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NAPLES — Despite losing its sixth straight game to open the season, there were several positives seen in an 18-7 home defeat to North Fort Myers on Friday night.

The Titans (0-6) held the Red Knights under 300 yards and trailed just 12-7 late in the third quarter.

Freshman quarterback Kenneth Mouton continued his on-the-job training, guiding an offense that at times moved the ball very effectively. Mouton, who has been plagued by turnovers during his first year as a starter, committed just one Friday and that came on a desperation pass late in the fourth quarter.

Still, the Titans made a few costly mistakes, losing a fumble which negated a promising drive and also committing foolish penalties. Add in a few dropped passes on beautifully thrown balls by Mouton, and the night wasn’t as promising as it could have been.

“In some of our games, the mistakes didn’t seem as costly because we were beaten by teams that were flat-out better than us,” Golden Gate coach Dave Tanner said. “But this was a winnable game, and when you have a chance to win, you can’t make those types of mistakes.”

A fumble by Golden Gate’s Claudius Knowles marred an otherwise strong performance by the junior running back (18 carries, 90 yards). He fumbled into the end zone after a 30-yard run. The play would have come back on a holding penalty, but since North Fort Myers recovered in the end zone, it declined the penalty.

That set up North’s second touchdown drive of the game, capped by a 12-yard pass from Jose Feliciano to Carlton Huggins to make the score 12-0 with 52 seconds left in the first half.

The Titans got on the board after Jonathan Lightell recovered a North fumble at the Red Knights’ 30. Mouton guided a seven-play drive, scoring from two yards out on a third-down play to cut the deficit to 12-7.

“I went to a few of our more experienced guys when we were close to the goal line and they couldn’t get it done,” Tanner said. “(Mouton) showed me a lot there. He just put his head down and wouldn’t be denied.”

The momentum was short-lived, as North Fort Myers responded with a nine-play, 64-yard drive. Senior quarterback Mike Nelson was outstanding in the series, with his 15-yard scamper putting the Red Knights in Golden Gate territory. Nelson completed passes of 12 and 14 yards to give the Knights a first-and-goal at the Golden Gate 6. Robinson Merci scored from four yards out to give North its final margin.

“It wasn’t our best game, but you’ve got to give Golden Gate and coach Tanner a lot of credit,” first-year North coach Barry Goettemoeller said. “They had a good game plan and protected the ball much better than what we saw on film from them. I thought the scoring drive we put together in the third quarter was huge. We responded to their score, and our guys showed a lot of character there.”