The St. James Academy (Va.) stuns The First Academy (Fla.) with second-half comeback

A third-quarter touchdown saw The First Academy (Fla.) extend its lead over The St. James Academy (Va.) to 40-16. Things looked bleak for the No. 1 team in Virginia, which made its way to Orlando for the interstate clash on Friday night.

Somehow, some way, the Strivers stormed all the way back with four second-half scores. The final score read 41-40 in favor of the visitors.

A long touchdown pass with just over a minute to go in regulation saw St. James take its first and only lead of the evening, which it of course would hang onto:

The First Academy, which entered as the No. 24 team in Florida per the Massey Ratings, raced out to a 24-0 lead. The final few minutes of the first half finally saw St. James get going as it managed to score twice before the break. The Royals took a 31-16 lead to the locker room.

A field goal and a score in the third saw the lead grow to 40-16. The incredible comeback from the Strivers ensued from there.

Now 5-0, St. James continues to challenge top prep programs in its first year of play. It now has notable wins over Good Counsel (No. 5 in Md.), Hun School (No. 4 in N.J.) and now The First Academy. The Royals, now 4-5, have played an incredibly tough schedule this season, also taking on a slew of top interstate foes.

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