October 22 , 2005

Jeff Sanders sealed Hobart's seventh win of the season with this fourth quarter interception. Photo by K. Colton/SportsPics.net)

GENEVA, N.Y.—The 11th-ranked Hobart football team overcame a constant rain that turned Boswell Field into a quagmire and a determined St. Lawrence University squad to improve to 7-0 with a 13-9 Liberty League decision this afternoon. Junior running back Doug Blakowski (Iroquois/Elma, N.Y.) rushed for 116 yards on 24 carries to surpass the 1,000-yard plateau for the season (1,018).

The Saints (2-4, 1-3 Liberty) got on the board first courtesy of a little trickery. After a 45-yard drive sputtered out at the Hobart 20, St. Lawrence lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt, but sophomore holder Brad Heil (Jamesville-Dewitt/Fayetteville, N.Y.) pitched the snap to senior fullback James Buchanan (Central/Calgary, Alberta), who scampered around the right side to the end zone for the first first quarter points against the Statesmen this season. The Saints missed the extra point and led 6-0 with 4:23 remaining in the opening stanza.

Hobart (5-0 Liberty) grabbed the lead late in the second quarter when junior quarterback Shawn Mizro (Newark/Newark, N.Y.) led the Statesmen on an 11-play, 74 yard drive. First-year wide receiver Ryan LiDrazzah (Kent School/San Diego, Calif.) capped the push on a 9-yard reception with 41 seconds left in the half. Mizro was 6-of-9 on the drive for 63 yards. He finished the day 12-of-27 for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Hobart held the lead for just 40 seconds.

St. Lawrence took advantage of good field position (they started at their own 38), a pass interference penalty against Hobart, and a great catch by sophomore wide receiver Joe Shehata (Pearl River/Orangeburg, N.Y.). Senior quarterback Tom Anderson (CBA/Syracuse, N.Y.) floated a pass 22 yards down field that Shehata caught simultaneously with Hobart senior cornerback Jamie Anderson (Canandaigua/Canandaigua, N.Y.) at the Hobart 15, by rule a catch for the offense. SLU’s Anderson spiked the ball to stop the clock with 5.2 seconds remaining and senior Nick Little (Kenmore West/Kenmore, N.Y.) booted a 32-yard field goal to send the visitor’s into the break with a 9-7 lead.

Anderson finished the day 8-of-28 for 122 yards and was picked off four times, twice by Hobart senior free safety Ryan Smith (Tonawanda/Tonawanda, N.Y.).

The Statesmen reclaimed the lead and closed out the scoring early in the fourth quarter when Mizro connected with senior wide receiver Colby Feane (Weedsport/Weedsport, N.Y.) for a 31-yard touchdown. Hobart’s two-point conversion failed, leaving the Statesmen with a four-point lead.

If the Hobart defense looked vulnerable in the first half by giving up the most points its allowed before the intermission this season, the Statesmen showed why they’re the top defense in the Liberty League (No. 1 in scoring defense, rushing defense, and total defense) in the second half.

St. Lawrence’s four third quarter drives ended punt, fumble, punt, interception, while in the fourth the Saints turned the ball over on downs twice and had their final attempt to end their now 14-game losing streak to Hobart halted by sophomore linebacker Jeff Sanders’ (Camden/Camden, N.Y.) first interception of the year. He finished the day with a team-high eight tackles.

Sophomore defensive end Josh Hodges (Cornwall/Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.) led St. Lawrence with eight tackles, including six solo.

Hobart is off next week and returns to action on Nov. 5, when the Statesmen travel to Union. Kickoff at Frank Bailey Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.