Columbus Taken By Venice

     The two-time defending state champions, the Columbus Explorers were defeated by the Venice Indians 33-27 in a FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal game on Friday night in Venice. The championship reign for the Explorers ended while the Indians reached the state championship round for the third straight year. Venice will challenge Lake Mary next Saturday afternoon. 

     Columbus(9-4) opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Venice(13-1) answered back with three field goals by the end of the first and they took a 9-7 lead. 

     Both teams exchanged touchdowns in the early part of the second quarter. The Indians picked up their fourth field goal of the contest with under a minute left in the second for a 19-14 halftime lead. 

     The Explorers got a field goal with over one minute to go in the third and trailed 19-17. The Indians responded with a rushing touchdown with seconds remaining in the third and it gave them a 26-17 advantage. 

     It would come down to the final quarter. Columbus made a field goal at the eight-minute mark and trailed 26-20. Venice extended their lead to 33-20 when they reached the end zone on a touchdown run with three minutes left. The Explorers finished with a touchdown pass with one minute remaining and they were down 33-27.