May 25, 2024 – The St. Louis Battlehawks fell to the Arlington Renegades, 36-22, Saturday in front of 8,545 fans at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
QB Manny Wilkins had led the Battlehawks (6-3) back from a 10-point deficit with a pair of touchdowns surrounding halftime, but the Renegades (2-7) rebounded to score 17 points in the remainder of the second half to secure the victory.
With St. Louis down 19-9, Wilkins scored on a 1-yard rush on the final play of the first half to close St. Louis to within four points of Arlington. Wilkins then rushed for a 7-yard touchdown to end the first drive of the second half to put St. Louis ahead, 21-19, with 11 minutes, 53 seconds left in the third quarter.
Arlington responded with a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown catch and 2-point conversion reception by TE Seth Green from QB Luis Perez to retake the lead, 27-21. The Renegades tacked on three points with 11:45 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard field goal by K Jonathan Garibay, his second field goal of the game.
Renegades FS Joe Powell scored on a 49-yard interception return with 1:31 left in the game to run the Arlington advantage to 36-21. Battlehawks CB Keylon Kennedy intercepted Perez on the ensuing 1-point conversion attempt and returned it for a 1-point score that was the final point of the game.
The Renegades had previously extended an 11-9 advantage to 19-9 when Perez hit WR Isaiah Winstead for both a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 2-point conversion with 1:25 left before halftime. The Battlehawks also trailed by eight points, 11-3, earlier in the first half after a 38-yard Arlington field goal by Garibay with 5:22 remaining in the second quarter.
St. Louis RB Jacob Saylors, however, needed only three plays to reduce that lead to two points. Saylors began the drive with a 38-yard rush to the Renegades 12 yard line. He then rushed for 1 yard and caught an 11-yard pass for his UFL-leading eighth touchdown of the season with 3:49 left in the second quarter.
Arlington initially jumped ahead, 8-0, with 3:58 to play in the first quarter when Perez found TE Sal Cannella for a 46-yard touchdown pass and Winstead for a 2-point conversion. Battlehawks K Andre Szmyt shaved that deficit to five points on a 20-yard field goal with 13:05 left in the second quarter.
The Battlehawks will finish their regular-season schedule with a Week 10 home matchup against their XFL Championship opponent, the San Antonio Brahmas, at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 1 at The Dome at America’s Center. The game will be broadcast on FOX and FOX Sports on Sirius XM Radio.
NOTES
RB Jacob Saylors caught an 11-yard pass for his UFL-high eighth touchdown of the season (3rd receiving TD) with 3:49 to play in the second quarter. He leads all UFL non-QBs with 54 points scored this season. He also rushed for 104 yards to tie RB Mataeo Durant (Week 2 vs. ARL) for the franchise single-game rushing record.
QB Manny Wilkins threw his first professional touchdown with 3:49 to play in the first half on an 11-yard toss to RB Jacob Saylors. Wilkins also scored his second and third rushing touchdowns of the season: a 1-yard rush on the final drive of the first half and 7-yard rush on the first drive of the second half. He finished 18-for-32 with 179 passing yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. He rushed 10 times for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
LB Willie Harvey made a game-high 11 tackles to bring his season total to 68 tackles, surpassing his own franchise single-season record of 59 tackles during the 2023 XFL season.
WR Darrius Shepherd had a season-high 152 kick return yards for an average of 30.4 yards-per-return. He also led the team with five catches and 47 receiving yards. He finished with a game-high 216 all-purpose yards.
CB Keylon Kennedy made his first interception of the season on a 1-point conversion attempt and returned it for a 1-point score with 1:31 left in the fourth quarter.
WR Steven Mitchell Jr. caught four passes for a season-high 46 yards, including a 40-yard reception with 12:32 left in the third quarter that was his longest of the season and the longest pass completion of QB Manny Wilkins’ professional career.
LB Chris Garrett forced his second fumble of the season to tie LB Willie Harvey for the team lead.
K Andre Szmyt made his league-leading 17th field goal of the season on a 20-yard attempt with 13:05 left in the second quarter.
The Battlehawks rushed for a season-high 159 yards, their second straight game with 140+ rushing yards, and their highest total since they rushed for 173 yards in Week 5 of the 2020 season at D.C.
IMAGE GALLERY
Jacob Saylors #15 of the St. Louis Battlehawks runs the ball against the Arlington Renegades in the game at Choctaw Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/UFL/Getty Images)
Manny Wilkins #5 of the St. Louis Battlehawks runs the ball against Anree Saint-Amour #94 of the Arlington Renegades in the game at Choctaw Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/UFL/Getty Images)
Wayne Gallman Ii #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)
Jacob Saylors #15 of the St. Louis Battlehawks runs the ball for a touchdown against the Arlington Renegades in the game at Choctaw Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/UFL/Getty Images)
Manny Wilkins #5 of the St. Louis Battlehawks celebrates a touchdown against the Arlington Renegades in the game at Choctaw Stadium on May 25, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Click Thompson/UFL/Getty Images)
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
— With files provided by the St. Louis Battlehawks
