Long Mercyhurst Prep touchdown runs don't deter Corry from victory

Blake Cook went above and beyond with his atonement.

Cook, a junior cornerback for Corry's football team, watched Mercyhurst Prep star running back Vinnie Feliciano burst through the middle of the line and then by him en route to a 69-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter of Friday's game at Mercyhurst University's Saxon Stadium.

It was the second mammoth scoring run for Feliciano, who went off-tackle for a 66-yarder that concluded the Lakers' previous possession. Each were why the hosts tied the score at 21-all.

"Vinnie's a wonderful athlete," Cook said, "and on his first (touchdown) run I must say it was on my side (of the field). That one was somewhat my fault."

Cook, though, allowed the Lakers to enjoy Feliciano's tying touchdown for only 17 seconds. That's how long it took him to return the ensuing kickoff 80 yards and into their end zone.

Corry made Cook's special teams score hold up for an entertaining 28-21 non-region victory. The Beavers upped their record to 4-2, while the Lakers reverted to 3-3.

"A great team effort there at the end (of the game)," Corry quarterback Nolan Carey said. "We realized we had to pick up our effort and do our jobs."

Interception via disruption

Although Corry never trailed after Cook's kickoff return, thoughts of overtime were viable because Feliciano was in the Lakers' backfield when they took possession at their 32 with 1:46 left in regulation.

Feliciano continued to be Corry's cause for concern. The Beavers were penalized for a horse-collar tackle of the sophomore, whose ensuing two carries and reception of a Everett Cotterill dump-off pass moved the ball to the Beavers' 34.

However, the Lakers moved no farther. Delay-of-game and motion penalties not only pushed them back 10 yards, but left them with no timeouts.

That was the situation Cotterill found himself in when he dropped back to pass with 32.5 seconds left. The sophomore was in the midst of throwing from the pocket when his right arm was hacked by one that belonged to Corry defensive lineman Landon Nickerson.

Albers intercepted Cotterill's wobbly pass and was tackled at Corry's 33 with 25.1 seconds left on the stadium's scoreboards.

Only then did he and his teammates start to celebrate.

"Got to give credit to Landon for breaking up (Cotterill's pass attempt)," Albers said.

More: Corry sweeps Clarion in match pitting state's best 2A and 1A girls volleyball teams

Who's next

Carey recorded two touchdown passes for the Beavers, who won the first of their three straight road games. They'll visit North East next weekend and then Fairview on Oct. 11.

"This (win) is a big boost in confidence," Carey said. "Sometimes, we get down on ourselves when we make mistakes. If we could get three (straight) wins on the road, that would be huge."

Friday's game was the third of Mercyhurst's four consecutive home games, a rarity at any level of football. The Lakers will conclude it next weekend against Union City.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Long Mercyhurst Prep touchdown runs don't deter Corry from victory