Week 9 Football: Venice holds off Riverview and other Friday results

A roundup of Manatee and Sarasota area high school football games played in Week 9 on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Venice 41, Riverview 32 At the 35-yard line with less than three minutes on the clock, Riverview searched for one final answer. Quarterback Logan Carrillo dropped back and found senior receiv

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A roundup of Manatee and Sarasota area high school football games played in Week 9 on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.

Venice 41, Riverview 32

At the 35-yard line with less than three minutes on the clock, Riverview searched for one final answer. Quarterback Logan Carrillo dropped back and found senior receiver Kobran Waters.

But the ball popped out of Waters' hands and into Venice linebacker Elijah Gooden's hands, who secured the tip-drill interception, sealing the Indians' win.

"I thought the defense did a great job, and they answered the bell when they had to," head coach John Peacock said. "And the offense was able to move the ball on the ground at will, especially toward the end of the game."

Venice defeated Riverview 41-32 to clinch its fifth straight district title and 21st

overall at the Rams Bowl on Friday, Oct. 16. FIU commit Dorien Jones led the Indians, rushing for 265 yards and five touchdowns on 37 carries.

"We showed Riverview who really runs the city," Jones said.

The Indians pulled off the win after a turbulent week.

On Wednesday, USA Today obtained an affidavit detailing a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office investigation that found probable cause that Peacock is linked to a felony regarding recorded phone conversations.

"We use football to get away from everything else," Peacock said. "We come out on the field, and we focus on football, whether it's off the field, or whatever it may be in the classroom, whatever it may be, we try to take those two hours each day and focus on football."

But in the first half, Venice looked like an unsettled team.

Peacock said Riverview opened with a different defense than they prepared for. It had a different front, and they weren't in man coverage like earlier in the season. After Venice made it to the Riverview 30, senior linebacker Gabe Halperin intercepted freshman quarterback Mason Polley's pass.

On the next drive after Venice recovered its own fumble, Polley connected with Jayian Hoffmann for a 16-yard touchdown. But on Venice's next drive, linebacker Jekhi Mills picked off Polley.

Riverview responded with a five-minute drive, featuring 14 plays and two third-down conversions. Tight end Miles Przekwas caught a 6-yard pass from senior quarterback Logan Carrillo. The senior signal caller finished 23-of-42 with over 200 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The Rams followed their long drive with another one. Eight minutes and 17 plays later, running back Justin Flores battled 1 yard into the end zone with 3:16 left in the first half.

Leading 13-7, Jones scored with 34 seconds remaining. After helping Venice to the 3-yard line, Jones ran it in. The Indians couldn't muscle in the two-point try and entered halftime tied 13-13.

"Just pick our heads up," Jones said of the halftime message. "Come out here, fight to the best of our abilities, play to the best of our abilities, and this is what we trained for all over the summer. This is the end goal."

After Riverview's drive to open the third quarter ended in a 31-yard field goal, Jones marched Venice downfield again, capping it off with a 5-yard score.

But Carrillo threw a 71-yard pass to receiver Trenton Huffman to move to the 5. Flores then ran it in to tie the game at 20.

Polley threw another interception, and Riverview capitalized on it. On 4th-and-10 at the 10-yard line, Carrillo found Huffman. But with 13.2 seconds left in the third, there was Jones again from 7 yards out.

Leading 27-26, Jones scored again from 5 yards out with 8:11 left in the game. But Riverview still had life. Carrillo found Imari Thomas for the 35-yard touchdown, but the Rams couldn't convert on the two-point try.

Led by runs from Polley and Jones, the star running back scored his fifth and final touchdown on an 8-yard run.

"They definitely came out ready to fight, but at the end of the day, our team was better," Jones said. "We came out here to fight."

— Emma Moon

Braden River 42, Wellen Park 7

Cardinal Mooney 48, Southeast 12

The struggling Seminoles played an almost-perfect opening 18 minutes Friday night, controlling the football for all but 2 minutes, 38 seconds — yet still trailed 14-6.

That’s when things went sideways for Southeast.

Connail Jackson (175 yards on 11 carries) scored on touchdown runs of 73, 11 and 12 yards, and Davin Davidson (11-of-15, 186 yards) accounted for three more TDs himself – passes of 5 and 36 yards, coupled with an 11-yard run – as the Cougars (7-1) completed a four-game sweep of Class 3A-District 12 on Maechtle Field at John Kiker Stadium.

The Noles (1-7 overall, 0-3 district) went 65 yards in 11 plays, capped by sophomore Maurice Bell’s 18-yard reverse, then called nine consecutive runs while moving to Cardinal Mooney’s 24-yard line on their second possession. But Liam Harold’s 42-yard field goal doinked high off the right upright, and a recovery of a muffed fumble failed to produce any points as sophomore safety Marvon Harris intercepted Mason Summer (6-of-9, 76 yards) at the 8.

“Our game plan, obviously, was to try to shorten the game, but we shot ourselves in the foot (late in the first half),” said Southeast coach Curt Bradley. “Our kids competed hard for the first time in a long time. Obviously, the execution wasn’t always there, but I’m really proud of the ‘compete’ we showed tonight.”

Jackson’s 11-yard run after four passes in a row (for 42 yards) by Davidson, helped the Cougars build a 28-6 halftime cushion. Backup quarterback Walker Beach’s 62-yard breakaway late in the third quarter made it 41-6 and triggered a running clock with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

Cardinal Mooney piled up 16 first downs and a 517-200 advantage in total offense.

– Donnie Wilkie