3 takeaways from Venice defeating Lake Mary for the Class 7A state championship

The Indians used a dominant first half effort en route to the program's fourth state crown

Robson Lopes

MIAMI, FLORIDA- Venice wanted no part of pulling off a 3-peat of state championship losses and they silenced any naysayer Saturday afternoon at Pitbull Stadium.

After falling to Lakeland back-to-back years in the Class 4S title games, John Peacock's bunch made sure they brought home the gold to the 941.

Behind one of the state's most potent offenses all season long, Venice rushed out to a 31-6 first half lead and never looked back, defeating Lake Mary 52-19 for the Class 7A state championship.

High School On SI gives you three takeaways from the 7A state championship game between the Indians and Rams:

1. Last five minutes of the first half blew the game wide open for Venice

Robson Lopes

What was a 7-6 game in favor of Venice quickly turned into a 31-6 lead heading into halftime for the Indians. A series of big plays turned the game on its proverbial head as the final five minutes before intermission is what changed a close contest to a full on blowout. After a 37-yard touchdown pass from Jayce Nixon (18-of-30, 172 yards) to Malakai Corbett, Ole Miss signee Winston Watkins (106 all-purpose yards) followed it up after a Lake Mary punt to a 60-yard return for a score. Just like that, Venice was ahead 21-6 and that was with 2:31 remaning until hal. Field goal kicker Brunno Reus added a 39-yard kick and running back Jamarice Wilder (19 carries, 178 yards, three touchdowns) scored on a 19-yard run. From there, the Indians controlled the game, having a large lead in hand.

2. Rain, wind played a factor to Lary Mary's effectiveness on offense along with no Isaiah Thomas

Robson Lopes

It's no secret that the Rams like to throw the ball with Notre Dame commitment Noah Grubbs, but not in adverse weather conditions. That's what Scott Perry and his staff had to try and figure out. Oh, and not having starting running back Isaiah Thomas in the backfield throughout the afternoon. Grubbs (18-of-42, 241 yards, three touchdowns) started off the game 0-of-5 passing with an interception and just never looked comfortable under duress against Venice's pass rush. Lake Mary playing against the conditions certainly didn't help things combined with the absence of Thomas equaled a bad day for the Rams' offense.

3. Venice's tough regular season schedule played a major role en route to the program's fourth title

Robson Lopes

It's not hard to see why Venice ended up running away with the contest if you took a deeper look at who the Indians have played this season. With teams like Cocoa (Class 2A champion), Miami Northwestern (Class 3A finalist), Clearwater Central Catholic (Class 1A runnerup) and IMG Academy national the notable clubsdotted along the scheduled, Venice had one of the toughest roads to a state championship. The Indians also faced Naples (Class 3A state semifinalist) and Gadsden County (Class 2A runnerup) between the spring and preseason, we'd say Peacock loaded this schedule up aiming for it to help take them to the state championship promise land.

FHSAA 2024 1A-7A PREDICTIONS/PREVIEWS

2024 FHSAA high football state championship projections

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 2A state championship

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 3A state championship

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 4A state championship

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 5A state championship

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 6A state championship

Predicting the winner of the 2024 Florida high school football 7A state championship

FHSAA 2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKETS

2024 CLASS 7A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 4A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

2024 CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi