The Dallas Renegades (4-6) visited The Dome at America’s Center on Friday night to conclude their regular-season against the St. Louis Battlehawks (6-4).
In the first quarter, St. Louis had the ball on the 15-yard line. On the third play, Luis Perez’s pass to Hakeem Butler was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Dallas placed the ball on the 45-yard line. The Battlehawks gained an additional 15 yards to the 30-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 45-yard field goal to give St. Louis a 3-0 lead.
Later, St. Louis had the ball on the 42-yard line when Luis Perez threw a short pass to Blake Jackson. Ajene Harris forced the ball out, and Dallas recovered it on the 46-yard line. On the third play, quarterback Austin Reed threw a 16-yard pass to Drake Stoops to the 17-yard line. Two plays later, Reed threw a 17-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Butler for a 7-3 lead to conclude a six-play drive for 46 yards.
St. Louis had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. On the second play, Luis Perez threw a 56-yard pass to Hakeem Butler, followed by running back Kylin James rushing for five yards to the 17-yard line to end the first quarter down 7-3.
In the second quarter, St. Louis moved the ball to the nine-yard line before kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 32-yard field goal. The Battlehawks trailed the Renegades 7-6.
When St. Louis got the ball again at the 23-yard line, Luis Perez threw a 53-yard pass to Steven McBride to the 24-yard line. After the drive stalled, kicker Ramiz Ahmed missed a 40-yard field goal. Dallas took over, but St. Louis’s defense made quick work when Steve Linton stripped the ball from Austin Reed and recovered it on the 30-yard line.
Two plays later, Luis Perez’s pass was intercepted by Kalen DeLoach at the 23-yard line and run to the 40-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Austin Reed threw a 22-yard pass to Seth Green to the 39-yard line. Dallas gained eight more yards before Reed threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Vaughns.
Kicker Colton Theaker missed the extra point. The Renegades led the Battlehawks 13-6 to conclude a seven-play drive for 60 yards. Late in the second quarter, St. Louis tried to get into field goal range, but Luis Perez’s pass was intercepted by Ajene Harris. The Battlehawks trailed the Renegades 13-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, St. Louis had the ball on the 36-yard line. Running back Kylin James had two carries for 31 yards, and Luis Perez completed a short pass to James Bostic to the five-yard line. After a penalty backed them up five yards, Perez threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to James Bostic to tie the game 13-13. The drive took nine plays for 71 yards.
Both offenses struggled to move the ball for the rest of the third quarter. The game remained tied 13-13 heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, St. Louis’s defense stopped Dallas on fourth down. The offense moved the ball to the 29-yard line, where kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 46-yard field goal to give the Battlehawks a 16-13 lead.
Dallas had the ball on the 31-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Austin Reed threw a 20-yard pass to Tyler Vaughns to the 47-yard line. Three players, Reed threw an 18-yard pass to Emmanuel Butler to the 23-yard line. The Renegades moved the ball to the three-yard line before Austin Reed threw a touchdown pass to Emmanuel Butler for a 20-16 lead to conclude an 11-play drive for 69 yards.
Late in the game, Dallas’s defense stopped St. Louis on fourth down. The offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line. Dallas put the game away in a jet sweep when Tyler Vaughns ran for 24 yards to the 16-yard line. The Renegades snapped a six-game losing streak in a 20-16 win over the Battlehawks.
Dallas had 216 yards on offense (162 passing yards, 67 rushing yards), 15 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 15 of 26 passes (57.7%) for 162 yards, three touchdowns, and seven carries for 14 yards. Running back Lorenzo Lingard had 15 carries for 30 yards.
Wide receiver Emmanuel Butler made three catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyler Vaughns made three catches for 34 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 23 yards. The defense had 52 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
St. Louis had 293 yards on offense (272 passing yards, 58 rushing yards), 15 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times. Quarterback Luis Perez completed 18 of 29 passes (62.1%) for 272 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Running back Kylin James had six carries for 40 yards.
Wide receiver Steven McBride made four catches for 79 yards, while James Bostic made three catches for 35 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 44 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
The St. Louis Battlehawks will host a home playoff game next week against either the D.C. Defenders, Louisville Kings, or the Birmingham Stallions.
