Riverview football falls to Venice

It's never easy to defeat the defending state champions. 

Just ask the Riverview High football team. 

The Rams (1-1) fell 19-2 to Venice High (1-1) Friday night at the Ram Bowl. In a game that saw puddles of mud change the color of both team's jerseys, the Rams' offense failed to find solid footing. Riverview had two drives enter the Indians' red zone and came up empty in both. The Rams relied heavily on senior running back Ali Boyce and sophomore running back Michael "Poodah" Hayes, and the duo did what they could, but the lack of a consistent passing game allowed Venice to key on the ground game. The pair combined for 97 yards.

The team's only points of the night came on a Venice snap that flew over the head of Indians punter Zack Sessa and through the back of the end zone for a safety. 

Defensively, the Rams held strong against the Indians' attack. Venice's first score, an 11-yard run from Brandon Gregory, came after two fourth-down conversions — one of which was courtesy of a Rams penalty.

Gregory would add another goal-line touchdown in the game's waning minutes. It followed a Hayes fumble, which followed a Venice fumble the previous play. The swamp-like field conditions caused sloppiness, like bad snaps, but each team had just one turnover. 

"You can't play a good team and hurt yourself also," Riverview coach Josh Smithers said postgame. "Our offense just couldn't finish drives. There were too many bad penalties, and we have to do a better job as coaches of putting our kids in good positions (to succeed)."

Riverview will next hit the road for a game against Palmetto High (1-1) on Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m.