No. 5 IMG Academy overcomes lapse to beat Winslow Township

OCEAN CITY, N.J. – Fresh off a 34-13 win over Hoover (Ala.) last week, No. 5 ranked IMG Academy continued their road stint to start the season at Carey Stadium versus Winslow Township. 

The Ascenders leaned on their opportunistic defense and timely offense to come away with a 35-14 win over a feisty Eagles club Thursday night at the Battle at the Beach Classic. For IMG Academy, this is the program’s third straight win of the season, also notching victories over The First Academy (Fla.) and Hoover (Ala.), respectively.

IMG Academy’s defense locked down in the second half 

It got a little squirrelly in the second quarter for the No. 5 team in the country as Winslow Township quarterback Jalen Parker was seemingly leading the team back to a potential tie game. 

The Ascenders (3-0) leaned on their defense to come up with stops and turnovers to turn momentum against the Eagles in the second half. All in all, IMG Academy’s secondary would end up picking off Parker three times on the night. 

A steady dosage of heavy blitzing one the latter two quarters paired with a power run game, led by Louisville commit Lekhy Thompsons (110 yards, touchdown), helped lift IMG Academy to another road win in a hostile environment. Sophomore star Eric McFarland also added 56 yards rushing on just two carries.

IMG Academy got a little disinterested after a big 21-point lead 

Can you fault IMG Academy for having a hard time remaining engaged in a game that seemed like it might be a rout? 

“I thought we were flat,” IMG Academy head coach Greg Studrawa said. “We had a spell. We started off really quick, and then when it got to that point, then we relaxed, and you know, any time we let up. Anytime there’s a letdown, that’s what happened. A good team like that came back, and then we had to regroup and start again. So we just can’t have those lapses.”

The Ascenders jumped all over the Eagles (0-1) for a 21-point lead and afterwards seemed to be somewhat content and maybe even a little disinterested at times. That’s when teams can pounce and attempt to make a comeback. 

It happened last year against Corner Canyon (Utah) and in the second quarter against Winslow Township, it certainly occurred once again. Though big leads have become a staple for the Ascenders, the teams they’re playing are going to be capable of making a comeback as well. 

Winslow Township’s Jalen Parker may be New Jersey’s best quarterback 

We know there’s other signal callers in the state with stars and what not, but just playing the position, Winslow Township’s Jalen Parker showed he should be acknowledged as one of the state’s best passers. 

Already coming off a season where he threw for over 2,000 yards and 43 touchdowns, how do you follow that up in your senior season? Parker showcased his ability to be a dual-threat against one of the country’s top high school football defenses. 

What was maybe the most impressive play of the night for Parker was just before halftime, the quarterback front flipped his way into the endzone for a touchdown. That might’ve been one of the more impressive plays of the season seeing that it happened against IMG Academy. 

Parker finished the game throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown on the night.