Wayne Gallman #30 of the St. Louis Battlehawks catches a pass against Marquel Lee #25 of the Arlington Renegades in the game at Choctaw Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/UFL/Getty Images)
St. Louis Battlehawks at Arlington Renegades
Saturday May 25, 2024 11:00 AM CT (12:00 PM ET)
Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, TX
Attendance: 8,545
Network: ABC
Announcers: Mike Monaco (Play-by-Play), Sam Acho (Analyst), Stormy Buonantony (Sideline Reporter), Cole Cubelic (Sideline Reporter)
In this game, the Battlehawks and Renegades played for the second time this season and fourth time overall, with the Battlehawks winning each of the first three matchups. St. Louis defeated Arlington, 27-24, in the team’s Week 2 matchup in front of a record crowd of 40,317 fans on April 6 at The Dome at America’s Center. The Battlehawks also triumphed over the Bob Stoops-led Renegades, 15-9, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington in the first game of the 2020 XFL season. St. Louis also defeated Arlington, 24-11, in its Week 4 home opener of the 2023 season.
Arlington is out of contention for a playoff spot, but for St. Louis, this game is about playoff positioning. On Sunday, June 9, the St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas will square off in the XFL Conference Championship at 6 p.m. CT, with the final two weeks of the regular season determining the game’s location. The Battlehawks can clinch a home-field advantage with a win over Arlington and a Brahmas loss in their game against Birmingham.
Sterling Hofrichter kicked off 76 yards for St. Louis and Arlington’s Juan Manigo took the kickoff to the Arlington 34-yard line. Quarterback Luis Perez attempted a throw to J.P. Payton, but the pass was broken up with Payton injured on the play. Perez handed to De’Veon Smith for a 6-yard gain, and then passed to Deontay Burnett for a gain of 5 yards and a first down.
Perez handed to Smith for a 7-yard run, and then passed to Isaiah Winstead for a 4-yard gain and another first down. A pass to Austin Allen went incomplete, and then a pass to Winstead was dropped. On third and 10, a pass to Sal Cannella could not be completed, and the Renegades were forced to punt.
Marquette King’s punt went 32 yards and pinned St. Louis on their 13-yard line. St. Louis quarterback Manny Wilkins passed to Darrius Shepherd for a 4-yard gain, and then passed to Steven Mitchell for no gain. On 3rd and 6, Wilkins rushed, but could only get 4 yards, and the Battlehawks punted.
The Hofrichter punt was returned by Manigo to the Arlington 33. Perez passed to Cannella for 7 yards, and then handed to Devin Darrington for no gain. On third and 3, Holton Ahlers came into the game, but was sacked for a 1-yard loss, where he fumbled. The ball was recovered by Arlington’s Bobby Evans, and the Renegades had to punt.
King punted and Jahcour Pearson muffed the punt. Fortunately for the Battlehawks, they recovered the ball on the St. Louis 16.
Wilkins tossed to Saylors for a 6-yard run, and then went back to Saylors who broke it open for a 16-yard rush and a first down. A quarterback sneak by Wilkins gained 5 yards, and then a pass intended for Wayne Gallman was not caught. On third and 5, Wilkins completed a pass to Blake Jackson at the first down marker, but the Renegades stripped the ball and Will Clarke recovered the fumble on the St. Louis 46.
Luis Perez passed deep to Sal Cannella for a 46-yard touchdown. On the two-point conversion, a pass to Isaiah Winstead in the back of the end zone was good, making the score 8-0 for Arlington.
The Jonathan Garibay kickoff was returned by Darrius Shepherd to the St. Louis 41. Wilkins handed to Saylors for an 8-yard gain, and then handed again to Saylors for 3 yards and a first down. Another handoff to Saylors gained 3 yards, and then a short toss to Gallman was converted to a 17-yard gain to the Arlington 29. Wilkins kept the ball and scrambled for 8 yards, and then handed to Gallman who lost 2 yards. On third and 4, a pass to Gallman gained 14 yards and a first down as the first quarter ended.
From the Arlington 8-yard line, Wilkins was pressured and threw the ball away, and then passed to Shepherd for a 6-yard gain. On third and goal, Wilkins kept the ball but could only make 2 yards, and the Battlehawks settled for a 20-yard Andre Szmyt field goal to make the score 8-3 for Arlington.
Manigo returned the Hofrichter kickoff to the Arlington 32. A handoff to Smith gained 12 yards for a first down, and then a deep throw to Winstead was well-defended. Perez passed to Tyler Vaughns for an 8-yard gain on the sideline, and then went back to Vaughns for a 3-yard catch and a first down.
Perez passed to Burnett who gained 5 yards, and then handed to Darrington for a 4-yard run. On third and 1, a Darrington 2-yard run moved the markers to the St. Louis 32. Perez was pressured and scrambled 4 yards to the sideline, and then Perez could not complete a pass to Winstead. On third and 6, a 1-yard pass to Smith was short of a first down, and the Renegades kicked a 44-yard Garibay field goal. A St. Louis defensive offside granted the Renegades a first down and the field goal was negated.
A handoff to Smith lost 2 yards, and then a pass to Smith gained 5 yards. On third and 7, Perez was sacked for a 2-yard loss. A 38-yard Garibay field goal was good to make the score 11-3 for Arlington.
Darrius Shepherd returned the Garibay kickoff to midfield. Wilkins handed to Saylors for a 39-yard run to the Arlington 12-yard line. Another handoff to Saylors gained 1 yard, and then Saylors received a short pass and ran the ball 11-yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed when Gallman was hit and fumbled the ball, making the score 11-9 for Arlington.
Manigo muffed the kickoff return, but recovered the ball and had a short return to his own 23-yard line. Perez handed to Smith for a 5-yard gain, and then passed 20 yards to Burnett on the sideline. Another handoff to Smith gained 4 yards, and then a handoff to Darrington gained no yards as the two-minute warning was announced.
Perez passed to Winstead for a 13-yard gain and a first down. A pass to Burnett gained 8 yards, and then Perez passed 27 yards to a well-covered Winstead for a Renegades touchdown. On the two-point conversion, Holton Ahlers flipped the ball to Winstead for a 5-yard run to make the score 19-9 for Arlington.
Darrius Shepherd returned the kickoff to the St. Louis 43. Wayne Gallman rushed for 4 yards, and then Wilkins passed to Shepherd for an 18-yard gain. With 0:38 remaining, Wilkins scrambled for a 10-yard gain to the Arlington 24. Wilkins passed short to Shepherd, who ran all the way to the Arlington 6-yard line, and then Wilkins tossed deep into the end zone but the pass was out of bounds.
With 0:15 remaining, a Wilkins rush went out of bounds at the 1-yard line. On third and goal, a Jacob Saylors run was inches short of the goal line. With 0:02 on the clock, a Manny Wilkins rush scored a St. Louis touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 19-15 for Arlington at half time.
The second half began with a Garibay 62-yard kickoff which was returned by Shepherd to the St. Louis 40-yard line. Wilkins handed to Saylors for a 4-yard run, and then passed to Mitchell for a 5-yard gain. On third and 1, a 1-yard run by Saylors moved the chains. A false start penalty pushed the Battlehawks back 5 yards, and then Wilkins passed to Butler for a 5-yard gain. A deep pass to Mitchell gained 40 yards to the Arlington 10-yard line.
A Saylors rush gained 3 yards, and then Manny Wilkins scrambled 7 yards for a Battlehawks touchdown. The one-point conversion attempt failed, to make the score 21-19 for St. Louis.
Manigo returned the Hofrichter kickoff to the Arlington 23-yard line. Perez handed to Smith for a 4-yard run, and then passed to Winstead on the sideline, who broke the initial tackle and ran up field for a 21-yard gain. A handoff to Smith was stuffed for no gain, and then a Perez pass was tipped and hit the ground incomplete. On third and 10, Perez passed to Cannella who broke a tackle to scramble 12 yards for the first down on the St. Louis 39
Perez’s pass intended for Smith was short and hit the turf, and then another pass to Smith gained 5-yards. On third and 5, a short pass to Canella was marked just short of the first down marker. On fourth down, a short pass to Seth Green was converted to a 25 yard gain to the St. Louis 5-yard line. Another pass to Green in the end zone resulted in an Arlington touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was good with another pass to Seth Green, to make the score 27-21 for Arlington.
Shepherd returned the Garibay kickoff to the St. Louis 43. Manny Wilkins was pressured and had to throw the ball away, and then Wilkins passed to Pearson for a 7-yard gain. On third and 3, an 8-yard pass to Butler moved the markers to the Arlington 42.
Wilkins was pressured and had to get rid of the ball, and then a screen pass to Shepherd gained one yard. On third and 9, a pass intended for Pearson was well-defended and knocked away by Jamar Summers. The Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The punt went into the end zone for a touchback, placing the ball on the Arlington 25-yard line. A handoff to Darrington gained 15 yards, and then Perez passed to Caleb Vander Esch who gained zero yards. A pass to Vaughns was dropped, and then Perez passed again to Vaughns for a 20-yard gain to move the chains to the St Louis 40. A 3-yard pass to Darrington ended the third quarter.
Perez passed to Green for an 8-yard gain, and then handed to Darrington for a 16-yard rush to move the markers to the St. Louis 9. Another handoff to Darrington gained only one yard, and then a pass to Green at the goal line was well defended and nearly intercepted. On 3rd and goal, a pass to Cannella was tackled for no gain. The Renegades settled for a 26-yard Garibay field goal to make the score 30-21 for Arlington.
The Garibay kickoff resulted in a touchback, placing the ball on the St. Louis 25. Wilkins passed incomplete, and then handed to Saylors for a 5-yard run. On third and 5, Wilkins scrambled and passed to Pearson at the first down marker. On first down, a short pass to Mitchell gained one yard, and then a handoff to Saylors made no gain. On third and 9, a Wilkins pass intended for Jackson was short, and the Battlehawks were forced to punt.
The Hofrichter punt just touched the goal line for a touchback and the ball was spotted on the 25-yard line. Perez handed to Smith for a 2-yard run, and then passed to Manigo for no gain. On third and 7, Perez passed deep for Winstead, who dropped the ball. The Renegades were forced to punt.
The King punt was downed on the St. Louis 21-yard line. Wilkins handed to Saylors who ran up the middle for a 17-yard gain. Wilkins was pressured and he threw the ball away, and then Wilkins ran to the right and gained 5 yards. On third and 5, Wilkins was pressured and nearly sacked, but recovered and scrambled to the first down marker. Upon review, the ball was spotted one yard short of a first down. Wilkins passed short to Jake Sutherland, who ran up the sideline for a 16-yard gain to the Arlington 37.
Wilkins was pressured and had to throw the ball away, and then a pass to Pearson was intercepted by Steven Jones on the Arlington 25. Perez handed to Smith for a 2-yard rush as the two-minute warning was announced.
Perez was pressured and threw the ball incomplete, intended for Cannella. On third and 8, a delay of game penalty pushed the Renegades back 5 yards. Now on third and 13, Perez was flushed from the pocket and scrambled for only 6 yards. The Renegades were forced to punt.
The King punt was returned by Shepherd to the St. Louis 45. With 1:40 remaining, Wilkins was intercepted by Joe Powell for a 45-yard touchdown. The one-point conversion attempt was intercepted by the Battlehawks’ Keylon Kennedy who returned the ball all the way to the Arlington end zone, to score the point for the Battlehawks. The score was now 36-22 for Arlington.
Pearson returned the Garibay kickoff to the St. Louis 43. Wilkins passed deep to Mitchell, but the pass fell out of bounds. Another deep pass by Wilkins was intercepted by Arlington’s Myles Dorn, who went down at the Arlington 44.
Arlington went into victory formation and ran out the remaining time on the clock.
The final score was Arlington Renegades 36, St. Louis Battlehawks 22.
