IMG Academy football runs away from Bergen Catholic with big second half

OCEAN CITY, N.J. − IMG Academy senior quarterback Ty Hawkins ran for three scores and threw for another as the Ascenders toppled Bergen Catholic on Thursday night in the showcase game of the Battle at the Beach down the Jersey Shore.

The Ascenders, ranked No. 9 in the latest USA Today Super 25 , were coming off a last-second loss to Corner Canyon (Utah), and were knotted with the Crusaders, 7-7, midway through the third quarter when Hawkins took over with his feet and arm.

Hawkins, who has committed to SMU, ripped through the Crusaders' defense on a 51-yard touchdown run with 7:14 left in the third quarter to put the Ascenders up 14-7. On the next IMG drive, he fired a strike to Eric McFarland on a slant and McFarland raced 45 yards for a score to make it 20-7. The PAT was missed in the windy conditions.

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Hawkins added a two-yard TD run on the second play of the fourth quarter to make it 27-7.

IMG led 7-0 after a sloppy first half. Hawkins had the lone touchdown on a two-yard run on the Ascenders first drive.

Bergen Catholic, ranked No. 19 in the USA TODAY Super 25 and No. 1 in the New Jersey Super 25 , attempted a 56-yard field goal on the last play of the first half but Guytano Bartolomeo's kick hit off the crossbar.

The Crusaders drew even on the second play of the first half when quarterback Dominic Campanile connected with Quincy Porter on a short bubble screen and Porter raced through the IMG defense 85 yards for a score. That touchdown energized the pro-Bergen Catholic crowd, but the Crusaders were unable to maintain the momentum.

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick watched the game from a spot in the press box but appeared to leave early in the third quarter.

IMG will face Cocoa back in Florida next week, while Bergen Catholic travels to Ohio to face Massillon, ranked No. 17 in the USA TODAY Super 25.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: IMG Academy football runs away from Bergen Catholic with big second half