Turnovers hurt Titans in loss to Lions

Jacob Marrocco
Posted 10/27/15

The Toll Gate football team fumbled four times and allowed 13 points off turnovers en route to its 27-12 home loss to Lincoln on Saturday morning.

Lincoln’s Nathan Fay, despite not feeling 100 …

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Turnovers hurt Titans in loss to Lions

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The Toll Gate football team fumbled four times and allowed 13 points off turnovers en route to its 27-12 home loss to Lincoln on Saturday morning.

Lincoln’s Nathan Fay, despite not feeling 100 percent throughout the game, managed to rush for more than 160 yards on the ground with two scores. Fay also took back an Anthony Vann fumble 55 yards for a touchdown to swing momentum back to the Lions (4-2) in the second quarter. Lincoln running back Mason Pineda picked up a touchdown of his own in the first half to go with 85 second-half rushing yards.

“We did exactly what we wanted in practice,” Toll Gate head coach Jim Stringfellow said. “We knew what their strengths were and we practiced all week at it and they did fine in the first quarter, and then we kinda got lazy and the tide turned.”

The Titans managed to hang close throughout the opening half despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. Both defenses battled to a scoreless first 12 minutes before a late drive brought Toll Gate to the Lincoln goal line at the start of the second quarter.

Three Austin Giard rushes proved unsuccessful, forcing Stringfellow to send kicker Datyn Deasley out for a 21-yard field goal attempt. Fay got a hand on the kick, though, and the ball popped up into the air. Fortunately for Toll Gate, it fell into the hands of holder Qyon Pichardo, who dashed to the right pylon for the touchdown.

Toll Gate looked to add to its lead after Pineda fumbled Michael Negri’s punt at the Titans’ 45-yard line midway through the quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, Vann escaped pressure to the left side where he put the ball on the ground. Fay scooped it up and ran more than half the field to pay dirt, putting the Lions on top 7-6 with the extra point.

After recovering Lincoln’s onside kick at their own 32-yard line, the Titans went to work with less than four minutes left in the half. Again, however, ball control was an issue. Senior running back Alex Mowry lost Toll Gate’s second fumble in as many plays and A.C. Houle recovered for the Lions.

Five plays later, Pineda punched it in from the Toll Gate 3-yard line to send Lincoln to the half up 13-6.

Lincoln opened the second half with a seven-point lead and the football, looking to extend its lead to two possessions. Seven plays later, it would succeed as Fay broke several tackles on his way to a 15-yard touchdown. Toll Gate’s defense allowed 60 rushing yards on that drive alone.

“They’re good running backs,” Stringfellow said. “What kills us is experience and size. They’re a well-coached team, they’re disciplined and they got the better of us today.”

The Titans’ offense found a rhythm after falling down 21-6. After starting the next drive on their own 39, running back Sean Devlin carried the ball twice for 13 yards to put the Titans in Lincoln territory. Mowry followed that up with bursts of 24 and 17 yards to set his team up at the Lions’ 3. Vann would dive forward on the next play to cut the deficit to 21-12. The missed two-point conversion proved to be key, as it kept the score at two possessions.

The Lions struck back with their two-headed rushing attack. Lincoln reeled off a 12-play drive that extended well into the fourth quarter starting at its own 39. Fay and Pineda traded carries, before Fay’s 16-yard pass to a wide-open Ross Magliocco put Lincoln at the Toll Gate 1. Fay took the ball in himself to bring the lead out to 27-12 with less than eight minutes remaining.

Giard returned the ensuing kickoff to his own 48-yard line to give the Titans excellent starting field position. His 17-yard dash and Mowry’s 12-yard gain on a reverse rush put Toll Gate into the Lincoln red zone. There it would be faced with a fourth-and-11, which Mowry seemingly converted into a first down on a 14-yard rush. Fay was able to strip the ball, though, as Mowry crossed the 5-yard line.

“The kid took it from him,” Stringfellow said. “He just reached in and pulled it out. He wanted it more than we did.”

The Lions took over and ran the clock down to secure the crucial win. They moved into sole possession of the fourth playoff spot in Division III, though a matchup with undefeated East Greenwich looms next week.

Toll Gate (3-2) now faces a must-win situation next week against Classical (5-1) for its final league home game of the season. After that, the Titans will embark on a two-game road trip to Pilgrim (4-1) and Ponaganset (0-6).

“We’re gonna get through the weekend and then we’re gonna prepare like we do every week,” Stringfellow said. “We’re going at it still, that we can make the playoffs. Classical and Pilgrim are both two good teams and Ponaganset, and we just gotta take one game at a time. We’re not looking to Pilgrim or Ponaganset, we’re just gonna focus on Classical next week and hopefully get a win.”

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