IMG Academy, third on the SPIN Power 100, hosts The St. James Performance Academy (Springfield, Va.), 92nd, on Saturday at 7:00 PM Eastern on the IMG campus in Bradenton. Both teams are unbeaten. IMG is 5-0. The St. James is 4-0, and MaxPreps has it outscoring its four opponents 235-20.
It is the first time these programs have played. The St. James is in its second season of varsity football.
By the numbers
| The St. James | IMG Academy | |
|---|---|---|
| SPIN Power 100 | 92 | 3 |
| Record | 4-0 | 5-0 |
| Points per game | 58.8 | 52.6 |
| Points allowed per game | 5.0 | 9.4 |
| Last week | W 50-6 vs Cardinal Ritter | W 56-7 vs Legacy School of Sport Sciences |
The St. James scoring figures are computed from results posted on MaxPreps.
How IMG got here
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 21 | at Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) | W 59-3 |
| Aug. 29 | Cornerstone Christian (San Antonio) | W 59-10 |
| Sept. 5 | Saint Louis (Honolulu), at Mission Viejo, Calif. | W 41-0 |
| Sept. 18 | at The First Academy (Orlando) | W 48-27 |
| Sept. 25 | Legacy School of Sport Sciences (Spring, Texas) | W 56-7 |
One team has tested IMG. The First Academy, 56th on our board, led IMG by 17 points at halftime in Orlando, and IMG won 48-27. Nobody else has scored more than 10 points on IMG.
How The St. James got here
The St. James opened with a 66-0 win over Lehi of Utah, and has since beaten Paramus Catholic of New Jersey, Mt. Zion Prep of Maryland and Cardinal Ritter of St. Louis. It beat Cardinal Ritter 50-6 last week.
None of those four teams is on the SPIN Power 100. That is why The St. James fell from 47th to 92nd on this week's board after winning by 44, and it is why Saturday matters so much to where it goes next. This is its first game of the season against a team on our board.
It went 8-1 last season. Its only loss was a 35-0 shutout at St. Frances Academy, first on the SPIN Power 100.
Where the schedules cross
St. Frances is on both schedules. The St. James plays St. Frances next. IMG goes to St. Frances on November 13.
The First Academy is on both, a year apart. The St. James won 41-40 at The First Academy last season. IMG won 48-27 there on September 18.
Players to watch
IMG Academy
- Jayden Wade, QB, junior. Committed to Georgia.
- Aaryn Washington, CB, senior. Committed to USC.
The St. James
- Kenaz Sullivan, S, senior. Committed to Maryland.
- Tyson Washington, ATH/LB, senior. Committed to Virginia Tech.
The coaches
Darryl Overton coaches The St. James. Before this job he won back to back Virginia Class 6 state titles at Freedom of Woodbridge in 2022 and 2023.
Greg Studrawa is in his second season coaching IMG's national team. He was LSU's offensive coordinator and Ohio State's offensive line coach.
What Saturday does
IMG is our third team, and The First Academy is the only opponent that has made it work this season. The St. James is 92nd because nobody it has beaten is ranked. A win at IMG changes that in one night. A close loss at IMG would still tell us more about The St. James than four blowouts did.
Kickoff is 7:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 PM Mountain. The game streams on FloCollege.
