The St. Louis Battlehawks fell to the Arlington Renegades, 30-15, at Choctaw Stadium in front of 9,614 fans. The defeat marked the first back-to-back losses in Battlehawks team history.
On the first drive of the contest, QB Manny Wilkins went down untouched while dropping back in the pocket, resulting in an Arlington fumble recovery and touchdown with a successful two-point conversion. Play was stopped following the Arlington touchdown and Wilkins was removed for an ankle injury with 12:25 left in the first quarter.
QB Max Duggan took the helm on the next drive, connecting at a 60% pass completion rate (6-10) for 48-yards and an interception through the first half. The team also racked up two fumbles in the first half, the second of which came from WR Blake Jackson’s kick return leading to Arlington’s second touchdown of the day.
St. Louis came back strong to start the second half, allowing Arlington only 17 yards over their first two drives. Arlington picked up a first down on their third drive, their first since the first quarter, before LB Willie Harvey recorded his first career interception for a 56-yard pick-six to make it a one-point game.
K Rodrigo Blankenship shined once again, going 3-3 in the contest, including two kicks over 50-yards. His first kick of the game was a 55-yarder, tying his 2nd longest career field goal from the University of Georgia and trailing his career-high 56-yard field goal from last week vs D.C.
Similarly, the Battlehawks Defense left their mark, allowing only 72 rushing yards and a 33% (4-12) third down conversion by Arlington. LB Chris Garrett recorded a sack during the fourth quarter, while DE Pita Taumopenu and DE Freedom Akinmoladun each added another sack in the following drive. Taumopenu leads the Battlehawks with 3.5 sacks on the season.
Despite the Battlehawks’ efforts, Arlington picked up two more touchdowns, including a 100-yard pick-six from their own endzone with 33 seconds left on the clock, to lock in a 30-15 Arlington victory.
The Battlehawks will return to the Battledome next week as they take on the Michigan Panthers at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 26 at The Dome at America’s Center. The game will be televised on ESPN. Tickets are available at UFLBattlehawks.com/tickets.