Venice puts it away in second half

Well, all right. The Gondoliers didn't keep it close. They showed they could finish off a team they should beat -- at least on this night.

Venice (1-0), ranked 17th by The Times, broke open a close game against host San Fernando by scoring 27 consecutive second-half points and breezing to a 41-14 win. San Fernando (0-1) made it interesting in the first half, trailing only 14-7, but was outplayed by Venice the rest of the way.

All summer, Venice Coach Angelo Gasca has been touting his team as a legitimate threat to win the City Section championship that so far has proved elusive. Traveling to the stifling hot San Fernando Valley for a night game (thank goodness!) wasn't just a chance to get off to a good start but also show their worthiness as a contender.

Gasca got what he wanted. It was the Tigers, not the Gondoliers, who wilted on Friday.

"We weren't looking to necessarily make a statement," Gasca said. "But we know we're a good team because the whole team was returning and it was improved.

"I read John Wooden's book ("Wooden on Leadership") this summer. And it said if you do what you're supposed to do and give it your best effort, the scoreboard will take care of itself.  That's the approach we are going to take."

With a schedule that includes nonleague road stops at Oaks Christian and Santa Monica, and a key Western League battle against Hamilton, Venice is not thinking of an undefeated season.

But the Gondoliers are definitely thinking of going past the second round of the playoffs, the round they lost in last year.

This opening-game win over San Fernando reinforced such thinking.

- Mike Terry