National Championship Showdown Between St. Frances and IMG Moved to Dec. 10

Friday's scheduled battle will be delayed more than a month, possibly to accommodate national television.

St. Frances Academy of Maryland and IMG Academy in Florida are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally by High School On SI. / John Bowers

The NFL has the Super Bowl and the NCAA has the College Football Playoff (CFP), which culminates with the CFP National Championship Game. But, high school football has no equivalent that declares a definitive national champion via an on-field head-to-head matchup.

In 2025, however, we will have the closest thing to it when Maryland’s St. Frances Academy and Florida’s IMG Academy, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, respectively, in this week’s High School On SI Top 25 National Rankings, meet. The contest will not take place, this Friday, as originally schedule, but will instead be moved to December 10 in Bradenton, Florida.

From the moment St. Frances and IMG ascended to the top of the rankings this week, all attention turned to the epic renewal of perhaps the country's best "national" rivalry.

Almost as soon as the focus turned to the game, rumors began to swirl on the internet that the game would not be played as scheduled, possibly to accommodate a national television audience.

On Wednesday morning, IMG Academy confirmed that the contest will not be played this week, in a statement.

"We can confirm the game between IMG Academy and St. Frances Academy will not be played as scheduled," the statement read. "We will provide updates as they’re available."

On Wednesday afternoon, St. Frances Academy athletic director Nick Myles told High School On SI, exclusively, that the contest will be in Bradenton, at IMG's home field, on December 10.

"We've agreed to move the game to Dec. 10 and we will still be playing in Florida," said Myles.

Myles did not state a specific reason for the change other than to say it was mutual decision between the two schools and Overtime Media, the game's promoter. When asked if the delay was related to placing the game on national television, Myles said, "That is something we are discussing and trying to work out."

History of the St. Frances-IMG Academy Rivalry

When the contest is played, beyond determining the 2025 national championship, it will be a renewal of one of the country's best national rivalries. There are dozens of great in-state rivalries all across the country, but very few between programs separated by nearly 1,000 miles.

The teams have split six meetings since 2016 and they have met annually since 2021. The series is tied 3-3. Here is a look at the series as it reaches its most significant renewal.

2016: IMG Academy 38, St. Frances Academy 0

In Florida, IMG’s defense dominated from start to finish and the Ascenders got a pair of rushing touchdowns from both Trey Sanders and Kellen Mond, who rushed for 186 yards in a lopsided victory. The win was part of an 11-0 season for IMG, while St. Frances finished 10-2.

2019: St. Frances Academy 35, IMG Academy 7

As the rivalry moved to Baltimore for the first time, St. Frances handed IMG its only loss of the 2019 season, in convincing fashion. The result established this contest as a true rivalry. The Panthers scored two first quarter TDs and scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to turn the game into a rout. Future Michigan and LA Rams star Blake Corum rushed for two touchdowns in the Panthers’ victory. The contest cost the Ascenders (9-1) an undefeated season, while St. Frances finished 11-1.

2021: St. Frances 34, IMG Academy 24

Durell Robinson broke off a 62-yard TD run on the first play of the game and the Panthers never trailed in Bradenton. The St. Frances lead grew to 26-3 when Da’Shawn Womack, who later starred in the SEC with LSU and Ole Miss, recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. The Ascenders rallied to within one score, but the Panthers stretched the lead back to 10, late in the third quarter, and neither team scored in the final quarter. The loss cost IMG (9-1) a second straight national championship, while St. Frances finished 8-1.

2022: IMG Academy 27, St. Frances 16

IMG evened the series at two wins each with 27-16 win at the University of Maryland. St. Frances took an 8-0 lead after one quarter, but the Ascenders outscored the Panthers 20-0 in the second quarter to take control. IMG quarterback Jayden Bradford, who is currently a freshman QB at Liberty University, passed for 152 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Carnell Tate, who now plays at Ohio State. The Ascenders finished 8-1, while the Panthers finished 9-1.

2023: IMG Academy 17, St. Frances 14

St. Frances, in a rare losing season (5-6), gave IMG all it could handle in a defensive struggle. Bradford threw for one score and Anthony Rodgers rushed for one to lead IMG. St. Frances missed two field goal attempts, including one late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the contest. IMG's victory allowed it to finish the season undefeated at 10-0.

2024: St. Frances Academy 30, IMG Academy 3

St. Frances snapped its two game losing streak in the series with a vengeance with a 30-3 victory at Morgan State University in Baltimore. The teams traded first half field goals, before the Panthers established a 17-3 halftime lead with back-to-back scores. St. Frances broke the game open in the second half with back-to-back defensive touchdowns - a 71-yard fumble return by Auburn freshman Darrion Smith and a pick six by Auburn commit Wayne Henry. The Panthers finished 2024 at 8-3, while IMG fell to 7-2.