IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME...

Chances are you're reading this by way of the Venice Indian Football website. So you have noticed our new and improved look. I could no longer stand idly by and not update all of our faithful followers, or casual browsers for much longer. However, in my defense it is that time of the year where I get reaquainted with a certain on again off again relationship. How I've longed for those long, hot nights with a pile of dirty laundry and a bottle of Tide. Listening to the soft hum of the washing machines as they wash away the remnants of what is hopefully a victorious evening.

Anyway, that brings me down to the important business. It is mid-October, yes it is still 90 degrees out, but we are in the autumn of the year. The extreme hot weather has not deterred our faithful Indians however. At the mid way point of the season we sit at 5-1, our only loss coming the first game of the year to Nationally ranked Oscar Smith High School out of Virginia.
Since then we have handily defeated Braden River, Booker, Riverview, Southeast, and North Port.

With steady improvement being made by our players week after week, our boys will take the field Friday night looking for a little redemption. Most of you remember the 2008 season coming to an abrupt end when the Charlotte Tarpons, a team we had defeated in the regular season, upset us at home to knock us out of the playoffs. You can tell that the intensity level has risen out on the practice field, as this years team is just chomping at the bit for a little payback. While Charlotte is no longer in our district, there is still a lot of hype surrounding this game. Venice vs. Charlotte has been a long time rivalry game, and over the past ten years there have been some good contests played. The game once again, will be aired live on CSS - Comcast Channel 28. Charlotte is ranked #3 in class 4A, and there are some that say they should be ranked #2 in all classifications behind St. Thomas Aquinas. Some also say that Charlotte has yet to be tested. They have been blowing out their competition week after week. In fact if you look at their opponents combined win-loss record, they are 11-23, playing only one team that has a better then .500 record.

Whatever the case might be Charlotte is a very good team, with speedster Mike Bellamy and third year quarterback Kyle Midgett leading the way. It promises to be another good game in a long line of tradition and history for these two teams.

The game will be played at 7:30 at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice. Expect there to be a large crowd Friday night, so if you plan on coming to the game get there early. You can also purchase your tickets in advance at Venice High Thursday and Friday from 1-2:30 in the front office.

ARCHER TAKES 2ND

Saturday May 9th was a pretty hot day, especially if you were heading inland. No where was this more true than at Winter Park High School, which played host to the Class 4A State Track Meet. However, it wasn't too hot for Venice's own Dri Archer as he captured the Silver Medal in the Boys 100 Meter Dash.

Dri ran a 10.61, while Dontarius Locke from Tampa Chamberlain, set a State record with a 10.32. Archer ran against some hefty competition in the final as he went up against not only Locke, who will be attending the University of Tennessee in the fall, but future Gator Andre Debose from Sanford Seminole and University of Michigan commit Denard Robinson from Deerfield Beach. Archer beat out Robinson by .01 seconds.

This was only the second year of running track for Archer, who took advantage of the training to help him increase his speed on the gridiron. Dri has recieved a full athletic scholarship to play for Kent State in the fall.