American Heritage hangs with No. 2 IMG for a half before Ascenders wear down Patriots
Patrick Surtain had a concise message for his Plantation American Heritage players after their 35-15 preseason loss to Bradenton IMG Academy on Friday in Plantation.
“Nobody else is beating us this year,” the coach said while his team knelt in front of him at Heritage Field’s 20-yard line, then he said it again a few minutes later to a crowd of reporters at American Heritage School.
“Our kids fought, man,” Surtain added. “That’s all you can ask for.”
Even though it was only a kickoff classic, the Patriots’ meeting with IMG Academy came with national implications. IMG begins the season as the No. 2 team in the country, according to MaxPreps. American Heritage is No. 8. The winner potentially could have taken an inside track in the hunt for a mythical national championship.
National titles are what the Ascenders chase. They’re an independent program, filled with four-a and five-star recruits from all over the country, and play a national schedule. A High School Football National Championship would be a nice reward for the Patriots, but they’re just as concerned with winning a second straight state title in grueling Class 5A.
It’s why Surtain was glad to take a shot at IMG and give the Ascenders a chance to avenge their loss to American Heritage in 2015, when the Patriots became the first — and only — South Florida team to beat the perennial powerhouse.
“Obviously, that team is No. 1 or No. 2 in the country for a reason, but we’re really highly rated for a reason because we have a terrific football team,” Surtain said. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I told my kids walk out of there with your chin high. We’re going to be ready for next week. We’ve got a long season. This game is not going to deter us from reaching that ultimate goal.”
American Heritage began the game by forcing IMG to punt, then the Patriots did the same. The Ascenders struck quickly on their next drive when star running back Kaytron Allen, who’s orally committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions, ripped off a 54-yard run and later punched in a 1-yard touchdown. They eventually pushed the lead to 14-3 on a 30-yard touchdown run by star running back Stacy Gage before American Heritage cut the lead to 14-9 at halftime on a 4-yard touchdown by running back Mark Fletcher.
The star junior, who’s being courted by the Miami Hurricanes and Alabama Crimson Tide, ran for 49 yards in the first half before playing a more limited role in the second.
IMG opened up a three-score lead in the third quarter when Allen ran for another touchdown and star quarterback AJ Duffy, who’s committed to the Florida State Seminoles, threw a touchdown to star wide receiver Tate Carnell on fourth-and-goal from the Patriots’ 22-yard line.
“A play here, a play there in the fourth quarter, things could’ve turned, so we were in there,” Surtain said. “We hung in there.”
With more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, American Heritage even had a chance to cut the Ascenders’ lead to a single touchdown. Star wide receiver Brandon Inniss caught a touchdown from Blake Murphy with 9:11 to go after the quarterback pulled off a spectacular spin move to extend the play, then cornerback Damari Brown intercepted Duffy deep in IMG territory.
With American Heritage trailing 28-15, the Patriots took over at the 17-yard line, ran for no gain, threw two incomplete passes and finally took a sack on fourth-and-10 to end the threat.
The Ascenders — with an offensive line averaging 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, and more than 30 players ranked in the 247Sports.com composite rankings — ran out the clock to survive the upset bid.
“I’m glad we got this one out the way,” Surtain said, “because we ain’t going to face no more teams with a line like that.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 11:45 PM.
