The Cornwall Dragons (0-2) suffered a heartbreaking 22-21 loss to the Middletown Middie Bears (2-0) on Thursday night, as Middletown scored a touchdown and converted a two-point try in the final minutes to steal the win at Dragon Stadium.

Trailing by seven points late in the game, Middletown junior quarterback Joseph Royal took advantage of two untimely pass interference penalties by Cornwall to set up a game-winning drive that ended with a touchdown run by Kervens Paraisy.

Rather than kick the extra point to force overtime, Middletown coaches elected to go for the win. Royal dropped back and calmly found senior receiver Zayden Phillpotts for the two-point conversion, stunning the home crowd and giving Middletown a one-point lead with under 30 seconds remaining.

Cornwall got the ball back for one final chance, but quarterback Sage Caesar was denied a clean pocket. Middletown’s pass rush forced two incompletions before sacking Caesar with seven seconds left, sealing the Dragons’ second straight loss to open the season.

Penalties were a central storyline in the defeat. One negated a catch by senior receiver Gabe Colsant at the 10-yard line, and four total pass interference calls against Cornwall gave Middletown’s offense extra opportunities to move the ball.

“Penalties killed us. Absolutely killed us. Even on that last drive they scored, the 30 yards on pass interference,” Cornwall head coach Kevin Arduino said.

“We’ve got to get back to work on Monday and clean all that up.”

Arduino said the team has work to do on both sides of the ball heading into a difficult stretch of the schedule.

“We’ve got to clean up a lot with both sides of the ball. We’ve got to get better,” he said. “We have another tough opponent next week, so it doesn’t get any easier.”

Junior receiver and defensive back TJ Muhlfeld intercepted Royal in the second quarter, picking off a pass intended for Middletown’s outside receiver.

“They were doing comebacks the whole time. I knew it was going to be a whip route. I stayed on the top shoulder and just picked it off right there,” Muhlfeld said.

Muhlfeld acknowledged the challenge ahead as Cornwall opens 0-2.

“Those are three tough opponents. We also had two tough opponents in the past. It’s going to be tough, but we have to work harder,” he said. “We have to come together as a team. I think we’re not right there yet. We’re going to get there soon.”

Caesar, a junior team captain, scored twice on the ground, using his athleticism to escape pressure and pick up yards when the pocket collapsed. His second rushing touchdown came in the fourth quarter and gave Cornwall the lead.

“I was fueled with energy. It was a really big spot to come in, score that touchdown, and put us in the lead,” Caesar said.

Caesar credited his running back trio of Michael Cooper, Zaire Owens and Aidan Russo for stabilizing the offense when the passing game struggled.

“I put a lot of trust in my guys. We stay in practice every single day. We came up short here, but I love my guys,” Caesar said. “We played our hearts out; we just couldn’t finish. We can’t go four-and-out.”

Trailing 21-14 in the third quarter, Middletown’s punt returner opted to return a kick from his own 2-yard line rather than allow a touchback. After a short gain on third down, Middletown elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from deep in its own territory — a decision that could have handed Cornwall prime field position had it failed. Middletown converted and continued its drive behind an offensive line that was controlling the line of scrimmage, opening running lanes for Paraisy and giving Royal time to throw.

With starter Cooper sidelined by a minor lower-body injury, freshman Russo stepped in and provided a physical, patient running style that helped settle the offense.

“It feels really good knowing that my coaches already have confidence in me,” Russo said. “I just want to prove that they can count on me when I’m on the field.”

Russo said his vision was his biggest asset against Middletown, allowing him to read the defense and find open space.

“In tight fourth-quarter games, I’m going to try to stay calm and not let the score get in my head,” he said, adding that he tries to focus on the next play and keep his teammates encouraged.

Junior linebacker Charles Caoili and junior defensive end Zion Felix each recorded a sack. Quadir Truluck also had a sack in the game and has three sacks and a forced fumble through two games this season.

Cornwall’s next three opponents are Monroe-Woodbury, Newburgh Free Academy and Minisink Valley. The Dragons host the Crusaders on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.