St. Louis at Arlington: Renegades Play Spoiler for Battlehawks Squad Seeking Home-Field Advantage

The Renegades got their second win of the season, defeating playoff-bound St. Louis with a trio of touchdowns from Luis Perez and four takeaways by the Arlington defense.

Mar 30, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arlington Renegades wide receiver Isaiah Winstead (14) and wide receiver Deontay Burnett (21) and wide receiver Juwan Manigo (19) celebrate after Winstead catches a pass for a touchdown against the Birmingham Stallions during the first half at Choctaw Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, TX — A day after receiving their XFL Championship rings, the Renegades (2-7) looked like a winning team again, controlling the majority of their Week 9 matchup against the playoff-bound Battlehawks (6-3) with a stellar showing from Luis Perez before sealing the 36-22 victory with a trio of interceptions.

Arlington built a 19-9 first-half lead before St. Louis found a spark, getting back-to-back rushing scores from Manny Wilkins to take the lead early in the third. The Battlehawks failed to find the end zone again, however, save for Keylon Kennedy’s interception return on Arlington’s one-point try with less than two minutes to play for the game’s final point.

Now, some notes on Arlington’s victory.

An Elite Outing from Perez

Perez finished the game 24-of-36 for 259 yards and a trio of touchdown passes. He put the Renegades on the board with a trick play pass to Sal Cannella in the opening frame, then connected with Isaiah Winstead and Seth Green for scores in the second and third quarters, respectively.

TRICK PLAY FOR THE TD@XFLRenegades take the lead over the Battlehawks! 🤠 pic.twitter.com/49xB0c6aNw

— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 25, 2024

Additionally, Perez led the Arlington offense on field goal drives of 14 and 11 plays, keeping the Battlehawks offense off the field.

Four Takeaways on Defense

The Renegades defense finished with four turnovers, matching their total from their win against Memphis in Week 7. 

Will Clarke recovered a first-quarter fumble forced by Myles Dorn — the trick play from Perez to Cannella came on the next snap — before the Battlehawks’ comeback hopes were quashed in the fourth with back-to-back-to-back interceptions of Wilkins, who made his second straight start in place of the injured A.J. McCarron (ankle).

Steven Jones, Jr’s interception felt like the game-clincher…until Joe Powell took his to the house less than a minute later, and Dorn added one last pick to give the ball back to Arlington for good.

PICK SIX RENEGADES 😱

The @XFLRenegades are a minute and a half away from taking down the Battlehawks! pic.twitter.com/yhVAcLK4rY

— United Football League (@TheUFL) May 25, 2024

Looking Ahead…

The San Antonio Brahmas were the real winners Saturday, controlling their destiny in the hunt for home-field advantage following St. Louis’ loss.

Regardless of the result between San Antonio and Birmingham this week, the winner of the Battlehawks’ and Brahmas’ Week 10 matchup will now host the XFL Championship Game, airing Saturday, June 8 at 3 p.m. EST on ABC.

You can find Kacy Sager on X (Twitter) at @THESagerbomb.

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