CANTON — The Saints showed that, when healthy, they can compete with the best in Liberty League football.

St. Lawrence lost, 16-10, against undefeated Hobart in a game that could easily have gone as a win for the Saints on Saturday at Leckonby Stadium.

"I thought we fought hard, we just had some missed opportunities," said running back Connor Hackett. "We were right there the whole game."

St. Lawrence scored first on a 2-yard quarterback sneak with 9 minutes, 21 seconds left in the second quarter. It was the first lead of the season for the Saints.

Quarterback J.P. Kearney started his third straight game for St. Lawrence. The sophomore displayed a growing confidence, and his teammates recognized it.

"He's stepped up," Hackett said. "He's turned into a leader out there on the field. It's really helping our offense."

The defense held Hobart to a mere three points at the half.

But the Statesmen quickly took the lead in the second half, scoring on their first possession. Hobart's first play was a 32-yard completion from Ryan Doyle to Matt Duliba down to the St. Lawrence 34-yard line. Then Anthony Hobaica rushed for 4 yards, followed by a 19-yard pass to Andy Schettine.

Hobaica finished off the drive with an 11-yard rush, giving Hobart a 9-7 lead. The Statesmen led the rest of the game.

"Hobart's a strong team. We were in our coverages, but they had four good receivers going down the field at once," said Saints cornerback Devaun McFarland of Hobart's third-quarter drive. "That's how it happens — four good plays and it leads touchdown."

The defense stopped the Statesmen on fourth down on Hobart's next possession, resulting in a turnover on the St. Lawrence 25-yard line.

Hackett rushed twice to bring St. Lawrence near midfield on a pair of long runs. Kearney then tried to throw over the Hobart secondary. His pass was intercepted on the Hobart 35-yard line, ending a promising drive.

Kearney completed 18 of 35 passes for 181 yards with three interceptions for the Saints (0-5 overall, 0-2 Liberty League).

The teams traded punts following the interception until Hobart (4-0, 2-0) scored on a 20-yard touchdown run by Andrew Marlier, giving the Statesmen a 16-7 lead with 1:03 left in the third quarter.

St. Lawrence, although behind, didn't think the game was out of reach.

"I'm very pleased with the fact we're a team," McFarland said. "We all stick together; we all talk, and everybody's taking it on themselves instead of taking it out on each other."

St. Lawrence's attempt to answer Hobart's final scoring drive looked like it would be in touchdown form. Kearney completed a 27-yard pass to Hackett down to the Hobart 30-yard line.

Hackett then rushed for 7 yards and, on third down, a face-mask penalty against Hobart gave the Saints a first-and-10 on the 12-yard line. The offense stalled, and St. Lawrence settled for a field goal with 11:54 left in the game. The Saints never made it back into Hobart territory.

"At the time, it was good just to get some points on the board because there was a lot of time left," Hackett said. "Looking back on it, it's another one of those missed opportunities we had where we could have gotten seven points on the board."

Hackett led all rushers with 80 yards on 26 carries.

The Saints were happy with the potential they showed against Hobart even though they didn't get the win.

"This is the kind of ball we're capable of playing," Saints head coach Chris Phelps said. "I'm proud of the way they fought."