If there was one high school game important for college football fans to pay attention to over the weekend — and perhaps over the entire season — it was the clash between No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Md.) and No. 11 IMG Academy (Fla.).

In the showing of star power, IMG Academy took home the 27-16 win and closed its season with an 8-1 record.

Though IMG was ranked lower, calling this an upset wouldn’t exactly be right. Both schools are historically dominant and carried that into this year. Entering the game, SFA was 8-0 with wins against very good schools around the country, including East St. Louis (Ill.), DeSoto (Texas), Venice (Florida), Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.), and Kahuku (Hawaii). Meanwhile, IMG was 7-1 with four straight shutouts—a combined score of 254-0.

The teams and their fans desperately wanted a win, but college football fans could simply enjoy it as peak high school performance and also a glimpse at players who might don the jerseys of their favorite team in the future.

Ohio State commit Carnell Tate, a 6-foot-2 receiver for IMG, finished the game with two touchdowns:

Carnell Tate finished his tremendous high school career with 2 TDs

Next Stop: Columbus
pic.twitter.com/ZwtKJWuLPg

— The Victory Bell (@VictoryBellOSU) November 19, 2022

Sophomore Winston Watkins Jr. decommitted from Texas A&M the morning of the game and gave college programs an argument for why they should be the next school to offer him. The 5-foot-10 receiver, ranked No. 13 on the 247Sports composite, scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

2025 • 5 • @winstonwatkins_

Watkins with the late 4Q touchdown.

Watkins recently de-committed from Texas A&M and has reopened his commitment

Full Game Highlights
https://t.co/25dVqvW50N

https://t.co/owAGDxJ2wX pic.twitter.com/aiDZ1tAkWT

— SPOTLIGHT 39 (@Spotlight39_Pod) November 19, 2022

It was his tenth touchdown of the season, according to ScorebookLive.

One of the game’s most important plays came in the second quarter. Jordan Johnson-Rubell broke the game open with an interception near the five-yard line that he returned for a touchdown, giving the Ascenders cushion for the second half.

2024 • 4 • @jjrubell

Un-Committed

Jordan with the game changing pick 6!

Watch his break on the ball

Full Game Highlights
https://t.co/25dVqvW50N

https://t.co/owAGDxJ2wX pic.twitter.com/RgtCx7XjXj

— SPOTLIGHT 39 (@Spotlight39_Pod) November 19, 2022

Johnson-Rubell, ranked as a four-star safety and the No. 86 player on the composite, has 26 offers, per 247Sports.

The Athletic posted an intriguing recruitment article in March, headlined by Johnson-Rubell but more broadly about IMG’s college recruitment in general. While he plays in Florida, he could be considered a Texas high school prospect as well.

That’s meaningless to IMG fans, but for college fans paying attention to these games, it adds a different level of possibility for these players.

There were plenty of top-tiered recruits to pay attention to during this game. In the end, IMG’s stars got the upper hand on those from St. Frances Academy.

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High school football doesn’t have the luxury of college and the NFL in which the best teams go head-to-head in a defined championship game, so it falls on the media to fulfill the excruciating task of deciding which team is the best in the nation.

On occasion, it’s fairly straightforward. For example, when Mater Dei went 15-0 in 2017 with an offense led by JT Daniels and Amon-Ra St. Brown, all seven media outlets voted for the Monarchs; similarly, in 2021, when they went 12-0.

But most years, it’s a near-impossible task. Who can say with certainty that one elite team full of Division I talent would beat another elite team full of Division I talent? Who can even say with certainty that a rematch wouldn’t flip the script in a game between those teams?

This year, four teams had a case for the No. 1 spot in the country. USA TODAY High School Sports selected St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), as did the other six outlets that voted, but history should not show that this decision was made lightly.

The top four spots were:

No. 1 St. John Bosco (13-1)

No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) (14-1)

No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) (12-1)

No. 4 Central (Miami) (14-0)

After a workout in which a Texas high school football coach made players do 300 to 400 pushups in a period of an hour with no water breaks, multiple students were hospitalized, and the coach was placed on administrative leave, according to the Dallas Morning News.

A letter from the Rockwall-Heath principal obtained by the news outlet confirmed that head football coach John Harrell was placed on leave after the workout in the eighth-period athletic class he teaches. The letter stated that several students “needed medical attention, and in some cases, hospitalization.”

One parent who spoke to the news outlet said her son did 300 to 400 pushups, while two different parents said the number was more than 350.

Parents cited at least eight hospitalizations, including one to a kid who was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of damaged muscle that can lead to kidney damage or failure and other severe outcomes.

Harrell has been at Rockwall-Heath since 2019 and was promoted to head coach in January 2022. In his first season at the helm, the team went 7-5.

A suspect was arrested on Wednesday in relation to the shooting at an Oklahoma high school basketball arena following a game the night prior, KOCO News 5 reported.

Shots were fired both in the stadium and in the parking lot of the campus of Del City High School (Okla.) around 7:30 p.m. after the boys basketball game against Millwood (Oklahoma City, Okla), according to the outlet. The Oklahoman reported that two Del City on-duty officers and two more off-duty officers were working security at the game, and they evacuated the gym. As they did, more shots were fired in the parking lot.

One person was struck and taken to the hospital. KOCO News 5 reported that the victim was transported to the hospital in a private vehicle and was in stable condition as of Wednesday evening.

The suspect was an 18-year-old, according to the outlet. Police have not yet released the identity of the accused shooter because he has not been formally charged, according to the Oklahoman.

Del City High School officials released a statement:

“After the completion of the boy’s basketball game against Millwood High School, a fight occurred and gunshots were fired inside the field house. The Del City Police Department is onsite and investigating the incident. We have made the decision to shift to a virtual learning day for Wednesday, January 18. We will continue to update our families as more information becomes available.”

According to Fox 25, Millwood Public Schools has instituted a policy for the remainder of the season prohibiting minors not accompanied by an adult from attending any more home games. Millwood has three more home games this season.

USA TODAY High School Sports’ Super 25 boys basketball scoreboard returns from our friends at ScoreStream.

MORE: National Scoreboard

A basketball game between two California girls high school teams was suspended after a brawl broke out and at least one spectator got involved in the fracas.

With 2:13 left in the fourth quarter of a close game between cross-town Corona Santiago and Corona Centennial on Tuesday, players got tangled up after a pair of Santiago players attempted to trap a Centennial player with the ball.

A foul was called, and as the three players started to separate, one of the Santiago players shoved the Centennial player toward the stands. The two go off-screen on the video, but as they re-emerge, an apparent spectator enters the fray. It only takes a few seconds for the players to be split up, but the spectator continues to struggle while being dragged away from the players. A second apparent spectator was being corralled in the same direction, putting up less of a fight.

James Escarcega, the publisher of SGV/Whittier High School Sports Zone, tweeted a video of the incident:

Here is the video from the ugly fight that took place at Corona Centennial in their girls basketball game against Corona Santiago. Video is from NFHS Network. Game was not resumed. @latsondheimer @CalHiSports @Inland_Sports @CallMeEPJ @derryl_golfer pic.twitter.com/cpPF72b7eJ

— James Escarcega (@James_Escarcega) January 26, 2023

The incident is being investigated by the  Corona-Norco Unified School District and the Corona Police Department, according to the Press-Enterprise.

According to Scorebook Live, officials initially planned to finish the game without fans, but it was instead suspended. The Press-Enterprise reported on Friday that the game was ruled a no-contest.

At the time of game suspension, Santiago led Corona 73-71.

The district announced new safety measurements that will be implemented at upcoming events.

A football player at Dadeville High School was among four people killed in a shooting at a birthday party in Alabama, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.

Philstavious Dowdell, a senior at Dadeville who went by Phil, was a football player, track and field runner, and basketball player who had committed to Jacksonville State for football. Weeks away from graduating, he was among the shooting victims at a sweet 16 birthday party at a dance studio, according to the news outlet.

Four people were killed and 28 were injured, according to the Advertiser. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett did not identify the suspect to the news outlet but said the suspect is “no longer a threat to the community.”

Al.com reported that as many as 250 people were outside the hospital that held victims, waiting to hear updates.

The office of President Joe Biden released a statement about the shooting, reading in part:

“This morning, our nation is once again grieving for at least four Americans tragically killed at a teen’s birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama as well as two others killed last night in a crowded public park in Louisville. Jill and I are praying for their families and for the many others injured and fighting for their lives in the wake of this weekend’s gun violence.”

Read the full statement at the Montgomery Advertiser.

Dowdell’s grandmother, Annette Allen, spoke about her grandson with the Montgomery Advertiser.

“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” she said.

Dowdell played wide receiver and return man on special teams, helping the Tigers go 10-1 in his senior season. He played guard for the basketball team and competed in 100-meter and 200-meter races, winning several events at both distance over his high school career.

Dadeville High School will offer counseling on Monday, the Advertiser reported.

The school will offer counseling Monday for all students. Porter also asked that area clergy reach out to the families who have lost loved ones.

Jax State Football is heartbroken to have lost an upcoming member of our program.

Statement from Head Football Coach @RealCoachRod pic.twitter.com/3ta5nposOP

— Jax State Football (@JaxStateFB) April 16, 2023

Tee Morant, the father of Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant, appeared at the Up Next Elite Camp in New Orleans alongside Pelicans players to give some advice to the young basketball players in attendance.

Morant referenced Ja in his speech, which was posted to Twitter by Pelicans content manager Rel Myers. The audio is a little hard to hear, so the transcription might not be exact, but Morant emphasized being careful of the decisions being made:

“Make sure anytime y’all anywhere, know the capabilities of everybody around you,” he said. “My son didn’t get in trouble for the people around him. He got in trouble for his decisions.”

He advised to assume everybody “is looking at you” and that “everything is magnified.”

“My son didn’t get in trouble cause of people around him. He got in trouble because of his decisions.”

Tee Morant speaks to the attendees at the Up Next Elite Camp in New Orleans. One of the topics the kids asked about today was how to handle when people are talking about you. pic.twitter.com/DNtfLfmzBy

— REL (@relmyers) August 19, 2023

Myers also tweeted videos of players, including Elfrid Payton, an NBA veteran currently on a team in Puerto Rico, and Pelicans player CJ McCollum. McCollum said that work ethic is the key to separating yourself from the competition.

“You can control how hard you train and how hard you defend. You can also control how you prepare,” he said.

CJ with a few nuggets of knowledge. pic.twitter.com/BnyifNiVPI

— REL (@relmyers) August 19, 2023

Visit Myer’s page for a variety of videos from the youth basketball event, including a clip of a camper trying, with no avail, to get past the defensive pest of Jose Alvardo.

You know some of the campers wanted a shot at scoring on Jose pic.twitter.com/LIY5vAZ2pQ

— REL (@relmyers) August 19, 2023

Punches were thrown during a girls high school basketball game in Washington on Jan. 31, the second incident involving the Shelton High School athletic department over the last couple weeks.

During the game between Shelton and Aberdeen, two players were going after the ball when a scuffle ensued. The video of the incident appears to show the Aberdeen player reaching around the Shelton player’s neck to go for the ball, and the Shelton player reacted defensively and aggressively by tackling the opponent and throwing three punches before a teammate pulled her off. Local podcast The Scrimmage posted the video onto social media platform X:

This happened last night in an Aberdeen girls basketball win over Shelton.

We’re going to keep the names out of it (because they are high school kids), but the Shelton player was ejected, and the Aberdeen player was evaluated for injury and was able to return to the game. pic.twitter.com/gzXYCMJxGp

— The Scrimmage (@TheScrimmage) February 2, 2024

According to KIRO7, the Shelton player, who is 18 years old, was issued a criminal citation and will appear in front of a judge.

The player who was punched was evaluated for injury and able to return to the game, according to The Scrimmage. Aberdeen went on to win the game.

Just a day before, some parents at Shelton High School contacted KIRO7 about a different incident in which football players in a weight-lifting class took part in an “impromptu running drill.” Allegedly, the coach took student-athletes to the girls wrestling room to practice running the ball up the middle instead of taking it to the outside. In the drill, other students would tackle the person performing the drill, and there were allegedly no pads or helmets, parents who spoke to the outlet said.

Parents alleged that injuries included a concussion, a broken finger and a broken rib.

The police department told KIRO7 that it had not received any calls or reports about the incident.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The first four places in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25  remained the same this week, led by unbeaten No. 1 Pacifica.

The (13-0) Mariners stayed perfect for the season with a 13-0 romp over Valencia on Wednesday, and also defeated Crean Lutheran and El Modena in a 3-0 week. Katy (22-1-1), Jackson (5-0) and Northwest Rankin (12-0) combined to go 5-0 and keep pace in places 2-4.

After that, things got interesting with big moves and three poll newcomers joining the top 10.

Losses above them allowed one-loss Calvary Baptist (20-1) to surge six spots to fifth and highly-rated Austintown-Fitch, which opens its season Saturday against Lakeview, to move up to No. 6. Basha (14-1-1) stayed eighth after a 3-0-1 week that included a 10-0 rout of No. 18 Canyon Del Oro, just below new No. 7 Sterlington. The (21-0) Panthers have wins over last week’s fifth-ranked team, North DeSoto and debuting No. 20 St. Thomas More this season.

Unbeaten newcomers Antioch (4-0) and Diamond (7-0) round out the top 10. Antioch beat incoming No. 17 Lincoln-Way East on Saturday, while Diamond defeated then-No. 22 Mount Vernon twice in the last week, including 9-5 on Wednesday in the final of the two-day Mount Vernon Tournament.

Coral Springs Charter and West Stanly are tied for the 25th spot after losses dropped them four and eight places, respectively. Desert Mountain, Lake Creek, Mount Vernon and Norco all fell out of the poll this week.

State rankings submitted by the 2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – March 21, 2024

1. Pacifica (Calif.)

Record: 13-0 | PR: 1

2. Katy (Texas)

Record: 22-1-1 | PR: 2

3. Jackson (Wash.)

Record: 5-0 | PR: 3

4. Northwest Rankin (Miss.)

Record: 12-0 | PR: 4

5. Calvary Baptist (La.)

Record: 20-1 | PR: 11

6. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)

Record: 0-0 | PR: 7

7. Sterlington (La.)

Record: 21-0 | PR: NR

8. Basha (Ariz.)

Record: 14-1-1 | PR: 8

9. Antioch (Ill.)

Record: 4-0 | PR: NR

10. Diamond (Mo.)

Record: 7-0 | PR: NR

11. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)

Record: 1-0 | PR: 13

12. Rockridge (Ill.)

Record: 1-0 | PR: 14

13. Bingham (Utah)

Record: 7-0 | PR: 24

14. Red Mountain (Ariz.)

Record: 12-1 | PR: 15

15. Ballard (Ky.)

Record: 1-0 | PR: 19

16. Roncalli (Ind.)

Record: 0-0 | PR: 20

17. Lincoln-Way East (Ill.)

Record: 4-1 | PR: NR

18. Canyon Del Oro (Ariz.)

Record: 15-1 | PR: 18

19. Benton (Ark.)

Record: 4-1 | PR: 22

20. St. Thomas More (La.)

Record: 20-2 | PR: NR

21. North DeSoto (La.)

Record: 20-3 | PR: 5

22. Marist (Ill.)

Record: 2-1 | PR: 6

23. Lemont (Ill.)

Record: 1-1 | PR: 12

24. Neshoba Central (Miss.)

Record: 8-2 | PR: 16

t-25. Coral Springs Charter (Fla.)

Record: 7-2 | PR: 21

t-25. West Stanly (N.C.)

Record: 8-1 | PR: 17

Dropped out: Desert Mountain (Ariz.), Lake Creek (Texas), Mount Vernon (Mo.) and Norco (Calif.).

About the NFCA:

The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention. 

Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!

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