San Fernando playing Venice tough in the heat

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Out in the Valley, the Valley so hot, sit in the sunshine, feel your brain rot...

How hot was it in the San Fernando Valley Friday? Hot enough that the Venice-San Fernando JV game was delayed until 5:45 p.m., when the on-field temperature dropped below 100-plus degrees. And those teams only played a half game so the varsity contest could begin reasonably on time (7:15 p.m.)

Hot enough that Venice senior back Curtis McNeal, after scoring a 12-yard touchdown to give 17th ranked Venice a 14-0 lead, sat out most of the second quarter with his pads off and appearing to be suffering from dehydration. While teammates kept telling McNeal, ‘We need you,’ McNeal would respond, ‘Second half, man.’

By the end of the first half, San Fernando had cut the Venice lead in half, to 14-7, thanks to a 30-yard touchdown pass from Rashaad Reynolds to Michael Solis. And San Fernando Coach Tom Hernandez had to be thinking other Venice players would feel the heat in the second half, just the way McNeal did in the first.

- Mike Terry