The Venice High football team will begin the LA City Section playoffs Thursday as the No. 3 seed and will host Sylmar, seeded 11th.
The Gondoliers have a 9-1 record, including a 24-20 win over Hamilton Friday and are seeded behind only overwhelming favorite Crenshaw and No. 2 Carson.
Venice, which holds a non-league win over Santa Monica at Corsair Field, has lost only to nationally prominent Oaks Christian.
Taft is seeded fourth, followed by San Pedro and Jordan. No Venice team has ever won the City championship although several have come close.
Crenshaw, which hasn’t won the City championship since 2005, has beaten opponents by an average of 38 points.