Dravon Askew-Henry #29 celebrates with Willie Harvey #51 of the St. Louis Battlehawks after recovering a fumble during the first quarter against the San Antonio Brahmas at The Dome at America’s Center on June 01, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/UFL/Getty Images)
San Antonio Brahmas (7-2) at St. Louis Battlehawks (6-3)
The Battlehawks and Brahmas battled for the top seed in the XFL Conference as they faced each other for the second time this season, and third time overall. St. Louis won each of the first two contests at the Alamodome. The Battlehawks triumphed at San Antonio, 31-24, in Week 3 earlier this season. They also won 18-15 in the opening week of the 2023 XFL campaign.
The St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas are scheduled to meet in the XFL Conference Championship at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, June 9. However, the outcome of this game will determine that game’s location. St. Louis would host the playoff matchup with a win this week, thanks to their head-to-head record against the Brahmas (7-2) this season, even though the teams would have identical overall records at 7-3. If the Brahmas win this game, they will have a superior overall record, and the upcoming playoff game would be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Ryan Santoso kickoff went 67 yards and was returned by Darrius Shepherd to the St. Louis 29-yard line. The Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron handed to Jacob Saylors for an 8-yard gain, and then passed to Saylors who lost one-yard. On third and 3, McCarron passed to Jahcour Pearson for only a 2-yard gain, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Sterling Hofrichter punt was returned by Marquez Stevenson to the San Antonio 23. Brahmas quarterback Chase Garbers scrambled left for a 4-yard gain, and then handed to Morgan Ellison for a 3-yard run. On third and 3, Garbers passed to Calvin Turner for an 8-yard gain and a first down. Garbers had a pass fall incomplete, and then an Ellison rush was negated by a false start penalty. Garbers could not complete a pass to Kirklin, and then was sacked for an 8-yard loss. The Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Brad Wing punt was caught via a fair catch by Shepherd at the St. Louis 37. McCarron handed to Saylors for a one-yard gain, and then went back to Saylors for a loss of one-yard. On third down, a handoff to Saylors gained only 4 yards and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt went into the end zone for a touchback, and the ball was placed on the San Antonio 25-yard line. Garbers handed to Ellison for a 5-yard run, and then passed 4 yards to Landon Akers. On third down, a Garbers one-yard rush moved the chains. A St. Louis “too many men” penalty gave the Brahmas 5 yards, and then a handoff to Stevenson gained 4 yards. On second and one, a Garbers pass was intercepted by Kameron Kelly and returned to the St. Louis 36.
McCarron’s pass intended for Jahcour Pearson fell incomplete, and then a pass intended for Steven Mitchell was also incomplete. On third and 10, a pass to Shepherd was not caught and the Battlehawks punted.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Stevenson to the San Antonio 17, and a San Antonio “personal foul” penalty spotted the ball on the 2-yard line. A handoff to Ellison gained 3 yards, and then another handoff to Ellison gained 3 yards before he fumbled. The ball was recovered by Dravon Askew-Henry at the San Antonio 9-yard line.
A McCarron pass to Kemari Averett fell incomplete, and then a Saylors rush gained 2 yards as the first quarter ended.
McCarron’s next pass was intercepted by Teez Tabor and returned to the San Antonio 7. Garbers handed to Ellison for a 2-yard loss, and then could not complete a pass to Jontre Kirklin. On third down, another pass to Kirklin fell incomplete and the Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Brad Wing punt was returned by Darrius Shepherd to the San Antonio 43-yard line. A McCarron pass intended for Hakeem Butler fell incomplete, and then a deep pass to Pearson was caught for a 21-yard gain on the San Antonio 22. McCarron passed 22-yards to Mitchell for a St. Louis touchdown. The one-point conversion was good on a 2-yard catch by Jake Sutherland, to make the score 7-0 for St. Louis,
The Hofrichter kickoff was returned by Pooka Williams to the San Antonio 26. Garbers passed to Kirklin for an 18-yard gain, and then passed short right to Williams for another 6 yards. Garbers rushed for no gain, and then could not connect a pass to Akers. The Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Brad Wing punt was downed on the St. Louis 4-yard line. McCarron passed to Sutherland for a gain of 12 yards, and then handed to Saylors for 8 more yards. Another Saylors rush gained 8 yards to move the markers. McCarron passed to Butler for an 11-yard gain and another first down, and then handed to Wayne Gallman for a 9-yard gain. A pass to Gallman fell incomplete, and then a pass to Pearson gained 16 yards to the San Antonio 32.
A pass to Butler fell incomplete, and then a Gallman rush gained 17-yards. Another handoff to Gallman gained 2 yards, and then McCarron scrambled for a 6-yard gain. On third and 2, McCarron was sacked for a 7-yard loss, and the Battlehawks settled for an Andre Szmyt 32-yard field goal to make the score 10-0 for St. Louis.
The Hofrichter kickoff was muffed by Pooka Williams, but Williams recovered the ball and returned it to the San Antonio 34 as the two-minute warning was announced.
Garbers passed to Stevenson for a 4-yard gain, but was injured on the play. Quinten Dormady came in as the Brahmas quarterback. On second and 6, Dormady’s pass was tipped and fell incomplete, and then a 9-yard pass to Kirklin moved the markers. A pass intended for Smith was incomplete, and then an 11-yard pass to Calvin Turner moved the markers again. Dormady’s pass intended for Smith fell incomplete, and then a short pass to Pooka Williams only gained 2 yards. On 3rd and 8, a pass to Turner was not caught, and San Antonio settled for a 59-yard Ryan Santoso field goal attempt, which was blocked.
With 0:16 remaining, from his own 44-yard line, McCarron passed 8 yards to Saylors, and then time ran out before McCarron could snap the ball for another play.
At halftime, the score was 10-0 for St. Louis.
The second half began with the Hofrichter kickoff being returned by Pooka Williams to the San Antonio 25. Dormady passed deep to Landon Akers for a 22-yard gain, and then handed to Ellison for a 3-yard run. A pass intended for Akers fell incomplete, and then on third and 7, Dormady tossed to Kirklin for a 20-yard gain and a first down on the St. Louis 30.
Dormady’s pass was low and knocked down, and then a short pass to Stevenson gained 2 yards. On third and 8, Dormady threw down field to Kirklin for a 22-yard gain to the St. Louis 6. A handoff to Ellison resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 10-6 for St. Louis. After the play, a 15-yard St. Louis personal foul penalty was to be enforced on the kickoff.
The Santoso kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, putting the ball on the St. Louis 25-yard line. McCarron handed to Saylors for no gain, and then was pressured and his pass hit the turf. On third down, McCarron scrambled for only 5 yards and the Battlehawks punted.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Stevenson to the San Antonio 28. Dormady handed to Ellison for a 2-yard run, and then passed to Kirklin for a 7-yard gain. On third and 1, Dormady threw a 7-yard pass to Alize Mack to move the chains. A handoff to Ellison gained 11 yards, and then Dormady was sacked for a 4-yard loss. A pass to Justin Smith was not caught as Dormady was hit hard. On third and 14, Dormady passed short to Stevenson who was wrapped up after a 2-yard gain, causing the Brahmas to punt.
The Brad Wing punt was taken by fair catch at the St. Louis 8-yard line. A short pass to Pearson lost one-yard, and then a handoff to Saylors gained 4-yards. On third and 7, McCarron passed down field to a wide-open Hakeem Butler for a 23-yard gain.
McCarron kept the ball and got tripped up after a 4-yard run, and then was pressured and sacked for a loss. A Brahmas neutral zone infraction negated the play and gave the Battlehawks 5 yards. A handoff to Saylors gained 3 yards for a first down, and then a pass to Mitchell was overthrown and fell incomplete as the third quarter ended.
McCarron was sacked for a 7-yard loss, and then a pass to Shepherd gained only 3 yards. The Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Stevenson to the San Antonio 40. Dormady’s pass intended for Smith fell incomplete, and then a 12-yard run by Ellison moved the markers. A handoff to Williams gained 4 yards, and then a pass to Smith was out of reach. On third and 6, Dormady was pressured and had to throw the ball away. The Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Brad Wing punt was returned to the St. Louis 27 by Shepherd. McCarron’s pass intended for Butler fell incomplete, and then a handoff to Wayne Gallman gained 6 yards. On third and 4, a deep pass to Pearson fell incomplete, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt was downed at the San Antonio 16-yard line. Dormady was pressured and had to throw the ball away, and then a handoff to Williams made no gain. On third and 10, a deep pass to Turner was over his head, and the Brahmas were forced to punt.
The Wing punt was returned by Shepherd all the way back to the San Antonio 36. A handoff to Saylors gained 12 yards, and then another handoff to Saylors was almost stuffed for a loss, but Saylors fought for a 1-yard gain. McCarron passed deep to Gallman in the end zone, but he was well covered and the ball was nearly intercepted. On third and 9, McCarron passed to Mitchell in the end zone, but the ball was bobbled, and nearly intercepted. The Battlehawks settled for a 38-yard Andre Szmyt field goal to make the score 13-6 for St. Louis.
The Hofrichter kickoff was returned to the San Antonio 49 by Pooka Williams. Dormady passed to Kirklin for a 16-yard gain, and then handed to Ellison for a 2-yard loss. Dormady was pressured and hit as he threw a 51-yard pass down field to Kirklin for a touchdown, making the score 13-12 for St. Louis.
On the two-point conversion attempt, St. Louis was penalized for a neutral zone infraction. The two-point conversion was re-attempted from the 2-yard line and a catch by Kirklin was ruled to be short of the end zone. After review, it was determined that Kirklin was in the end zone and the conversion was granted, however St. Louis head coach Anthony Becht threw a challenge flag saying there was an illegible downfield receiver, and won the challenge. The two-point conversion was re-attempted again, from the 7-yard line, and a pass to Justin Smith was dropped, keeping the score at 13-12 for St. Louis.
After the two-minute warning, the Santoso kickoff was returned by Mitchell to the St. Louis 36. McCarron handed to Gallman for a 9-yard run, and then another Gallman run lost a yard. On third and 2, McCarron was sacked for an 8-yard loss, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Stevenson to the San Antonio 26. With 0:50 remaining, a pass to Smith was dropped, and then a 17-yard catch by Turner put the ball on the St. Louis 43. A Dormady pass drew a defensive pass interference penalty, giving the Brahmas a first town on the St. Louis 39.
After a one-yard catch by Williams the Brahmas took their final time out. With 0:12 remaining, a neutral zone infraction gave the Brahmas five more yards to get into field goal range. The Brahmas attempted a 51-yard Ryan Santoso field goal which missed low and to the left.
The final score was St. Louis Battlehawks 13, San Antonio Brahmas 12.
Box Score
------ SCORING ------
TEAM 1 2 3 4 T
SAN 0 0 6 6 12
STL 0 10 0 3 13
------ SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS ------
San Antonio Brahmas Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
12 Dormady, Quinten 15-27 188 1 0 56 126.3
14 Garbers, Chase 5-11 40 0 1 45 57.8
San Antonio Brahmas Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
27 Ellison, Morgan 11 43 1 11 3.9
14 Garbers, Chase 3 5 0 4 1.7
05 Stevenson, Marquez 1 4 0 4 4
17 Williams, Jr., Pook 2 4 0 4 2
San Antonio Brahmas Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
13 Kirklin, Jontre 7 127 1 37 10 60
84 Turner, Calvin 3 36 0 17 5 8
17 Williams, Jr., Pook 3 9 0 6 3 21
05 Stevenson, Marquez 3 8 0 4 4 10
82 Akers, Landen 2 26 0 22 4 6
10 Smith, Justin 1 14 0 14 7 0
88 Mack, Alize 1 8 0 8 2 10
San Antonio Brahmas Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
21 Nelson, Scott (SAF) 9 8 0 2 0 2 0
09 Ray, Wyatt (OLB) 6 3 0 0 0 0 0
22 Tabor, Teez (CB) 4 2 0 0 1 1 0
98 Emili, Prince (DT) 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
15 Williams, Jordan (MLB) 3 2 0 0 0 1 0
01 Thompson, Bryce (CB) 3 3 1 2 0 0 0
92 Twyman, Jaylen 2 2 1 1 0 1 0
88 Mack, Alize 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
02 Phillips, Darius (CB) 2 1 0 0 0 1 0
28 Mayfield Jr., Corey 2 1 0 0 0 1 0
06 Langford, Derrick (CB) 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
11 Beckett, Tavante (LB) 2 2 0 1 0 0 0
40 Barnes, Robert 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
45 Scott, Delontae (OLB) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
91 Nelson, Garrett 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
82 Akers, Landen 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 Anyalebechi, Kelech 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
93 Sykes, Jacob (DT) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
13 Kirklin, Jontre 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
55 Mollette, Alex 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
San Antonio Brahmas All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
Kirklin, Jontre 127 0 127 0 0 0 1
Williams, Jr., Pook 119 4 9 106 0 0 0
Stevenson, Marquez 46 4 8 0 34 0 0
San Antonio Brahmas Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
Wing, Brad 6 268 44.667 58 2
San Antonio Brahmas Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Williams, Jr., Pook 4 106 27 42 0
San Antonio Brahmas Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Stevenson, Marquez 5 34 07 21 0
San Antonio Brahmas Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Santoso, Ryan 2nd-00:16 59 MISS
Santoso, Ryan 4th-00:08 51 MISS
TOTAL 0-2
------ ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS ------
St. Louis Battlehawks Passing
# PLAYER C-A YDS TD I C% RTG
10 McCarron, AJ 10-24 115 1 1 42 87.3
St. Louis Battlehawks Rushing
# PLAYER ATT YDS TD LNG AVG
15 Saylors, Jacob 12 50 0 12 4.2
30 Gallman II, Wayne 6 41 0 17 6.8
10 McCarron, AJ 4 12 0 6 3
01 Pearson, Jahcour 1 2 0 2 2
St. Louis Battlehawks Receiving
# PLAYER NO YDS TD LNG TGT YAC
01 Pearson, Jahcour 3 36 0 21 5 10
88 Butler, Hakeem 2 34 0 23 5 5
15 Saylors, Jacob 2 7 0 8 3 11
22 Mitchell Jr., Steve 1 22 1 22 4 0
84 Sutherland, Jake 1 12 0 12 1 1
11 Shepherd, Darrius 1 4 0 4 2 -2
30 Gallman II, Wayne 0 0 0 0 2 0
80 Averett, Kemari 0 0 0 0 1 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Defense
# Player (Starter) TotTk Solo Sack TFL Int BrUp FF
51 Harvey, Willie (LB) 10 6 1 2 0 0 0
29 Askew-Henry, Dravon(S) 9 6 0 0 0 1 0
23 Kelly, Kameron (DB) 6 4 0 0 1 1 0
27 Rose, Mike (MLB) 5 4 0 0 0 0 0
20 Bolden, Nico 5 1 0 0 0 0 0
48 Garrett, Chris 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
04 Harris, Tim (CB) 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
56 Feeney, Travis (DE) 4 2 1 2 0 0 0
25 Latulas, Kevon 3 3 0 0 0 0 0
96 Smith, Kobe 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
99 Faoliu, Austin (DT) 2 1 0 0 0 0 1
31 Hampton, Mike 2 1 0 0 0 1 0
09 Payton-Jones, Chris(CB) 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
80 Averett, Kemari 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
07 Taumoepenu, Pita (DE) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
84 Sutherland, Jake 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
33 Lewis, Drew 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
74 Gonzalez, Steven 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
52 Jackson, Antwuan (DT) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
24 Hill, Lavert (CB) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
15 Saylors, Jacob 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
St. Louis Battlehawks All Purpose Yards
Player Tot Rush Rec KOR PR IR-FR TDs
Shepherd, Darrius 92 0 4 16 72 0 0
Saylors, Jacob 57 50 7 0 0 0 0
Mitchell Jr., Steve 44 0 22 22 0 0 1
St. Louis Battlehawks Punting
Punter NO YDS AVG LNG I20
Hofrichter, Sterling 7 334 47.714 59 2
St. Louis Battlehawks Kick Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Mitchell Jr., Steve 1 22 22 22 0
Shepherd, Darrius 1 16 16 16 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Punt Returns
Returner NO YDS AVG LNG TD
Shepherd, Darrius 3 72 24 41 0
St. Louis Battlehawks Field Goals
Kicker Time Dist Result
Szmyt, Andre 2nd-2:03 32 GOOD
Szmyt, Andre 4th-3:19 38 GOOD
TOTAL 2-2 LONG OF 38
------ TEAM STATS ------
STAT SAN STL
Total Yds 272 199
Pass Yds 216 94
Rush Yds 56 105
Penalties 4-30 5-32
1st Downs 18 10
3rd Downs 6-13 2-12
4th Downs 0-0 0-0
Total Plays 57 50
Avg Yds/Play 4.8 4.0
Avg Yds/Completion 10.8 9.4
Avg Yds/Rush 3.3 4.6
Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) 68 (4.5) 126 (6.3)
Red Zone 1-2 0-2
Time of Poss 29:49 30:11
Turnovers (Def Pts Off) 2 (0) 1 (0)
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Sacks (Def Yds) 3.0 (21.0) 2.0 (12.0)
TFL (Def Yds) 7 (26.0) 4 (16.0)
Alt. Kickoffs 0-0 0-0
