For the second year in a row, the powerful IMG Academy national high school football team will close-out the summer at the Jersey Shore. The Ascenders, who finished No. 4 in the 2023 High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football, will square-off with three-time New Jersey Non-Public Group A state champ Bergen Catholic. The Crusaders finished No. 22 in the nation last season.
Related: Final HSFA 300 national rankings
The game will be played Thursday, August 29 as the part of the fourth annual Battle at the Beach at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium.
Last season, in Ocean City IMG eked-out a 17-14 win over St. Joseph’s Prep, which went on to a second straight 6A state championship.
As is always the case, IMG is loaded with Power-5 talent. However, the Ascender that may get the most attention isn’t even a freshman yet. Quarterback Jayden Wade played varsity as an eighth grader last year, completing 14-of-20 passes with a touchdown. He’s already received eight college scholarship offers with one coming from the Georgia Bulldogs.
Upfront, the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2026 Keenyi Pepe (tackle) is expected to anchor another big-and-powerful offensive line.
The running game will be in good hands with Anthony Rogers, a Power-5 prospect. He’s the No. 77 overall prospect in the Class of ’25.
Linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng will anchor the defense, He’s ranked No. 51 in the On3 Industry Rankings. Defensive lineman London Merritt is another highly-ranked recruit at No. 94.
BC returns state championship QB Dominic Campanile (Class of 2025). He’s the son of head coach Vito Campanile. After splitting time as a junior, he was the Crusaders No. 1 signal-caller last year, completing 131-of-222 passes for 2,028 yards with 28 TD passes against five interceptions. He’s been offered college scholarships from Akron, UMass and Western Michigan, according to On3.com.
His top target, wide receiver Quincy Porter is back for his senior season. He’s considered the No. 32 overall college football prospect in the Class of 2025 in the On3 Industry rankings. He caught 41 passes last year, averaging 23.6 yards per catch with 16 touchdowns.
