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What We Learned: No. 9 St. Frances Academy takes down Venice

Photo: Robson Lopes/Football Hotbed

The Panthers left no doubt in Friday’s 49-7 win over Venice (Florida) High School.

Here’s what we learned.

Blake Corum is a bad man.

Sure, we already knew this, but Corum turned in a performance that only solidified his elite standing. He wasted little time making his presence felt in Friday’s win, racking up 242 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for the Panthers. Corum had a good mix of long runs to grind-out short bursts, which kept the defense off balance all night. The Panthers ended up with 411 rushing yards in the win.

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The Panthers balance makes you pay.

From fumble recoveries to interceptions, the Panthers defense didn’t waste opportunities to let its offense finish the job; the offense obliged by capitalizing all night, whether John Griffith was finding a receiver in the endzone or Corum was running wherever he wanted on the field. That sort of balance is what will keep St. Frances in contention all season.

Perfect scenario for the Panthers.

After Friday’s romping of Venice, the Panthers will take a week off before their big matchup with No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) on Oct. 18. St. Frances couldn’t have asked for a better scenario headed in to the top 10 matchup, they were virtually flawless on both sides of the ball and they’ll have two weeks to tweak any missteps. The momentum factor alone will be key for the Panthers against an IMG team that has been similarly impressive all season.

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

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