Venice outlasts Rabun Gap for OT high school football win in Georgia

RABUN GAP, Ga. — In a battle of two nationally ranked teams, Venice defeated Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, 42-40 in overtime on the final play of the game to begin the 2026 season 1-0. 

While the defenses were quiet in the second half, Venice’s unit made the winning play, resulting in a field storming of Indians players and coaches after the near 10-hour trip to the Northeast Georgia Mountains. 

Needing a 2-point conversion to stay alive, Rabun Gap quarterback Grayson Clary rolled to his right and fired a pass to the end zone for receiver Alanson Simmons, a tandem that connected for a touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter. Clary’s pass fell incomplete as Venice’s Micah Hayes arose from the trio of Indian defenders to knock the ball away. 

Perhaps the most crucial decision of the night came from Venice head football coach John Peacock. After taking a 40-34 lead on the first play of overtime behind Dorien Jones’ fifth touchdown of the night, Peacock elected to go for two, rather than kick the point after. 

Matching the theme of the evening, Jones powered into the end zone once again, converting the 2-point try and giving Venice a 42-34 lead and the victory. 

“I made a decision when we found out it was overtime," Peacock said. "We’re going for two whether it’s (if Venice was on offense) first or second. If we would just kick it, then they score, they could have just went for two and won by one. I didn’t want to leave it in their hands. I wanted to leave it in our hands.” 

Venice’s “hands” on Friday evening often reflected those of Jones, a three-star running back committed to Florida International University (FIU). Jones was responsible for all but one of the Indians’ scores, four of which came on the ground. 

Jones missed last week’s 72-7 scrimmage victory over Gulf Coast High School, but did not miss a beat on Friday night, turning 20 carries into 170 yards against a defensive front that featured four Division I recruits. 

“Their linebackers were overplaying everything, so they basically opened up all the gaps,” Jones said of what he saw from Rabun Gap’s defense. “Second, third quarter they started catching on a little bit, but at the end of the day my guys were better in every way possible.” 

Venice appeared to have control of the game, taking a 34-20 lead into the fourth quarter before Rabun Gap fought back with two touchdowns in just under four minutes. The Eagles earned those scoring plays on the mentioned 29-yard scoring strike from Clary to Simmons, and a 5-yard run from Carson Bryant, tying the contest with 6:09 remaining. 

Neither team scored on its next possession, sending the contest to overtime. 

“It was awesome," Peacock said. "Like I said, just the whole, putting everything together with the travel and being up here, and just the way they competed, I thought it was awesome. I think that this is gonna go a long way for our team.” 

Dorien Jones had a night. Jones had five touchdowns, converting the 2-point try that gave Venice the lead in overtime. As the three-star running back has shown in the past, he will be pivotal for the Indians this season as they look to return to a state championship game.

Quarterback battle still ongoing. Similarly to last week’s scrimmage, Venice used both Patton and freshman quarterback Mason Polley in the win. “There hasn't been a huge separation,” Peacock said. “They’ve both done some good things. Just went with my gut. We have to just see what they can do. I guess, gotta make the best decision moving forward. It is tough, especially playing against a national team, to still not know definitely who we're going with. But I think moving forward, whoever we do go with, the other one's gonna have some packages.”

Road win is crucial if Venice wants the Open Division. Venice's win against Rabun Gap is huge, especially for the team's chances in the Open Division. If the Indians win against Lakeland on the road in Week 3, they could sneak into the FHSAA's top eight teams. Venice is ranked No. 12 in Florida, according to MaxPreps.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Venice outlasts Rabun Gap for OT high school football win in Georgia