COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 90 IMG Academy Junior National Ascenders — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

IMG Academy Junior National does not operate under the same spotlight as IMG’s national team, but its assignment is hardly developmental window dressing. Four opponents won at least eight games last season, three open weeks break up the schedule and a newly created out-of-state program brings no previous results into the equation. There is talent here. There are also more unanswered questions than IMG usually carries into August.

IMG ACADEMY JUNIOR NATIONAL ASCENDERS (BRADENTON)

Head Coach: Jeff Pond District: Independent 2024 Record: 9-3 2025 Record: 6-4 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 60.98 2025 Final State Rank: No. 102 2026 Preseason Rating: 62.16 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 90 2026 Class Rank: No. 2 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: SSIA Championship Game

The 2025 Ascenders produced more than 300 yards of offense per game, threw 27 touchdown passes and added 19 rushing scores. That production came with a price entering 2026. The leading rusher, leading receiver and most productive pass rushers are gone, leaving a returning group that must move from complementary roles into season-defining ones. Development is part of IMG’s identity. This season will test how quickly that development becomes dependable Friday-night production.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 44.91 Opponent 2025 Record 47-29-1 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage 61.4% Hardest Opponent Palmetto District Games 0

The overall average looks manageable, but it is dragged down by three opponents rated below 33.00. The real schedule lives at the top, where Palmetto, Parrish Community, Riverview and Community School all carry preseason ratings above 60.00. IMG will not be judged by the average. It will be judged by how often it can win above that line.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:00 PM Zarephath Academy (Jacksonville) 4-8 No. 329 | No. 8 (IND) 32.61 2 8/28 7:00 PM Riverview (Sarasota) 9-2-1 No. 93 | No. 14 (6A) 61.41 3 9/4 7:00 PM Community School (Naples) 8-3 No. 103 | No. 12 (1A) 60.25 4 9/11 7:00 PM @ Palmetto 10-2 No. 55 | No. 18 (5A) 69.60 5 9/18 — BYE — — — 6 9/24 — BYE — — — 7 10/3 7:00 PM St. James Performance Academy "B" (VA) 0-0 — 40.00 8 10/9 — BYE — — — 9 10/16 7:00 PM @ Parrish Community 9-2 No. 91 | No. 24 (5A) 61.96 10 10/23 7:00 PM SmartEn Sports Academy (Miami) 2-5 No. 505 | No. 22 (IND) 8.18 11 10/30 7:00 PM @ Bayshore (Bradenton) 5-7 No. 390 | No. 47 (3A) 25.27

*District game

IMG Academy Junior National’s schedule outlook carries greater uncertainty than most. St. James Performance Academy’s newly created “B” team has no prior results and has been assigned a provisional preseason value within the FPRI. That opponent should influence schedule strength conservatively. It should not erase the two years of information already attached to IMG Junior National itself.

KEY LOSSES

The largest offensive departure is Savyan Alteon Senat, who rushed for 986 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding 130 receiving yards and another score. He handled 140 of IMG’s 222 rushing attempts and accounted for 1,116 total yards. That is not merely lost production. It is an entire offensive identity walking out the door.

Deno Dalacas leaves another major hole after catching 40 passes for 855 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 21.4 yards per reception stretched defenses in a way that opened space for everyone else. Vahn Arzoumanian and Nate Fom also combined for 577 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, further reducing the experienced production around whichever quarterback wins the job.

The defensive losses are just as severe. Brady Golden recorded eight sacks and 12 quarterback hurries, Perrin Barreca added seven sacks and Noah Kacimi produced 5.5. Together, that trio accounted for 20.5 of IMG’s 28 sacks. Kaiden Brewer also departs after leading the team with 94 tackles. The defense is not replacing one standout. It is replacing the heart of its pressure package and its most active tackler.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Cayden Gould RB/WR Sophomore 174 rushing yards, 204 receiving yards, 430 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in seven games Massimo Piattelli MLB Senior 57 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and two fumble recoveries Harvier Houston-DeLaCruz FS Senior 43 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and one forced fumble Elijah Hamm FS/SS Senior 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and three forced fumbles Alex Perry CB Senior 14 tackles and one pass breakup in eight games Ty Plummer TE/DE Senior 13 receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown Jack Schwartz SS/CB Junior Returning defensive back positioned for an expanded role Hayden Gaulding C/T Senior Returning 6-foot-6, 287-pound offensive lineman with interior and tackle flexibility

Gould is the clearest returning offensive building block because he has already produced as a runner, receiver and returner. Piattelli and Houston-DeLaCruz give the defense proven production through the middle and on the back end. The next step is not finding talent. IMG has talent. The next step is identifying which returning players can carry a full-season workload.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The defining stretch arrives before the calendar reaches mid-September. Riverview, Community School and Palmetto come in consecutive weeks, and all three carry preseason ratings above 60.00. They combined to finish 27-7-1 last season. IMG will receive a three-week answer to nearly every meaningful preseason question.

Gould will be central to that test. Without Senat’s volume, the Ascenders need him to create efficient touches as a runner and receiver without asking him to replace the entire offense by himself. The defense faces an even steeper assignment. Piattelli, Houston-DeLaCruz and Hamm must stabilize a unit replacing nearly three-quarters of its sack production.

The pass rush is the pressure point. IMG cannot reasonably expect one returning defender to duplicate what Golden, Barreca and Kacimi produced together. It will require a coordinated answer involving linebackers, defensive backs and whichever linemen emerge from the shared roster.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Palmetto Week 4/Away 10-2 No. 55 | No. 18 (5A) 69.60 6A Regional Semifinalist Parrish Community Week 9/Away 9-2 No. 91 | No. 24 (5A) 61.96 Missed postseason

Palmetto is the most demanding opponent on the schedule and the final game of the opening gauntlet. Parrish Community is the late-season measuring stick, arriving after IMG plays only once during the previous five weeks.

THE BOTTOM LINE: IMG’s season will be shaped by whether Gould can provide offensive balance and whether a rebuilt front can generate enough pressure to protect an experienced secondary. The opening month offers no place to hide either issue.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule is front-loaded, fragmented and more difficult to evaluate than the raw average suggests. IMG gets one lower-rated opener before facing three consecutive opponents ranked inside the state’s top 103. Then the rhythm disappears through two byes, one game and another bye.

That spacing can help a developing roster. It can also create rust. The Ascenders must use those open weeks to solve problems rather than simply recover from them.

The quarterback position remains the most important developmental question. The shared IMG roster lists multiple quarterbacks but does not clearly establish which players belong to Junior National or who will direct the offense. Until that separation is confirmed, the job should be treated as an open competition rather than assigned to an unproven starter.

There is enough support around the eventual quarterback to make the offense functional. Gould can manufacture touches in several ways. Plummer provides a returning target at tight end, while Gaulding gives the offensive line a large and versatile piece. The quarterback does not need to become the entire offense. He needs to keep it on schedule.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule gives IMG an early examination and a long midseason development window. The Ascenders cannot afford to emerge from those open weeks with the same questions they carried into them.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

Community School and Parrish Community are the swing games. Both won at least eight games last season, both carry ratings above 60.00 and both sit close enough to IMG in the preseason order to provide an honest comparison.

Community School comes during the opening three-game grind. That matchup will test whether IMG can respond quickly after facing Riverview and still have enough composure left for Palmetto one week later. It is the kind of game that exposes a roster that is talented but not yet connected.

Parrish Community presents the opposite challenge. IMG will have played only once in the previous five weeks, making sharpness as important as health. The Ascenders should be rested. They also must prove they have not lost their edge.

Those two games will place the returning defensive core under particular scrutiny. Piattelli has produced against the run. Houston-DeLaCruz and Hamm have created turnovers. Perry brings experience at corner. What remains unknown is whether those players can hold the defense together when the front cannot reach the quarterback on its own.

Gould and Plummer will face their own test. Community School will show whether the offense can remain balanced during a difficult stretch. Parrish Community will reveal whether the passing game has matured during the long break.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Splitting the two swing games keeps IMG on course for a solid year. Winning both would show that the Ascenders have developed answers rather than merely survived their roster turnover.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

IMG Academy Junior National is considered Independent for district purposes, but its postseason path is through the Sunshine State Independent Association. The SSIA is separate from the FHSAA state series and should not be confused with the Sunshine State Athletic Association.

There is no district championship or FHSAA wildcard calculation attached to this schedule. IMG’s objective is to position itself for another SSIA postseason opportunity through its overall record and performance within that independent structure.

The 2025 Ascenders reached the SSIA championship game, establishing a clear internal standard for this group. Returning to that stage will require more than handling the schedule’s lowest-rated opponents. Games against Palmetto, Riverview, Community School and Parrish Community will provide the strongest evidence of whether IMG remains capable of making another deep SSIA run.

The postseason path will be tied directly to the players assuming larger roles. Gould must help replace the offense’s lost rushing and receiving production. Piattelli, Houston-DeLaCruz and Hamm must lead a defense that no longer has its established pass-rushing core. Whatever quarterback emerges must protect the football and allow those veteran pieces to matter.

THE BOTTOM LINE: IMG’s target is another SSIA postseason run, not an FHSAA playoff berth. The Ascenders reached the association’s championship game last season; returning will depend on whether their younger core becomes reliable before the schedule’s hardest games are gone.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 7/10

The top half of the schedule is demanding, while the shared roster and provisional St. James Performance Academy rating create more uncertainty than usual. A 6-2 regular-season finish is realistic if IMG identifies a dependable quarterback, makes Gould the centerpiece of the offense and rebuilds its pass rush; inconsistency in those areas could lower the ceiling to 4-4.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 90 IMG Academy Junior National Ascenders — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

The Ascenders have enough returning production to remain dangerous, but a rebuilt pass rush, an unsettled quarterback picture and an unusually uncertain schedule will determine whether another SSIA postseason run is realistic.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 90 IMG Academy Junior National Ascenders — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

The Ascenders have enough returning production to remain dangerous, but a rebuilt pass rush, an unsettled quarterback picture and an unusually uncertain schedule will determine whether another SSIA postseason run is realistic.

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