Venice's Winning Streak Comes to a Halt with Loss to IMG

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Venice drops to 3-3 in loss to IMG

Still hoping to escape mediocrity!

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