the Panthers a 24-3 advantage with 6:58 remaining in the game.
St. Frances would score again on a pick-six late in the game and record its fifth takeaway of the half well after the game had been decided.
The win gives St. Frances Academy a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams that began in 2019. IMG Academy had won the previous two meetings between the football powerhouses, winning 27-16 in 2022 and escaping with a 17-14 victory last season.
All three Panthers losses came in consecutive weeks against ranked opponents in true road games as St. Frances Academy lost to No. 15 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) 15-13, No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) 28-24 and No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 25-14. The Panthers have now won five in a row since their three-game skid.
Both teams have one more game remaining on their schedules. IMG Academy closes out its season Nov. 8 against St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Ct.) and St. Frances Academy returns to the field against Mt. Zion Prep Academy (Lanham, Md.) on Nov. 15.
