IMAGE SOURCE: Darrell Lee Owens Sr., LegacyMaker Sports
(Washington, DC) A crowd of 16,058 witnessed the DC Defenders suffer their first home loss in franchise history on Sunday afternoon, falling 45-12 to the St. Louis Battlehawks. The Battlehawks captured their fourth consecutive win on Sunday. Quarterback A.J. McCarron led the Battlehawks, going 14-24 for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
In the Battlehawks' opening possession, AJ McCarron was sacked by Defenders defensive lineman Malik Fisher, who forced a fumble at the Defenders' 14-yard line. Following the turnover, Defenders Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw an interception to cornerback Brandon Sebastian at the Defenders' 44-yard line. On the next possession, the Battlehawks would capitalize, as AJ McCarron connected with Hakeem Butler for a 13-yard touchdown to cap a 7-play, 44-yard drive to put the Battlehawks up 6-0 with 8:07 remaining in the first quarter. McCarron connected with Marcell Ateman on the 2-point conversion attempt to put the Battlehawks up 8-0. Andre Szmty connected on 2 field goals (37 and 51 yards ) to put the Battlehawks up 14-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.
The Battlehawks extended their lead to 17 as Andre Szmty connected on a 22-yard field goal with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Cam' Ron Harris's 1-yard rushing touchdown with 2:16 remaining in the second quarter put the Defenders on the board, cutting the Battlehawks' lead to 11 (17-6 Battlehawks). The Defenders failed to convert on the 2-point conversion attempt. Jordan Ta’amu connected with Kelvin Harmon to cap a 6-play 53-yard drive (2-point conversion attempt failed) with 18 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter to cut the Battlehawks lead to 5 (17-12) entering halftime.
With 1:25 remaining in the third quarter, Andre Szmty connected on a 48-yard field goal to extend the Battlehawks' lead to 8 (Battlehawks 20-12). The defender's last hope of gaining control of the game failed as Jordan Ta'amu was sacked by Pita Tamumoepenu, who forced a fumble that Battlehawks linebacker Willie Harvey recovered at the Defender's 37-yard line. Following the Defender's turnover, the Battlehawks scored 25 points in the 4th quarter, including a Wayne Gallman II rushing TD (2-point conversion failed), Jacob Saylors rushing TD (converted on1-point conversion), AJ McCarron's pass to Hakeem Butler, leading to an 80-yard reception for a touchdown (the longest play in UFL History, 2 point conversion failed ) & a rushing touchdown by quarterback Manny Wilkins (conversion failed) to give the Battlehawks their 4th straight win of the season.
The Defenders (2-3) continue their three-game homestand. They will face the San Antonio Brahmas on Sunday, May 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST.
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