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Vero Beach football game vs. St. Frances Academy delayed by lightning
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- Vero Beach football game vs. St. Frances Academy delayed by lightning
Editor's Note: Vero Beach-St. Frances Academy received the all clear to resume play at 8:13 p.m. After a 10-minute warmup period, play resumed at 8:23 p.m.
The Florida high school football game between Vero Beach and St. Frances Academy (Maryland) is in an extended lightning delay.
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The delay began with 10:51 remaining in the first quarter. Vero Beach (2-0) won the coin toss and elected to received but went three and out on its first possession.
St. Frances Academy had the ball at the Vero Beach 46-yard at the start of the lightning delay. The bleachers were cleared of fans after the strikes.
The regular season game between Vero Beach and St. Frances Academy is available to stream on Amazon Prime through Flo Sports.
St. Frances Academy (1-0) is the first non-Florida team to play at the Citrus Bowl since at least 2004. The Baltimore, Maryland-based academy plays a national schedule and is currently ranked No. 2 overall in the United States according to MaxPreps.
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Vero Beach senior quarterback Wonderful "Champ" Monds IV is not playing in the highly anticipated matchup.
Monds, a four-star prospect and Notre Dame commit, was seen wearing a white shirt and black gym shorts with a sling on his left arm during pre-game warmups. He did not participate in any drills and stood behind his fellow quarterbacks holding a Gatorade towel.
Freshman Makai White, the younger brother of Florida State's Efrem White , was the starting quarterback on Vero's first drive. He threw two incompletions.
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
The bleachers are nearly full at the Citrus Bowl as fans watch Vero Beach take on Jensen Beach in the season opener on Aug. 21, 2026, in Vero Beach. Vero Beach won 34-0.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach football game vs. St. Frances Academy delayed by lightning
