High School

IMG Academy-Phenix City Central game cancelled due to Hurricane Helene

According to WRBL's Jack Patterson, the national showdown between the Ascenders and Red Devils is off

Andy Villamarzo

IMG running back Tyson Park (#27) is met by Cocoa High defenders Nycere Jacobs (#15) and O'Kece Battle. The IMG Academy National squad hosted the Cocoa High School Tigers Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 in Bradenton.
IMG running back Tyson Park (#27) is met by Cocoa High defenders Nycere Jacobs (#15) and O'Kece Battle. The IMG Academy National squad hosted the Cocoa High School Tigers Friday, Sept. 6, 2024 in Bradenton. / Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the country's top high school football games is now cancelled due to the impending path of Hurricane Helene.

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by WRBL's Jack Patterson, Friday night's national showdown between the IMG Academy Ascenders and Phenix City Central Red Devils is now cancelled. In the latest SBLive/Sports Illustrated Top 25 national rankings, the Ascenders are ranked No. 3 and the Red Devils come in at No. 12, respectively.

IMG Academy and Phenix City Central are both ranked at the top of their respective states as the best teams, setting up for what was looking to be an epic clash between the national powers. Now due to the forecast path of Helene, the showdown is off.

The Ascenders won't have to wait too long, however, to face another powerhouse-level team as they'll take the short trip down Interstate 75 next week and take on the undefeated Venice Indians (5-0) at Powell-Davis Stadium next week. The Indians are a bubble national team and ranked in the top 5 in Florida.

SBLive/SI Top 25 national high school football rankings (9/23/2024)

Top 25 Alabama high school football rankings (9/22/2024)

Top 25 Florida high school football rankings (9/21/2024)

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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