CORNWALL — 845 Sports Rewind was on the sideline Thursday night for a game that came right down to the final seconds, as Middletown escaped Cornwall with a 22-21 win in a back-and-forth battle from start to finish.

Cornwall controlled long stretches of the night and led 14-7 in the third quarter before Middletown answered. Facing fourth-and-1 from their own 11-yard line, the Middies elected to go for it rather than punt from deep in their own territory — and converted, sparking a 98-yard drive that pulled them back within one, 14-13.

The game stayed tight from there. With time running down, a 2-yard touchdown run by Kervens Paraisy set up the biggest play of the night: quarterback Jo Jo Royal found Zayden Phillpotts for a two-point conversion with 24 seconds left, giving Middletown the 22-21 lead they’d hold for the win.

Cornwall’s effort kept one of Section 9’s top programs on its heels for four quarters, and the one-point final margin reflects just how close the Dragons came to walking away with it.

Middletown heads to Minisink Valley (1-1) on Saturday before its rivalry showdown with Port Jervis in the Erie Bell Game the following week. Cornwall is back in action Friday, September 18, on the road at Monroe-Woodbury.