Brennan Twombly had seven solo tackles and nine total,
Cole Phelan added a touchdown on offense as the St. Lawrence University football team opened their 2026 home schedule with a 30-10 defeat at the hands of visiting St. John Fisher under the lights on Friday night.
St. Lawrence's record moves to 1-1 with the result, as they continue to ramp up their non-conference schedule ahead of next week's action against Alfred.
Following a scoreless opening stanza, the Saints surrendered the first points of the game on a 27-yard pass from St. John Fisher quarterback Ryan Whitney, connecting with Mykel White, who got behind the defender on the left side of the end zone to open the scoring 7-0 after the point-after was good.
The Saints would respond with points of their own on the ensuing drive, and they nearly tied the game on 3
rd and 6 in the red zone. An
Oliver Cheer pass just barely slipped away from receiver
Cole Phelan at the back left corner of the end zone. They would take the field goal from 26 yards, nailed by
Aidan Morris who improved to 4-for-5 on the season, and the score was 7-3 with five minutes to go in the half.
Fisher added two more scoring plays at the end of the quarter to go up 16-3, including a passing touchdown that found Nate McGoldrick in the end zone and a field goal.
In the second half, St. Lawrence responded out of the locker room, needing just nine plays to cover 67 yards and get back within a score. Following a targeting penalty on the Cardinals, Cheer and his offense found themselves in advantageous field position on first down, and he made good on his opportunity. The junior quarterback connected with Phelan on a laserbeam of a pass to the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, and Morris' extra point made it 16-10 with 8:33 left in the third quarter.
St. John Fisher answered right back on its next possession, with Christian Beason punching it in from four yards out to push the lead to 23-10 late in the third quarter. The Cardinals put the game away in the fourth, adding one more touchdown on a short Whitney run to make it 30-10.
Cheer completed 12 of 24 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown for St. Lawrence, adding 13 rushing yards on seven carries. Phelan's touchdown grab was part of a receiving corps that saw four different Saints record multiple catches, led by
Andrew Maneggia's four receptions for 23 yards.
Aside from Twombly's nine tackles,
Lucas Delforte also led the defensive effort for St. Lawrence with eight total tackles. On special teams, Morris was 1-for-1 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points.
Rory McGuire had another productive week in specials, adding three punts, including a game-long 52-yarder for an average of 44 yards per punt.
Luke Robillard blocked an extra point kick.
Whitney threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing to lead St. John Fisher, while also rushing for a score. Gavin Horton caught nine passes for 86 yards, and Beason ran for 105 yards and a touchdown.
St. Lawrence will look to bounce back next Saturday, September 19, when the Saints travel to Alfred University for a 12 p.m. kickoff.
Â
Â
