King/Drew Cancels Football Game at No. 2 St. Frances Academy Over Funding Shortfall

King/Drew posted a letter from Torres on its X account explaining why the Golden Eagles would not make the trip.

“Unfortunately, at the last minute, sponsors and donors withdrew their support, leaving us unable to fund the remainder of the trip,” Torres wrote.

Torres thanked St. Frances coach Messay Hailemariam and the Panthers program for attempting to help King/Drew make the trip possible.

“Coach Messay and his program did everything within their power to help us on their end, and I am truly grateful for the support, understanding, and effort they showed us,” Torres wrote.

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— King Drew Athletics (@AthleticsDrew) September 21, 2026

The cancellation was especially disappointing for Torres because of his ties to St. Frances.

“St. Frances Academy means the world to me,” Torres wrote. “That is where I began my coaching career, and it is a place I proudly call home.”

Torres said the trip was intended to provide much more than a football game for his players. King/Drew hoped to give student-athletes from Los Angeles-area communities an opportunity to travel across the country and visit HBCUs and other colleges along the way.

“Our goal was bigger than just playing a football game,” Torres wrote. “We wanted to give inner-city student-athletes from SoCal, Compton and Watts communities an opportunity to travel outside of Los Angeles, experience another part of the country, visit HBCUs and other universities, and see possibilities beyond what they may see every day in their own neighborhoods.”

Torres apologized to his players, coaching staff and community but called the cancellation “only a setback — not the end of the journey.”

King/Drew Has Quickly Built Winning Football Program

Torres helped build the Golden Eagles into a Los Angeles City Section contender, leading the program to a section championship in its third season.

King/Drew entered this week 3-2 and ranked No. 5 in the latest High School On SI LA City Section Top 15.

The Golden Eagles recently earned a 13-12 victory over Cathedral, a significant win against a CIF Southern Section opponent, before defeating Winchester 70-0 last week.

“We are still building. We are still learning. And we are still fighting for our young men,” Torres wrote.

St. Frances Academy Off Until Oct. 2

The cancellation creates an unexpected break for St. Frances Academy, which is 4-0 and No. 2 in the High School On SI national rankings.

The Panthers most recently defeated Hewlett Sports Academy 43-0 on Sept. 18.

St. Frances is now scheduled to return Oct. 2 when it travels to Spring, Texas, to play Legacy School of Sport Sciences.

Legacy enters this week's game against No. 1 IMG Academy with an 0-3 record after losses to Celina, St. Charles Catholic and Carthage. The Titans then host St. Frances the following week.

The cancellation costs St. Frances another opportunity to strengthen a national schedule as the Panthers pursue a second consecutive national championship.

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