The Toll Gate Titans fell to the Tiverton Tigers, 35-7, Friday night under the lights at Warwick Vets.

Despite the loss, Toll Gate head coach James Stringfellow was happy with the effort by his defense. According to the coach, the defense consists of two seniors, two juniors and eight sophomores.

“We’re tough, we’re young,” Stringfellow said. “The team is up-and-coming. The biggest thing out of this game that we got is that they did not quit. They played hard all four quarters . . . They’ve played hard all year long like that.”

Toll Gate received the opening kickoff when junior Marc Collicci collected it and handed it to Jarry Berrio, who ran right to the Tiverton 45. On second down, junior quarterback Anthony Vann ran a keeper for seven yards. But, on third and 4, Vann was sacked by a swarm of Tiverton rushers, forcing the Titans’ Datyn Deasley to punt it to the Tiverton 26.

Tiverton quarterback Stephen Gacioch ran twice for 10 yards and a first down. Next, Gacioch faked a handoff to Andrew Perez before sprinting out to the Toll Gate 37. Gacioch then tossed to wide out Trent Rogers for a gain of five. Gacioch kept the ball moving, running a keeper for nine yards, before Perez brought it to the 15. On the ensuing play, David Michael Williams plowed 10 yards to the 5. Gacioch capped the drive with a rushing touchdown, putting Tiverton on top 7-0 with 5:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Tiverton’s Matt Potvin kicked off to junior Qyon Pichardo, who brought it out to the Toll Gate 31. On first down, Vann ran for a gain of seven. On third down, sophomore fullback Michael Negri rushed four yards for a first down at the Toll Gate 38. On second down, Vann scrambled left, broke multiple tackles and sprinted 61 yards to pay dirt, tying the game at 7.

Stringfellow has been impressed with his three-year starter.

“Vann’s been playing fantastic all season,” Stringfellow said. “Each week, he steps it up . . . It gets better every game.”

Tiverton answered right back. Perez returned the ensuing kick to the Toll Gate 42. On second down, the quarterback scurried 13 yards to the Toll Gate 25. Next, Perez plunged his way into the end zone while dragging a mob of defenders with him. Tiverton led 14-7 with 21.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

The Titans started their next possession from their own 30. On second down, Negri rushed 11 yards to the 41 for a first down. Then, the Tiverton defense stepped it up. They stopped Calise in his tracks on first down and senior defensive end Elias Skarpos sacked Vann for a big loss on second down. On third and long with the ball at its own 35, Toll Gate ran a reverse to the halfback, Wyatt Jencks, but he lost a yard. On fourth down, Toll Gate again would punt it away.

With 9:15 left in the first half, Tiverton started from its own 42. Gacioch ran twice for eight yards before Williams brought it to midfield. On third-and-2, the signal caller plowed forward four yards for a first down. Then, Gacioch ran six yards, bringing the ball to the Toll Gate 40. On second and third down, the Toll Gate defense stuffed the run, forcing Tiverton to go for it on fourth-and-3. Nevertheless, Gacioch completed a pass to Kai Henson for a first down at the Toll Gate 30. The quarterback plunged forward nine yards on the next play. However, the drive would end when Gacioch’s pass was picked off in the end zone by Toll Gate’s Pichardo.  

The Titans’ started from their own 20-yard line with 3:56 to play in the first half. The offense was only able to muster five yards before it punted it away on fourth and 3.

Tiverton started at its own 30. On first down, Gacioch completed a pass to Jackson Martins for an 11-yard gain. On first down, a deep pass from Gacioch was in and out of the hands of wide receiver Brett Silvia. On second down, the quarterback completed a pass to Rogers, for a 10-yard gain to the 25. Then, Gacioch found Martins for a gain of eight yards to the 17. Next, Gacioch ran a keeper 12 yards to the 5-yard line. After a Tiverton timeout, the quarterback charged forward four yards to the goal line. On second-and-goal, Gacioch pretended to pass before muscling through for the touchdown, giving Tiverton a 21-7 lead at halftime.

Toll Gate started the second half with a squib kick to the Tiverton 37-yard line. On first down, Perez ran 43 yards to the Toll Gate 20. Next, Gacioch hit Rogers up the middle for a gain of 15, bringing the ball to the Toll Gate 5. After an encroachment on the Titans’ Estrella, they were penalized half the distance to the goal. Then, Williams ran it in from 2 1/2 yards out for the touchdown, putting Tiverton up 27-7 less than a minute into the second half. The extra point from Potvin came up short.  

The Titans’ started their next possession at the Toll Gate 46. On second down, Negri rushed 27 yards to the Tiverton 27. On third-and-9, Jencks rushed six yards to the 20. But, on fourth-and-4, a Vann quarterback keeper came up short of the marker and Tiverton would take over on downs.

With 8:17 to play in the third quarter, Tiverton took over at its own 12. Perez rushed up the middle to the 40, a gain of 28 on the play. Next, Gacioch ran twice for 14 yards and a first down. Then, Gacioch launched a bomb to Martins, who caught it at the Toll Gate 25 for another gain of 28 yards. Gacioch then ran a keeper to the 19 before he was brought down by middle linebacker Nick Kazandjian after a gain of five. On third down, Gacioch throw was picked off by Cory Vickers and Toll Gate started again from its own 11.

Negri ran twice for 10 yards and a first down. Then, Vann kept it for a run of five yards. On second down, Jencks ran seven yards to the 33 and moved the chains. On third-and-7, Vann completed a pass to Pichardo for a first down at the Toll Gate 45. During the play, Tiverton was flagged for both a late hit and a holding penalty and that put the ball at the Tiverton 20-yard line. Toll Gate was unable to capitalize. Tiverton held the Titans to just six yards on the first three downs, and on fourth down, it sacked Vann.

Williams scored a touchdown from nine yards out on the ensuing drive to cap the win. Williams ran in the 2-point conversion afterward and Tiverton went up 35-7 with 3:49 to play.

It was Tiverton head coach Robert Murray’s 200th career win. Toll Gate will play a non-league contest at Coventry on Friday night.