The St. Lawrence University football team took on Hobart at Leckonby Stadium this past Saturday, as part of “Senior Day” to honor this years graduating class. Hobart, nationally ranked at #7 coming into the contest, was considered by many to be the favorite to upend the Saints team, who held a strong record of 7-1 coming into the matchup. No matter what the predictions were, this game would need to be played out on the field, and it certainly did not disappoint.
The end of the first quarter saw the Saints trailing 6-0, after a Hobart touchdown and a blocked extra point. Entering the second, the Saints were able to tie up the score with a 15-yard drive and then take the lead with the extra point, ending with a 3-yard touchdown run, by sophomore, Mitch Gallagher. Hobart would add another touchdown to retake the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in the half bringing the score to 13-7 Hobart, at halftime.
Opening up the third quarter, Hobart was able to add another score, resulting from a 73-yard rushing touchdown on the first play of the half. However, the Saints didn’t sit back from there after a tough way to open up the half. Junior, Leondre Simmon took back a recovered fumble 63 yards for a score, to bring the Saints back to within one touchdown, now trailing at just 20-14. Opening up the fourth, sophomore Mitch Gallagher was able to add his second rushing touchdown of the day from 1 yard out, to give the Saints the lead, 21-20. Less than a minute later, Hobart was again able to connect on a long play for a score, this time through the air, with a 70-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead for Hobart, 26-21, after a failed two-point conversion. To continue the back an forth trend, junior Leondre Simmon caught a 60 yard touchdown pass from senior Mike Lefflbine, to again give the Saints the lead 27-26. To attempt to stretch the lead to a 3, the Saints attempted their own two-point conversion, which failed the attempt, keeping their lead to a single point with five minutes remaining. After a long, 39-yard drive, Hobart was able to hit a 32-yard field goal to retake the lead, with just one minute remaining on the clock. The Saints needed clutch play and a long drive in order to keep their hopes alive in the final minute, and things started to look as if they might just go the Saints way in the end. Senior Mike Lefflbine connected to sophomore, Mitch Gallagher on a 4th-and-23 to keep what could be a game winning drive alive with seconds to go on the clock. With the ball now on Hobart’s 39-yardline, the Saints connected on another pass, bringing them to Hobart’s 17-yardline. Unfortunately, the time was ruled as expired, ending what could have been a dramatic last minute winning drive for the Saints.
The Saint Lawrence University football team, now 7-2, takes on Merchant Marine Academy on the road next Saturday at 12:00pm.