After a string of three wins, The Venice Gondoliers''s good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 28-24 hit to the loss column at the hands of Palisades. Venice was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Palisades apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in October of 2022.
Despite the loss, Venice still got an impressive performance from Amir Smith, who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries, and also caught a touchdown. Smith was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 61 yards.
The team won by holding Venice to a paltry no rushing yards and no passing yards. A big part of that defensive dominance came down to Palisades' ability to keep the quarterback under pressure: the team laid him out four times before it was all said and done. Leading the way was Evan Nehrenberg and his 2.5 sacks.
Venice's loss was their fourth straight at home (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 5-5. As for Palisades, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season.
Venice will be playing in front of their home fans against Fairfax at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Palisades will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Gardena at 7:00 p.m. on November 9th. The last three games Gardena has played have been within five points, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
