No. 3 IMG Academy vs. No. 6 Centennial: The Sequel

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MaxPreps football editor Zack Poff breaks down all the games, including IMG Academy vs. Centennial

The Centennial (Corona, Calif.) football team ducked for cover in the school gym Thursday night during practice.

Triple-digit temperatures that wilted Southern California all week suddenly gave way to swirling winds, a drop of 30 degrees and a ferocious thunder and lightning show.

"It was absolutely wild," Centennial coach Matt Logan said. "Never seen anything like it around here."

Well, except for that game the Huskies played with IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) last season.

Many believe IMG's 50-49 win was the 2016 Game of the Year and much like Thursday's weather, it had all the elements.

"There were a lot of ebbs and flows, highs and lows in that one," IMG coach Kevin Wright said. "Quite literally anything that could happen, did happen."

The game included a spectacular leaping touchdown catch from IMG's Brian Hightower, and ensuing two-point conversion with 12 seconds left, to complete an 80-yard, 54-second drive with no timeouts.

Prior to grabbing the lead, IMG allowed an uncontested TD in order to get the ball back, otherwise Centennial would have booted a chip-shot field goal with no time.

"I've only did that twice in my career," said Wright, who has been coaching 28 seasons. "It goes against everything you believe in and a couple of our players really didn't get it at first. But it all worked out."

The game featured almost 1,200 yards almost evenly divided (IMG 593, Centennial 579). IMG QB Kellen Mond accounted for 512 total yards, while Centennial's Tanner McKee threw for 374 yards and three scores.

"People bring up that game quite often," Logan said.

Especially this week.

For the second straight year, the two national powers will tangle as the featured game in the Honor Bowl on Saturday, this year played at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego.

Like last year, third-ranked IMG (1-0), a boarding school once more know for country club sports, brings in a remarkable casts of athletes — 13 of the top 242 seniors in the country according to 247Sports, including 5-star players Xavier Thomas, a 6-foot-3, 263-pound defensive end ranked No. 3 overall, and No. 13 Taron Vincent, a 6-2, 285-pound defensive tackle. All but two have committed to major Division I schools that include Clemson, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Miami, Texas, Alabama, Florida State and Florida.

The Ascenders' junior class isn't shabby either, with five of the top 74 players in the country, including wide receiver Nolan Smith (6-3, 223) and running back Noah Cain (5-11, 207), who rank sixth and 12th overall.

"I think it's pretty safe to say they have the most talented roster in the country," Logan said. "Every position they have guys that will play college football."

So why in the world play the Ascenders?

"Simply it will make us better by the end of the season," Logan said. "It did last year."

Playing the sixth-ranked Huskies (1-0) is no fun either.

They have one of the most refined and effective spread attacks in the country. That's year-in and year-out. Logan and staff always fill in the spots with excellent athletes and come at opponents with a perfectly blended display of run and pass.

"Preparing for Centennial is like preparing for Navy or Air Force at the college level," Wright said. "You just don't see that style of play. It's very hard to simulate at practice. They play very physical, very fast and they've got the perfect quarterback to run things."

That would be the 6-6, 220-pound McKee, who is the No. 29 senior recruit in the country.

"He's a tremendous athlete," Wright said. "He can beat you with his arm or legs. He's accurate. He gets things moving quickly. He's the real deal."

IMG saw one of the best quarterbacks in the country last week, in Chandler (Ariz.) junior Jacob Conover. Under triple-digit temperatures, Conover was knocked out of the game late in the first half and IMG prevailed 27-14.

"That was a tough game," Wright said. "Tough conditions."

Wright said he has no one else to blame but himself for that. Back-to-back Western trips that require at least 12 hours of travel take a toll. But Wright is trying to prepare his kids for college football and beyond. Still, even he knows the crisscrossing the country is taxing.

Especially on a short week — IMG hosts St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) in a nationally televised game on Friday.

"I'm sure no high school has ever done this kind of traveling and probably not many colleges," he said. "This would be tough for an NFL team to manage. ... But we have the training staff, coaches and players to handle it."

Now if they can just handle Centennial.