ORLANDO, Florida, Aug. 14 — IMG Academy settled for threes while The First Academy could only manage a solo home run. And it all went down Thursday night on a gridiron in Orlando, Florida, with IMG rolling to a 41-7 victory.
The Kickoff Classic is officially a preseason game, but it was the first opportunity to get a look at the IMG Academy Ascenders, ranked No. 5 in the preseason edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25. And it wasn't a bad look.
Senior Louisville commit Le'Khy Thompkins was in beast mode, scoring three touchdowns for the Ascenders. Sophomore Eric McFarland also found pay dirt three times, including an 80-yard run. Edge rusher Jake Kreul even got in on the triple action with three sacks on three consecutive plays to set the tone early for the defense.
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The First Academy, which was forced to forfeit its nine victories in 2024 due to rules violations, struck first on a 57-yard dash by Jaelyn Powell less than 30 seconds into the game. The Royals added the PAT, stunning a hometown crowd with big hopes and realistic expectations against the visiting Ascenders. The Bradenton juggernaut is the Sunshine State's highest-ranked team in most preseason listings, including The Sporting News.
High School Football
Kickoff Classic (preseason game)
No. 5 IMG Academy (FL) Ascenders 41, UNR The First Academy (Orlando, FL) Royals 7
Thursday, August 14, 2025 | Orlando, Florida | UNR – Unranked
But once Thompkins began to gash the Royals' defense with his big 6-feet 1-inch, 235-pound frame, there was little the Royals could do to stop the bleeding. A 21-point third quarter put the game out of reach, and the Royals were, no doubt, glad that the contest won't count in the official standings.
IMG Academy will get the season legitimately started next Friday with a road trip to Alabama to take on the powerful Hoover Buccaneers. For the national Ascenders, it's the first game in a three-state trek that includes road trips to New Jersey to take on the Winslow (Atco) Township Eagles (August 28) and Nevada to square off against the Coronado (Henderson) Cougars (September 13).
The Ascenders won't play again on Florida ground until a September visit to Jacksonville to take on the Mandarin Mustangs.
The First Academy, meanwhile, has a challenging slate of its own. The Royals officially kick off the regular season at home next week against the No. 14 Milton (GA) Eagles, who lost, 20-13, in their season opener at the No. 12 Buford (GA) Wolves last night on ESPN2. That's followed by a visit from the Central (Phenix City) Red Devils, who lost to the Thompson (Alabaster) Warriors in Alabama's AHSAA Class 7A state championship game a year ago.
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The Sporting News 2025 National High School Football Top 25 — Week One: August 12