Braden River football falls to Venice

It appeared, for a few minutes, that things would be different this year. 

Braden River High had chances to change their luck against Venice High, the team that beat the Pirates twice last season, including on the game's opening possession, when the offense marched down the field against the Indian defense — only to see senior running back Deshaun Fenwick fumble at the goal line. Venice recovered, and scored on the ensuing drive. 

The turnover forced the Pirates to play catch up, just like last year, and though they had a chance to win on the game's final possession, the gutsy effort was not enough. Venice walked off the field with a 41-35 victory. 

"We knew what they were going to do," Braden River coach Curt Bradley said. "It was a matter of stopping them. We got a couple stops in the second half to build momentum, but we didn't get off the field enough in the first half and gave up some points that we shouldn't have.

"They made more plays than we did, plain and simple."

Pirates junior quarterback Bryan Gagg did his best to lead a comeback, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Fenwick and sophomore tight end Travis Tobey. The Pirates also got a lift from junior running back Camaron White, who ran for 119 yards and a touchdown. 

Braden River had the ball with under a minute to go in the first half, with the game tied at 21, and chose to run the clock out instead of trying something deep. Venice received the ball to start the second half, and immediately scored on a pass from senior quarterback Bryce Carpenter to senior Jaivon Heiligh, both of whom are verbally committed to Coastal Carolina University. The Pirates couldn't answer, and the Indians scored again on a Carpenter run, making it 35-21 early in the third quarter. The game was on the verge of getting out of hand. 

The Pirates didn't quit. They battled, getting key defensive stops and eventually tying the game at 35 with about five minutes left in the game. Venice would score with two minutes to play, but the snap on the point-after attempt flew over the holder's head, making the Indian lead just six points.

With a chance to win the game, Gagg led the Pirates to the Indians' 15 yard line before two false start penalties and a personal foul penalty put the offense in a bind. With time running out, the Pirates were forced to try two heaves to the end zone. 

Both fell incomplete. 

"It was a good football game at the end of the day, and we came up six points short," Bradley said. "Everybody out here fought their tail off. Nobody has anything to hang their head about."

Bradley also called Carpenter the best quarterback he's had to coach against because of his abilities in both the running and passing game. 

Braden River next plays Palmetto High on Oct. 6, and the program will have to win that game to stay in good position for the playoffs.