Cardinal Gibbons Defeats Venice

     The defending FHSAA Class 4A state champion Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs slipped by the Venice Indians 28-22 at Powell-Davis Stadium in Venice on Saturday. It was the first meeting ever between both schools. The Indians snapped a seven-game winning streak and had not lost a game since the FHSAA Class 7A regional final contest against St. Thomas Aquinas last year. 

     In the first quarter, Cardinal Gibbons(6-2) went up 7-0 with 3:29 to go. Running back Kamari Moulton rushed in from 23 yards away. 

     Venice(7-1) tied it 7-7 at 4:14 of the second quarter. Quarterback Ryan Browne connected a 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Omari Hayes in the middle of the field. 

     The Chiefs regained the lead 14-7 with 53 seconds remaining in the second. Running back Willie Reed scored on an 11-yard touchdown run. 

     The Indians closed it to 14-13 at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter. Browne pulled off a delayed run for a four-yard score. Venice tried to take their first lead in the contest, however they failed on a two-point conversion. 

     Cardinal Gibbons made it 21-13 just 43 seconds into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Dylan Rizk found wide receiver Elisha Edwards on a 45-yard pass play.  

     Venice cut the deficit at 7:35 of the fourth to make it 21-19. Wide receiver Jayshon Platt caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Browne. 

     It became 28-19 for the Chiefs with 6:15 left. Rizk tossed a swing pass and wide receiver Davon Kiser sprinted for a 76-yard touchdown. 

     The Indians tried to stay in the game with 4:43 to go in the fourth. Kirill Kotov was able to boot a 34-yard field goal and they trailed 28-22.