Florida high school football preview: IMG Academy at Bartram Trail
SAINT JOHNS, FLORIDA- One of the top football programs in the land in IMG Academy will travel up Interstate 75 North and cross over east to face a surging Bartram Trail team.
Though extremely talented, the Ascenders can ill afford to look past this Bears (3-2) club that features plenty of talent and at the right positions.
You can’t take a deep dive into Cory Johns’ group without his quarterback-running back tandem sticking smack dab at ya. Riley Trujillo, a UCF commitment, and running back Laython Biddle have been among the top at their positions in Northeast Florida.
Trujillo is just returning to the lineup after sitting out with an injury, but make no doubt about his ability when it comes to top tier passers. The future UCF Knight has thrown for 664 yards and six touchdowns, adding 210 rushing for the Bears.
Biddle has led the Bears’ offense for most of the season as the senior has carried the ball 103 times for 849 yards and 11 touchdowns.
A key weapon the Bears have at their disposal is place kicker Liam Padron, who has notched 4-of-9 field goal attempts with a long of 51 yards. Padron also has knocked down all 19 extra point attempts this season.
IMG Academy (4-0) has only played one game at home this season and that was back on Sep. 15th against Glenville (Ohio) in a 28-6 victory. With nearly a month off from playing games, the Ascenders could be a little Rusty heading into tonight’s contest.
Liberty commitment Jayden Bradford has committed 45-of-80 passes for 678 yards and seven touchdowns. Texas commit Jerrick Gibson has rushed for 399 yards and four touchdowns through four games.
The Ascenders feature a slew of Power Five commitments on the roster, including defensive lineman David Stone (Oklahoma), cornerback Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia), Jonathan Echols (Tennessee), Jerrae Hawkins (Florida) and offensive linemen Jordan Seaton, Jimothy Lewis (Mississippi State).
ANDY’S PREDICTION: IMG Academy 30, Bartram Trail 10
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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
