IMG Academy Opts Out of National Championship Matchup with St. Frances

Florida sports academy cites safety concerns and the college transition of its senior players

The highly anticipated high school football showdown between the top two teams in the country - St. Frances Academy and IMG Academy - will not take place after IMG announced it was opting out of the contest. / John Bowers

High school football fans excited to see a game which would be a legitimate national championship showdown were left disappointed Friday morning when IMG Academy announced that it has decided not to participate in the contest with Baltimore powerhouse St. Frances Academy.

St. Frances is currently ranked No. 1 in the High School On SI High School Football Power 25 National Rankings. IMG Academy is ranked No. 2. The contest would have produced a definitive national champion for the 2025 season.

Originally scheduled to take place Friday, Nov. 7 on IMG’s Bradenton, Florida campus, IMG announced, in a statement released to the media on Wednesday, that the game “would not be played as scheduled.”

The announcement was not a surprise because there was abundant speculation that the two teams were negotiating to move the game to a different date, and possibly a different location, to accommodate a national television broadcast.

When reached Wednesday afternoon by High School On SI and asked about the potential new date, St. Frances athletic director Nick Myles stated that the schools had agreed to delay the game until December.

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

Later Myles stated that he was unaware that he was being quoted for publication. Both he and St. Frances head coach Messay Hailemariam said that IMG Academy and a potential media partner were upset about the revelation and threatening to cancel the contest.

On Friday, IMG Academy did just that, although it made no mention of the alleged disagreement between the schools.

“While we were originally scheduled and excited to face St. Frances this evening, given how the season unfolded with the teams becoming the consensus top two teams in the county, there was a unique opportunity to reschedule the matchup into a nationally televised championship that required the date to be moved to mid-December, creating a nearly six-week layoff between games,” read the statement posted on IMG Football’s X.com page. “That extended break raised understandable concerns around player health and safety and the college transition for our seniors. After extensive consideration of what’s best for our student-athletes, the difficult decision was made not to participate in the rescheduled game.”

The full statement can be sen below.

IMG Academy Statement on St. Frances Football Game pic.twitter.com/gL4NS3B4rp

— IMG Academy Football (@IMGAFootball) November 7, 2025

St. Frances and IMG Academy have met six previous times and every season since 2021. Each team has won three times with St. Frances prevailing, 30-3, last year in Baltimore.