The stakes just got higher for the Ben Davis football program. And that’s fine with coach Jason Simmons.

“I have a good friend on their coaching staff that reached out about playing them in Indiana,” Simmons said of the announcement that Ben Davis will host IMG Academy from Bradenton, Fla., in football this coming season. “We met as a coaching staff and athletic department and thought it was a great opportunity for our program.”

IMG Academy finished No. 5 in national rankings this past season. They were the national champions in 2020 and have sent more than 200 players to Division I college programs in the past 10 years. The game at Ben Davis, which is scheduled for Sept. 8, will be their first visit to Indiana. It also gives Ben Davis six home games this coming season.

“It is an honor to represent Indiana on a national stage,” Simmons said. “We are excited to be the first Indiana program to host a school from Florida and represent our state. I feel we have the opportunity to draw more interest to Indiana football and open the door for more schools to host out of state teams. There are great programs in Indiana that can hold their own on the national stage. ”

IMG replaces Center Grove on the 2023 schedule. The contract with IMG is a one-year deal.

Ben Davis will play two national powers in the fall.  In addition to IMG, the Giants travel to Cincinnati Moeller to open the season on August 18. Moeller replaces Brownsburg on the schedule and the Giants have a two-year deal with Moeller.

“The IHSAA recently changed their by-law to allow member schools to participate in contests vs teams outside of the 300 mile rule as long as the contest took place within 300 miles of the nearest border,” Simmons said. “IMG’s willingness to travel to Indianapolis is giving us the opportunity to play this game.”

2023 football
August 18 – @ Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller
August 25 – vs. Avon
September 1 – vs Pike
September 8 – vs IMG Academy
September 15 – vs Warren Central
September 22 – @ Lawrence North
September 29 – vs Carmel
October 6 – @ Lawrence Central
October 13 – vs North Central