In a battle of state football 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.

SWFL Week 3 Roundup: Naples, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, East Lee, Cape Coral, Palmetto Ridge get wins

“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. On the ensuing drive, Jayce Nixon connected with Ryan Matulevich from 34 yards out, capping off a quick 56-yard drive to give Venice a 7-0 lead.

And then, the offensive fireworks wouldn’t stop. The two sides would combine for a total of 18 touchdowns in the game, with neither side wanting to give. There were seven ties in this one, but the Indians never trailed.

Sarasota and Manatee Week 3 Roundup: Booker, Mooney, Parrish, Lakewood Ranch, ODA, Southeast win

“Playing a team like Venice, I don’t think many gave us a chance,” Rode said. “With regard to the stupid article, saying, and hashtag and all that. What most people don’t know is that I’ve spoken to coach (John) Peacock over the years. We’ve watched good programs in the area, them being one of them. He opened up his practice to our staff and I our first year at Verot while they prepared for the state title game (in 2021). We got to watch them work firsthand. No question, he was awesome. To be able to play them and see what they do firsthand, now we can see if our kids can grow from that.”

Verot makes history in the right and wrong ways, while Venice has an unconventional 3-0 start

The Vikings posted 640 yards of total offense against Venice, which marks the most against a John Peacock-coached team in his 225 games leading the Indians dating back to 2007.

“I don’t think I’ve ever scored 56 and lost,” Rode said. “I don’t think many people have.”

On the other hand, Venice’s 71 points against the Vikings is a MaxPreps era record for the most offensive points against Verot in a game. Cocoa’s 64-0 win in 2016 was the prior record holder before the Indians scored 10 touchdowns.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever given up 71 points before,” Rode said. “I can honestly say we needed to do things that have to be done better.”

You might be hard pressed to find a team that’s 3-0 that’s allowed 138 points and 1,716 yards of total offense in their first three games, but Venice has come out on the right side of each of their first three matchups against Tampa Bay Tech, Northwestern, and Bishop Verot.

“We had a chance coming out of halftime to put them away, and had our worst two series,” Peacock said. “It’s almost like we were relaxed like, ‘OK we got this, we’re better than them.’  We relaxed and let them hang around. You see how close the game gets and how things happen when the ball bounces a certain way. A win is a win. We’ve got to celebrate all wins. They’re hard to come by.

“That’s a really good football team that’s going to go deep in the playoffs. Their quarterback is phenomenal. Their running back is phenomenal. They do a great job, and their coaching staff does a great job. That’s a good team, but we do have to learn how to put teams away.”

Jamarice Wilder, Dorien Irving-Jones continued to feast

If you weren’t sold prior to Friday night’s spectacle, Wilder and Irving-Jones might have proved they’re the most lethal running back tandem statewide. Irving-Jones ran for 207 yards on 19 attempts with four touchdowns, while Wilder ran for 125 yards on 14 tries with three rushing touchdowns. Wilder added a 66-yard kickoff return touchdown for the Indians to take a 21-14 lead midway through the second quarter.

Wilder and Irving-Jones muscled their way for extra yardage when getting to the second level, as the Vikings had trouble containing the two for much of the second half. Venice converted a third-and-25 on a running back wheel to Irving-Jones, which eventually set up Wilder for a 34-yard touchdown run to take a 42-35 lead in the third quarter.

“We’ve got two really good running backs,” Peacock said. “They’re talented as heck. Gata was under the weather a little bit tonight, so we were fighting that.”

Carter Smith answered the call

The knock on the Michigan commit was that he hadn’t yet put together a solid performance against a strong statewide power during his prep career, but he changed that perception Friday night against a team ranked second statewide in the On3 Massey Ratings, only behind IMG Academy.

Smith completed 17-of-35 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, adding 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Five of his incompletions were on target, but his receivers were unable to come away with receptions.

“He’s the best player I’ve ever coached,” Rode said. “He’s a leader. He played his guts out. I’m glad he’s ours. I’m glad he’s on our side. I’m glad I don’t have to defend against him. We do enough of that in practice and he makes it difficult on the defense. He’s fun to watch.

You get into these games and you’re so locked in. Every so often I try and take a step back and just watch him play. Guys like him and quarterbacks like him don’t come around very often. He’s going to Michigan for a reason. It’s why he has the Lee County touchdown record that may never be broken.

Deshon Jenkins makes a legitimate case to Power Four programs

One bright spot for Verot’s offense has been the running of Deshon Jenkins, who put together back-to-back 100-plus yard efforts, and his third in four games dating back to Week 0 against St. Thomas Aquinas.

Throughout the night, Jenkins continued to bully would-be Venice tacklers, extending runs and giving the Vikings a fighting chance throughout. The junior also split time at nose tackle, playing upwards of 75 percent of Verot’s defensive snaps. He finished with 179 yards on 17 attempts and two scores, as he continues to average a first down per touch through three games this season.

“If he doesn’t have every Power Four in the country calling him tomorrow, they’re crazy,” Rode said. “The guy played 75 percent of our defensive snaps, he was a terror on defense, and he then ran the ball. He’s playing against Jesuit, Tampa Catholic, and Venice, and he’s putting up the numbers he’s putting up. He’s an incredible worker. He had two great successful years, and this summer, he said it’s not enough. I need to be in better shape, I need to be stronger, I need to take myself and my game to the next level, and he did that. Now, he’s benefitting and you’re seeing the fruits of that labor. It’s awesome to see because he’s an incredible kid. He’s a fun, loving kid. He enjoys what he does. He loves his teammates like they’re his brothers.

“You talk about talent, he’s got speed, he’s got quickness, he’s got agility. His lateral movement is incredible. He’s just got the sheer will to play the amount of snaps. He was Travis Hunter tonight at 225 pounds. The amount of snaps he played in a tempo vs. tempo offense was nuts. I have no idea how many plays we ran tonight between the two of us, but it’s probably well over 200. For him to be able to play the majority of those is incredible. His will, his mental strength, he’s a stud. He played linebacker, he played nose, he played running back tonight.”

Relatively quiet offensive night, homecoming for Winston Watkins

The 4-star wide receiver’s impact was felt more on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a pair of fumbles – one of Smith at the Venice 10-yard line right before halftime, and another of Bryce Schell in the waning moments of the game up two scores.

Watkins had 12 offensive touches for 74 yards with a garbage time touchdown to give Venice a 71-56 lead with 1:19 remaining, but Marquis Young, James Little IV, and the Verot secondary did a solid job of keeping Watkins in front of them, limiting his big play ability to minimal gains except one 25-yard catch.

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin . For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: In a battle of state football powers, Venice hands Bishop Verot first loss in 71-56 slugfest