IMG Academy cruises to win in home opener over Glenville (Ohio): 3 takeaways
BRADENTON, FLORIDA- Home sweet home.
Or so they say, anyways.
It was a homecoming of sorts for the IMG Academy Ascenders, whom spent the first three games of the season living on the road.
Trips to Nashville, Ocean City and Indianapolis were the road trips IMG Academy had to go on and all three were victories. On Friday night at IMG Academy Field, the Ascenders continued their perfect ways against visiting Glenville (Ohio).
Ascenders running back Jerrick Gibson led the effort with 113 yards and two touchdowns to lead IMG Academy past Glenville 28-6 in a game riddled with penalties, injuries.
The Ascenders (4-0) had to fight through inconsistent play throughout the game, as quarterback Jayden Bradford, a Liberty commitment, never really got going. Bradford finished the night completing 8-of-16 for 70 yards and one touchdown.
It would be the Texas commitment, Gibson, that led the Ascenders on the ground and offensively. We list below three takeaways from the game.
IMG Academy better on the road?
You take a look at the Ascenders' first three road games and they seem perfectly fine with packing their bags and hopping on a flight.
At home in front of a decent crowd, IMG Academy's offense sputtered throughout the evening and there was a combination of reasons for that. Bradford has been steady for Billy Miller's bunch with around 600 yards and six touchdowns heading into the game.
Gibson is a load for anyone to bring down. Something is just missing play to play when it comes to truly rolling through squads the way the Ascenders are accustomed to. IMG Academy only goes on the road one more time at Bartram Trail before ending the season with four straight home games, with ones against Pine Forest and St. Frances Academy (Maryland) included.
Jerrick Gibson is the real deal
Not that this is really news to anyone in the country, but Gibson was on full display against a talented Tarblooders' defensive group.
The Texas commitment was one of the main reasons why IMG Academy was able to break away in the game. Gibson carried the rock 12 times for 113 yards and two scores, punishing defenders at the end of every run.
His rare combination of vision, wiggle, power and speed made him a load to bring down for any Glenville would-be tackler. Seeing the running back up close gave you a good look at what the Longhorns will be getting on the next level and that's one heck of a tailback.
Glenville is tough
Give this Glenville team a lot of credit from whistle to whistle, effort was not the Tarblooders' problem.
That goes for both sides of the football. Defensively, you could see why the Ohio team decided to take a leap of faith and travel down to Florida. They would be able to stand on all 10's against most teams in the Sunshine State.
Constant pressure on Bradford by guys like defensive end Kareem Jennings and others made it difficult for the Ascenders to get going offensively. Ohio State commitment Bryce West and Army commit Jermaine Agee did a good job on the back end not allowing a lot of big plays through the air.
A player that really stood out on the night, though was senior running back Dshawntae Jones. The tailback up against one of the best front seven units in the country rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries, including a 51-yard burst for a touchdown.
Top 25 Florida high school football rankings: St. Augustine enters the rankings
Florida football 2023 rankings for Class 4M-1M & Class 4S-1S/1R: Week 4
Vote: Who has been the top running back in Florida so far this 2023 football season?
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
