Football Recap: Venice Falls Short Against Ranked the First Academy

Venice faced The First Academy in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Indians took a 21-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Royals. While the Indians had to settle for second, they closed the game well in the third quarter, where they outscored the Royals 7-0.

Despite the loss, Venice had strong showings from Tyree Mannings, who picked up 93 receiving yards and one TD, and Darryon Jones, who rushed for 42 yards and one score.

Asharri 'BAM' Charles

Total Tackles

09/05/25 vs Bishop Verot	8
09/12/25 vs Port Charlotte	13
08/22/25 @ Tampa Bay Tech	17
09/19/25 vs The First Academy	19

Even if they lost, Venice's defense still kept up the pressure with five sacks. In that department, Asharri 'BAM' Charles was the leader with 3.5. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with 19. Another thorn in The First Academy's side was Talon Letts, who picked up a sack and made 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Demetrice McCray went supernova For The First Academy., picking up 140 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also rushing for 87 yards on only nine carries. That's the most receiving yards McCray has posted since back in October of 2024.

Venice's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-2. As for The First Academy, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 3-2.

Venice wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next game, a 51-0 win against Lehigh on the 26th. As for The First Academy, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 45-14 victory against Gadsden County on the 26th.