In a battle of two statewide powers, Venice hands Bishop Verot first loss in 71-56 slugfest

The last time Bishop Verot and Venice combined for 127 points in a game came on a basketball court.

January 5, 2018, saw the Vikings and Indians separated by just five points. Venice won that game 66-61.

More than six years later, their football programs were duking it out in a battle of schools that share the same message: It’s just different here.

In the end, it was Venice delivering the knockout blow once again. A late push from the Indians propelled Venice past the Vikings in a 71-56 decision in a game that was tied 56-all at the 4:27 mark of the fourth quarter.

“Where I am over the moon is proud of our guys even in the loss,” Bishop Verot coach Richie Rode said. “They played and gave us every ounce they had. They played as hard as they could. We have had some depth issues and guys playing both ways. These aren’t excuses, this is why I’m so proud of how hard they played. When you go play Venice, you know how physical it us, how up tempo it is, and we had to maximize.

“I told you in the paper we had to match them for four quarters. That was my biggest concern. I’m not concerned anymore. We matched them for four quarters. They came out on top. They have a winning tradition, and we’re still climbing, but I’ll go fight with those kids any day because of the effort they gave, being down 14 at half, was incredible.”

A three-and-out for the Vikings to start the game looked bleak, with Jayce Nixon connecting with Ryan Matulevich from 34 yards out to cap off a quick 56-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead.

Dwyer Camron a player for the Bishop Verot High School reacts after a sack of the quarterback during a game against Venice on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. Venice won the offensive slugfest.

And then, the offensive fireworks wouldn’t stop. The two sides would combine for a total of 18 touchdowns in the game, with…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/battle-two-statewide-powers-venice-065103640.html

Author : The News-Press

Publish date : 2024-09-07 06:51:03

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