LAKE MARY — Mission accomplished _ now to win the war.
The Lake Mary High School football team (11-3) thrilled a huge home crowd on Doug Peters Field at Don T. Reynolds Stadium Friday night, avenging last year’s 52-19 setback to Venice High School (9-4) with a 31-26 triumph over the defending champion Indians and earning a return to the Class 7A State Championship Game.
The No. 2 seeded Rams will challenge top-seeded Vero Beach (14-0) in the Class 7A finale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at South Dade Kia Field at Pitbull Stadium on the campus of Florida International University in Miami.
Vero Beach, which also has the Indians as its mascot, had to stop a 2-point conversion attempt in double overtime to eliminate No. 4 seeded Palmetto High School (11-3) from Miami, 45-44, in the other Class 7A State Semifinal in Vero Beach Friday night.
There will be added excitement for Saturday’s Championship Game as Lake Mary has never won a state title in football and Vero Beach has only won one time, in its last appearance in 1981, 44 years ago.
If you look closely, the game actually came down to the kicking game.
And while none of the plays came on the last series, four plays stood out.
Rams kicker Lucas Parker had a big night, making all four of his extra point kicks and also nailing a 32-yard field goal that gave Lake Mary a 17-14 lead at halftime, while Indians kicker James Reynolds missed a crucial PAT early in the third quarter after Venice took the lead for the first and only time in the game and it proved to be the difference as far as strategy went.
The guests also had a pair of onside kick attempts go against them as on the first an Indian touched the ball before it went 10 yards and the second was also awarded to the Rams after a scrum.
Because of the earlier missed PAT, the Indians were also forced to go for a 2-point conversion attempt after Dorian “Macho” Jones’ third touchdown run of the night to try to get within a field goal late in the game, which failed and left the visitors down fly five points instead of three.
The Rams scored the initial points of the game on the first of two touchdown passes by the incredible Noah Grubbs to Barrett Schulz on a 12-yard pass in the first quarter.
The teams would trade scores through the third quarter until Lake Mary basically put the game out of reach with a Grubbs 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter, following a 24-yard scoring strike from Grubbs to Schulz late in the third quarter that gave the hosts the lead for good.
The hosts sealed the win when Grubbs completed a 4th-and-10 swing pass to O’Shea Faison for a first down with just 39-seconds left, allowing Lake Mary to go into victory formation, allowing Grubbs to take a knee as time ran out.
The Rams were nearly perfect on offense, not turning the ball over and allowing Grubbs to only be sacked once.
Grubbs finished 22-for-31 on passing attempt for 313 yards and the two touchdowns to Schulz, who had nine receptions for 135 yards and the two scores, and also added the rushing touchdown.
Here is the box score:
Class 7A
State Semifinal
Friday, December 5, 2025
LAKE MARY 31, VENICE 26
First Quarter
LM _ Barrett Schulz 12 pass from Noah Grubbs (Lucas Parker kick).
Second Quarter
VEN _ Dorian "Macho" Jones 17 run (James Reynolds kick).
LM _ Gavin Isaacs 1 run (Lucas Parker kick).
VEN _ Tyree Mannings 31 run (James Reynolds kick).
LM _ Lucas Parker 32 FG.
Third Quarter
VEN _ Dorian "Macho" Jones 2 run (kick failed).
LM _ Barrett Schulz 24 pass from Noah Grubbs (Lucas Parker kick).
Fourth Quarter
LM _ Noah Grubbs 1 run (Lucas Parker kick).
VEN _ Dorian "Macho" Jones 2 run (2-point run failed).
