Hurricane Florence Cancels SJC vs. IMG Football Match

This Saturday’s highly anticipated game between St. John’s varsity football team and IMG Academy (FL) has been postponed indefinitely. Due to the state of emergency Maryland declared on Sept. 10, IMG cannot fly to Washington for the game.

According to St. John’s official announcement, both schools are looking to reschedule later this season. The game would not affect St. John’s WCAC rankings or playoff position.

This game would likely have been one of St John’s toughest match-ups, as IMG is currently ranked #1 in the country by USA TODAY. However, coming off of a dramatic five-overtime win last Saturday against then #11 Miami Central (FL), St. John’s (#6) was thought by many to have a legitimate chance to defeat the top team in the nation.

The St. John’s soccer tournament and cross country race scheduled for this weekend are also at risk of being cancelled. No announcement has been made at this time.

“We were looking forward to playing them this weekend, but unfortunately we can’t,” said sophomore lineman Taizse Johnson. When asked if he thought St. John’s would have won, he said, “Well, of course…I think we got a lot of good guys on the team, so I think we all would’ve come together and beat IMG.”

Hurricane Florence, currently listed as a Category 2 storm, is expected to make landfall along the southeastern seaboard later this week, although its effect on Maryland and the DC area is unclear. Ironically enough, St. John’s road game last year against then #2 IMG was canceled due to Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 hurricane.