The Tiverton Tigers had their first game of the season against Hope Academy on Friday, the 12th. The stands were packed with the red, white, and blue of the many supportive fans.
To start the game off, the 25 Tiverton varsity players entered the field while Welcome to the Jungle blasted on the speakers. The coin was flipped to decide that Hope would be returning the kick. Number 10, Jonathan Ryback, sent the ball flying down the field, starting the opposing team’s offense. They ended up scoring a few plays later and making the two-point conversion, putting the score at 8 – 0. Tiverton started with a good running play, but they were tackled after around 10 yards. On the third down, number 7 Hamza Mehmood was tackled during a run, which led to him having an ankle injury. This was a significant setback for Tiverton, but they maintained strong spirits and continued playing. On the fourth down, we chose to punt it, giving the other team possession of the ball. Then, later in that possession, they scored, making the score 14 – 0. Hope again made the 2 points, and the score was now 16-0. This rounded off the first quarter.
The second quarter was more of the same. However, number 67, Brandon Soto, had his first career varsity sack. After halftime, the Tiverton Tigers came back out with more determination than ever. We started with the ball, and Jonathan Ryback had a great throw to number 3, Kyle Andrade. It was complete, and Tiverton gained three yards. After two more downs, we decided to punt, and the other team returned, scoring another touchdown. Hope ended the third quarter with 33 points. In the fourth quarter, we threw an interception, which allowed the other team to get a touchdown. After making the 2-point conversion, the score was 41-0.
The game ended after Hope scored one more touchdown, leaving the game at 49-0. One Tiger, number 24, Nolan Almeida said, “After the first touchdown, I knew it was over.”
Other good performances came from 24 Nolan Almeida, 32 Connor Antonevich, 58 Alex Monk, and 2 Tyler Riendeau. Good job to the whole team, and good luck on your next game on the 26th.
