Venice drops to 3-3 in loss to IMG

Powell Davis Stadium was loud and restless all night, but the start belonged to visiting IMG. After Venice drove inside the 15 on its opening series, a 32-yard field goal was blocked, flipping the tone.

Moments later, the Ascenders struck first: sophomore QB Jayden Wade slipped a screen to Eric McFarland, who knifed through traffic for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7–0 lead.

Venice’s defense kept the game within reach. Early in the second quarter, the Indians pounced on a strip-sack at their own 20, then forced a punt. But IMG found daylight before halftime when running back Tyson Park took a draw 12 yards to the end zone. The PAT was blocked, and the visitors carried a 13–0 edge into the locker room. 

The third quarter was a grind until Venice cornerback Micha Hayes flipped momentum with a contested interception near his 25. The Indians pushed into plus territory but stalled—and that miss proved costly. With 1:41 left in the period, Wade dumped a short pass to McFarland, who broke a high hit and seven tackles on a breathtaking 44-yard catch-and-run for 20–0.

Early in the fourth, McFarland did it again—another short ball, another tackle-shedding sprint, this time 43 yards to make it 27–0. Venice finally broke through behind senior quarterback Darryon Jones: first a 2-yard strike to Miami commit Asharri “Bam” Charles with 6:01 left, then a 25-yard keeper in the final 30 seconds.

The rally energized the home crowd, but there wasn’t enough clock to close the gap. Final: IMG 27, Venice 14.

The loss drops Venice to 3–3, while IMG improves to 6–0 in what has been a dominant season—this was actually the fewest points the Ascenders have scored in a win so far. 

For Venice, the three losses have been against non-conference teams, all tough opponents.  They remain undefeated in their Conference (7A-8). 

Next week, the Indians face their district rival, looking to rebound after a tough home loss looking to turn last night’s fourth-quarter spark into four full quarters