The St. Louis Battlehawks (3-2) visited Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night against their former head coach Anthony Becht, and the Orlando Storm (4-1).
In the first quarter, St. Louis had the ball on the 38-yard line. They moved the ball to the two-yard line before Kylin James rushed to his left side to score the touchdown. Kicker Ryan Sanborn missed the extra point, and the Battlehawks took a 6-0 lead to conclude an eight-play drive for 62 yards. For the rest of the first quarter, both defenses would get an interception. The Battlehawks led the Storm 6-0 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, St. Louis went on an 11-play drive for 59 yards. The drive ended when quarterback Harrison Frost threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to James Bostic. Kicker Ryan Sanborn missed his second extra point of the night. The Battlehawks led 12-0. For the rest of the second quarter, St. Louis kicker Ryan Sanborn made a 36-yard field goal and a 40-yard field goal to extend their lead to 18-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, St. Louis running back Jarveon Howard rushed for 31 yards. The offense reached the four-yard line when quarterback Harrison Frost scrambled to score the touchdown. It was now 25-0. The drive took four plays for 41 yards.
Orlando began to get momentum. They went on a 10-play drive for 82 yards, which ended with Jack Plummer throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Elijhah Badger. It was now 25-7. Later, Orlando player Konner Fox blocked a punt, and the ball rolled out of bounds at the one-yard line. On the next play, Elijah Dotson scored the touchdown. The Storm cut the deficit to 25-14 to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Orlando had a chance to add three points, but kicker Michael Lantz missed a 56-yard field goal. Both offenses struggled to move the ball. Late in the game, Orlando kicker Michael Lantz made a 32-yard field goal, and the Storm trailed the Battlehawks 25-17. Orlando went for a 4th and 12 play, where quarterback Jack Plummer threw a 14-yard pass to Sam Wiglusz.
Orlando moved the ball to the 36-yard line before Jack Plummer would go on to throw one pass for -3 yards and three straight incomplete passes, turning the ball over to St. Louis. Harrison Frost took a couple of kneel-downs, and the game was over. The Battlehawks handed the Storm their first loss of the season with a 25-17 win. It was also their first road win of the season.
St. Louis had 295 yards on offense (185 passing yards, 140 rushing yards), 20 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 185 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, four carries for 23 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Jarveon Howard had 12 carries for 59 yards.
Wide receiver Steven McBride made four catches for 53 yards, while Hakeem Butler made three catches for 47 yards, and James Bostic made two catches for six yards and one touchdown. The defense made 48 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.
Orlando’s offense had 211 yards (143 passing yards, 85 rushing yards), 18 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times. Quarterback Jack Plummer completed 24 of 44 passes (54.5%) for 143 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 17 yards. Running back Jashaun Corbin had 11 carries for 38 yards, while Elijah Dotson had four carries for two yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Elijhah Badger made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown, while Cam Camper made six catches for 34 yards. The defense made 61 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups.
Next Thursday, the St. Louis Battlehawks visit the Louisville Kings at 8 pm on FS1, while the Orlando Storm hosts the Birmingham Stallions on Sunday at 4 pm on Fox.
