Riverview Sarasota hasn't had much luck against Venice recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Rams will square off against the Indians at 7:30 p.m. One thing working in Riverview Sarasota's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last six contests.
Riverview Sarasota is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing IMG Academy Junior National: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Rams blew the Ascenders out of the water with a 54-14 final score. The Rams might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 31 points or more this season.
Isaiah Belt produced another solid performance rushing for 100 yards and two TDs on only six carries. He got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 58 yards. Parker Nippert was another key player, rushing for 33 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Riverview Sarasota was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 319 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 167 rushing yards in six consecutive contests.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Riverview Sarasota's defense and their seven sacks. Leading the way was Miles Przekwas with four.
Meanwhile, Venice came up short against IMG Academy on Friday and fell 27-14. While losing is never fun, the Indians can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida football rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Ascenders are ranked first).
Riverview Sarasota will have to keep a close watch on Darryon Jones and Tyree Mannings, a pair of players who had a big impact on Venice's prior game. Jones threw for 204 yards and one TD, while Mannings picked up 138 receiving yards. Mannings has become a key player for Venice: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 100 receiving yards, but 1-2 otherwise.
Riverview Sarasota pushed their record up to 6-0-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.6 points over those games. As for Venice, their loss dropped their record down to 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Riverview Sarasota has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 293.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Venice struggles in that department as they've been averaging 174.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Riverview Sarasota was taken down by Venice 42-8 in their previous meeting back in November of 2024. Thankfully for the Rams, Gata Wilder (who rushed for 128 yards and three scores on only ten carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
