The Venice Indians had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30.8 points), and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They blew past Palmetto 51-16 at home. The result was nothing new for Venice, who have now won five contests by 21 points or more so far this season.
Venice was led to victory by Alvin Johnson iii and Jamarice Wilder. Johnson iii rushed for 87 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries, while Wilder rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. Wilder is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last four games he's played. Another big playmaker for Venice was Cj Lewis, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Several Tigers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Clayton Dees, who rushed for six yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 205 yards and a touchdown.
Venice's win was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 6-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.0 points per game. As for Palmetto, their loss dropped their record down to 4-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Venice's homestand continues as they prepare to take on IMG Academy White at 7:30 p.m. on October 27th. One thing working in IMG Academy White's favor is that they have now posted big point totals every time they've taken the field this season. As for Palmetto, they will look to defend their home field on Friday against Manatee at 7:00 p.m. Manatee presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Palmetto in Florida (Manatee is ranked 82nd, while Palmetto is ranked 204th).
