Venice Gondolier football has come to a screeching halt. The Gondos lost a heartbreaking game and were put out of the City Section playoffs by the Crenshaw Cougars, losing 47-17 on Wednesday, Nov. 24.

They finished the season 8-3, but two of their losses came against teams ranked in the top 10 in Southern California. They lost to the Carson Colts in the season opener and to the Division I Champions, the Loyola Cubs, who are ranked fourth in the state.

“We had a rough start, but we picked up our pieces and never looked back,” said Cornerback Gedyon Kiflezgi. The Gondos started out the season 0-2 and went on to win eight straight games to become Western League champions.

Last year, the Gondos made it to the City Championship game, but lost to the Carson Colts at the Coliseum. This year Venice did not repeat their success. They lost to Crenshaw in the second round of playoffs. The game was an ugly loss, with numerous unsportsmanlike penalties being called in the final few minutes. However, only two were called on the Gondos compared to five by the Cougars. Coaches from both teams verbally confronted one another after the game. Venice coaches accused Cougar coaches for running up the score but Crenshaw coaches felt Venice did the same to them last year. “It was payback. We had to get it after last year,” said Cougar quarterback John Thompson, referring to the 56-0 throttling the Gondos gave them last year.

Quesean Gregory, a freshman starter at Venice, played wide receiver and was a big contribution to the varsity team. When asked how he felt about starting his freshmen year, Gregory replied, “It was a big obstacle for me playing as a freshman starter.”

The Gondos fought hard and gave their best, according to players Samuel Aranda and Peejay Herd. “The season was exciting and painful like a razor,” said Aranda. Herd added, “The season was like juice, sweet and exciting.”

The Gondoliers hope to be ready to go back to the Coliseum and bring Venice a city championship next year and with key returning players Martell Moore, Jonas Mouton, Kenny Ashley, and Gregory, that certainly doesn’t seem like a long shot.