Venice's Laroche on the verge of history

Venice running back Matthew “Speedy” Laroche has a chance to break the Sarasota/Charlotte/Manatee/Desoto county rushing record this season.

He currently has 1669 yards rushing on 116 carries with 27 touchdowns and has averaged 238 yards and 3 TD's a game.

The Indians have two games left against Palmetto and Booker. So if he hits his averages in the next two games he will finish with 2,145 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Former Sarasota star Mike Ford is the current single season record holder with 2016 rushing yards in 2005, followed by former Charlotte running back Mike (the original “Speedy”) Bellamy with 1963 rushing yards set in 2010. Bellamy also set the record for total points scored in a season when he put up 220 back in 2010. He is currently tied for third with John Ford, who scored 162 back in 2005 and trials his current Head Coach John Peacock’s record of 162 set back in 1993.

While it doesn’t seem likely LaRoche will topple Belamy’s scoring record, he is on pace to top Ford’s rushing record by 139 yards. Also, all of the currently standing records were set during a ten-game schedule however, Laroche will only get 9 games to break the records because Venice’s game against Riverview was canceled earlier in the season.

Laroche has been the lynchpin for a Venice offense that has averaged 45 points per game this season. Venice is 7-0 and is currently ranked 3rd in Florida’s 7A Class by the Associated Press behind powerhouses St. Thomas Aquinas (5-2) and Plant (8-0).