A game with national championship implications won't be played after No. 3
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) announced Friday it was opting out of playing No. 1
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.).
The contest was originally schedule for Friday, but talks to televise the game nationally would have forced the contest to be postponed to Dec. 10.
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) beat St. Frances Academy 21-14 in September, leaving an opening for the Braves to make a case for its third national title should it win the California Open Division title.
The gap was too much for IMG Academy (9-0) as outlined in the statement released Friday morning via social media.
St. Frances Academy (8-1) moved to
No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 this week after St. John Bosco (9-1) fell
from the top spot after a 36-31 loss to No. 6
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Last season, St. Frances Academy beat IMG Academy 30-3 to snap a two-game losing streak to the Ascenders. The two schools play independent schedules and have met six times since 2016 with the series tied 3-3.
IMG Academy running back Le'Khy Thompkins celebrates a touchdown against Phenix City Central last month. The Louisville-bound senior finished the season with 982 yards and nine touchdowns on just 115 carries. (PHOTO: Corey Jones)
