Home NFL St. Louis Battlehawks Takes Down The Seattle Sea Dragons 20-18

St. Louis Battlehawks Takes Down The Seattle Sea Dragons 20-18

346
0
Photo Credit: Francine Scott

Seattle, WA—-If you are playing the Battlehawks you better be prepared to play sixty-minutes of hard nose football.

St. Louis might as well be called the comeback kids of the XFL.

Seattle moved the ball well from the start, banging in a field goal in the first quarter and scoring a touchdown early in the second. The Sea Dragons completed the 3-point conversion to take a 12 to 0 lead.

The Battlehawks responded immediately and scored on a 1-yard  touchdown from quarterback A.J. McCarron. He hit Marcell Ateman  with a pass for 2 points, down 12 to 8 at the end of the second.

For the second straight week, St. Louis faced a double-digit deficit; this time, they fell behind by 12 points in Week 2 to the Sea Dragons in Seattle. For the second straight week, the Battlehawks (2-0) came back and scored in the waning seconds to win, this time on a walk-off, 44-yard field goal from Donny Hageman for a 20-18 victory on the road at the Lumen Field.

The Sea Dragons (0-2) experienced much of the same issues that plagued them in their week 1 loss to the DC Defenders. Quarterback Ben DiNucci had several outstanding plays, but he turned the ball over twice, both on fumbles, including one on a quarterback sneak. Seattle had three turnovers in all in the second half which was the difference in the game.

Photo Credit: Francine Scott
In the third, kicker Donny Hageman attempted a 36-yard field goal but clanked it off the the upright post. The Battlehawks got the ball back after a fumble from the Sea Dragons. Hageman banged a 44-yard field goal, pulled within one 12 to 11.

St. Louis took the lead in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard pass from McCarron to wide-out Hakeem Butler. Battlehawks led 17 to 12 after their 2-point try was unsuccessful.

With three minutes left in the game, Hageman attempted a 50-yard field goal but was unsuccessful for the second time.

The Sea Dragons kept the game interesting in the last two minutes, scoring on an 8-yard pass and converting 3-points to take the lead 18 to 17.

St. Louis came back down the field in the last minute of the game to win on a 44-yard field goal to seal the game.

McCarron was dangerous both through the air and on the ground when needed to use his legs. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for a team-high 41 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Last-minute wins have become a norm for the Battlehawks and the team is now 2-0 on the season.

DiNucci went 19 for 29 for 196 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing eight times for 38 yards.

Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons score

1 2 3 4 F
Battlehawks 0 8 3 9 20
Sea Dragons 3 9 0 6 18