Vero Beach (Fla.) is hoping to pull off a massive upset on Friday night with national prep powerhouse St. Frances Academy (Md.), the No. 2 team in the Rivals Composite Rankings, in town for an early-season clash.
The Fighting Indians will have to do it without their star senior quarterback, Champ Monds . The four-star Notre Dame commit's non-throwing arm is in a sling, according to Rivals' Andy Villamarzo. He did not participate in warmups and will not play vs. the Panthers.
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Monds has been electric through the first two games of the season. In a 45-30 win over Atlantic last week, he totaled six touchdowns, throwing for 396 yards and four scores while rushing for 45 yards and two more TDs on the ground.
Vero Beach (2-0) enters this week as the No. 16 team in Florida, according to the Rivals Composite Rankings . Slaying the dragon that is St. Frances Academy becomes a far mightier task now that Monds is on the sidelines.
The Panthers opened their high-profile 2026 campaign in the Sunshine State last week, surviving an upset bid in a 49-35 win at DeLand . SFA's roster features more than 20 ranked prospects, including seven blue-chippers.
On Tuesday, Villamarzo tabbed this matchup as one of the high school football games of the week . He predicted a 42-24 victory for the visiting Panthers. The game certainly has a much different feel without Monds.
"Depending what side of the fence you're on for this one, this could either be a thriller or it turns into a rout. With No. 2 nationally ranked St. Frances Academy coming off a scare against DeLand, coming away with a 49-35 win, the Panthers could be on upset alert playing up against Fighting Indians' squad that features Notre Dame four-star quarterback commit Champ 'Wonderful' Monds behind center. We have a feeling this could be a really good one."
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