The way Toll Gate controlled the third quarter, a comeback did not seem out of the question.

The Titans desperately needed a victory over Hope on Friday night at Warwick Vets to keep their playoff hopes alive, and a brilliant, 91-yard drive looked like it may help. Junior quarterback Anthony Vann engineered an 18-play, nine-minute march to cut the deficit to 14-6.

However, the turnover problem that had plagued Toll Gate earlier reared its head again in the fourth quarter and put the game out of reach. An Anthony Vann interception set Hope up deep in the Toll Gate red zone, helping give the Blue Wave the decisive blow in a 20-6 victory.

“Turnovers, and they were quicker than us,” Toll Gate head coach Jim Stringfellow said. “It’s tough. We battled back and forth in the first half. We had a couple turnovers in the first half that kind of killed us. We controlled the ball the third quarter and half the fourth quarter, we just didn’t get it.”

Toll Gate took a chance early in the game, but it would prove to be a tone-setter for Hope. The Titans faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 42-yard line, electing to run it with Kenny Morel. He was stuffed for a loss of one, and Hope took over already in enemy territory.

An 8-yard run and facemask penalty on Toll Gate pushed Hope into the red zone, where running back Kevin Greenwood would find pay dirt two plays later.

The Titans struggled to get much going offensively, but the defense stood tall in the comeback effort. Hope began the second quarter with a fourth-and-4 at the Toll Gate 14, choosing to try for a first down rather than a field goal attempt in the blustery conditions. Greenwood was stopped, giving the ball back to the home team with some momentum.

“We expect a lot out of our defense,” Stringfellow said. “We made some adjustments from last week. I was impressed with the defense, but you need offense and defense clicking to win games.”

Vann ran the read option for a first down outside of the Titans’ red zone, turning the gears on a potential game-tying drive. He tried to keep it again on the next play, but the ball popped loose and Dylan Vongkaisone fell on top of the fumble at the 22-yard line.

This time, Hope would capitalize. It would face another fourth-down situation, this time at the 1-yard line, where quarterback Juan Nuñez dove through the offensive line for a touchdown.

Toll Gate had a glimmer of opportunity towards the end of the half, starting with a botched punt that was recovered at the Hope 38-yard line. Vann connected with wideout Aidan Estrella at the 3-yard line just as time expired, bringing the drive to a halt with the halftime horn.

“We couldn’t get anything going,” Stringfellow said. “Whether it was the weather, it was the first really cold night, or we’re used to playing in the rain, who knows. It’s tough. For 20 kids, they’re a tough team.

The Titans forced a three-and-out on the opening possession of the half, giving Vann and the offense a chance to cut into the deficit with 9:07 to go in the quarter. Starting at their own 9, Morel carried the ball up the middle for 11 yards for a little breathing room.

Slowly but surely, Toll Gate ripped off chunks of yardage to inch upfield. Vann hit Wyatt Jencks on a third-down screen for nine yards before picking 15 on a read-option play to get to the Hope side of the field.

Offensive coordinator Jack Paliotte mixed in several different runners and short passes to keep the Blue Wave off balance. Finally, on third-and-goal at the Hope 1, Vann plunged up the gut for the first Toll Gate touchdown of the day with seconds remaining in the quarter.

“That’s just Jack Paliotte’s offense,” Stringfellow said. “He grinds them and grinds them, and Anthony Vann making calls, making audibles, doing what they do.”

Toll Gate would continue to fend off Hope’s attempts at an insurance touchdown, handing the ball back to Vann and the offense for another lengthy drive. The signal-caller threw a pass across the middle on second and 13, but it was picked off and returned to the Toll Gate 7.

Nuñez found tight end Firmino Benros from 10 yards out to make the task exponentially tougher for Toll Gate. The Titans could not get past their own 35 on the next possession, turning the ball over on downs with less than four minutes remaining.

The Blue Wave ran the clock down and dropped Toll Gate to 1-5. The Titans will look to play spoiler next week as they host Smithfield for senior night. The Sentinels (5-1) are currently fighting for a top seed in the Division III playoffs.