CORTLAND, N.Y.— Junior Jon Mannix (East Northport/John H. Glenn) caught a 29-yard "Hail Mary" touchdown pass from junior Steven Ferreira (West Sayville/Sayville) on the game's final play to lift Cortland past visiting Heidelberg University, 26-24, in the non-league, season-opening game for both teams.
Cortland called its final timeout with three seconds remaining and trailing 24-20 after Ferreira was sacked by Chris Jones. Ferreira then lofted a pass toward the right side of the end zone and Mannix outjumped a defender, made the catch and got a foot down to set off a celebration from the Cortland bench. The situation was reminiscent of last season's final game, also in Cortland, when Mannix caught a short TD pass after a bad field goal snap on the last play to give the Red Dragons a 23-20 win over Ithaca.
Mannix's catch capped a wild final two minutes that featured two turnovers and two touchdowns. Down 20-17 with 5:36 left, Heidelberg drove from its own 24-yard line to the Cortland 18-yard line. On 2nd-and-11, Joe Sandwisch completed a pass to Dre Valliant to the 2-yard line, but Carson Lassiter (Madison, NJ) forced a fumble that Troy Beddoe (Endicott/Union-Endicott) recovered in the end zone with 1:58 left.
Two plays later, however, Joey Wooley stripped the ball from Ferreira on a sack and Ethan Rodgers recovered for the Student Princes on the 19-yard line. Heidelberg eventually faced 4th-and-1 at the 10-yard line and sent out its field goal unit for a potential game-tying field goal, but Cortland jumped offside to keep the drive alive. Sandwisch carried four yards to the 1-yard line and Bryan Lacey ran in for a touchdown with 1:02 left to give the guests the lead.
Cortland started its winning drive from its own 30-yard line with 56 seconds and two timeouts remaining. A Ferreira 13-yard run and a 23-yard completion to Nick Wagner (Elwood/John H. Glenn), both on second-down plays, were the prominent plays that eventually set up the final TD pass.
The teams combined for 20 points in the game's first 10 minutes. Sandwisch hit Demetrius Magee for a 33-yard TD pass to cap an early 75-yard scoring drive to put Heidelberg up 7-0. Cortland answered with a 58-yard drive, capped by Jake Smith's (Albany/Guilderland) 31-yard TD catch from Ferreira, but a trick two-point play failed and Heidelberg led 7-6 with 8:20 left in the quarter. The Student Princes then mounted an 8-play, 65-yard drive that culminated in a Sandwisch 1-yard sneak for a TD and a 14-6 lead.
Cortland started a drive at the beginning of the second quarter that advanced 80 yards on 15 plays, with Wagner covering the final four yards on a Ferreira throw to cut Cortland's deficit to 14-13. Heidelberg's Stephen Smith hit a 23-yard field goal with 5:50 left in the half and the Student Princes led 17-13 at halftime. The scoring drive was set up by a Billy Byrne blocked punt - one of two blocks for Heidelberg on the afternoon.
The Red Dragons took their first lead when sophomore Chris Osterman (Poughkeepsie/F.D. Roosevelt) caught an 18-yard TD pass from Ferreira with 11:07 left in the game.
Ferreira, a Stony Brook transfer in his first game at Cortland, completed 21-of-35 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. Wagner, also a former Stony Brook player, caught five passes for 64 yards and a score and Mannix made four catches for 45 yards. Freshman Donny Davis (New City/Nyack), who entered the game in the second half, ran 10 times for 56 yards. Lassiter led Cortland with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and three pass breakups. Senior Devonte Davis (Buffalo/Cleveland Hill) finished with nine stops and a forced fumble.
Sandwisch went 15-for-33 passing for 135 yards and a touchdown. The Student Princes gained 235 net rushing yards, led by Lacey's 96 yards on 15 carries with one score. Cameron Vocke ran 20 times for 79 yards and Sandwisch carried 14 times for 46 net yards and a TD. Valliant caught five passes for 49 yards. Clay Staib registered eight tackles, with Byrne and Dom Scott blocking punts and Wooley finishing with two sacks and a forced fumble.
Heidelberg finished with a 370-321 edge in total offense, with Cortland holding a 218-135 advantage through the air.
Cortland will travel to Framingham State next Saturday at noon for its final non-league game. Heidelberg has next week off before hosting nationally ranked John Carroll Sept. 19 in its Ohio Athletic Conference opener.