Battlehawks QB A.J. McCarron (10) throws a pass to teammate Brian Hill (23) during Sunday’s XFL football game at the Dome in St. Louis. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington (2-2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| St. Louis (3-1) | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — After opening the season with three straight games on the road, the St. Louis Battlehawks finally got to play in front of its home fans on Sunday, with a game at the Dome at America’s Center against the visiting Arlington Renegades.
And the home fans were very happy to see their team back at home and back at the Dome.
A wild, raucous and record-setting crowd of more than 38,000 filled the lower bowl and a good portion of the upper deck, to set an XFL all-time attendance record and top every attendance mark for any professional spring football league ever.
And everyone in the building wearing Battlehawk blue and silver went home happy, as the home team took down the Renegades, 24-11.
“That was a lot of fun,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. “This crowd was just great. It was so fun to be out here and playing in front of them.
“When I got the job, the head coaching job, I was really hoping that I would be assigned to this team and be in this city, and get to play in front of these fans. They are the best. This is the best home field advantage in the league and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
The Battlehawks dominated from start to finish, and the large crowd appeared to play a role in making that happen, as the visiting team had experienced a number of issues throughout the game due to excessive noise.
Among other things, Arlington had to use hand-signals to call plays and were forced to use at least one timeout in the first-half timeout because crowd noise caused a communication breakdown on its sideline.
The Renegades also often appeared to be out of sorts on the field because their players could hear each other when they tried to call plays or make defensive alignment calls.
“The fans were great today,” Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron said. “We all know St. Louis is a great football city and these fans proved it here today. They been outside partying all day, getting ready for today, and then they just kinda brought the party inside. And it was great to see.”
McCarron had some fun on the field as well, as he threw two touchdown passes to lead the Battlehawks, while teammate and former Belleville West High standout Brian Hill ran for a touchdown to helped his hometown team win its 2023 home opener.
“So much fun, man,” Hill said. “I’ve got all my family and friends here today. I think I bought 42 tickets for this game. My friends and family haven’t seen me play in person (and) in town since I was in high school. So this was a truly special day for me and my family.”
Even though St. Louis seemed to control the action on the field from the start, it didn’t actually take control on the scoreboard until McCarron hit Darrius Shepherd for a 27-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to give the Battlehawks the lead. St. Louis added a two-point conversion on a pass from McCarron to Hill and went into the break leading 11-3.
But that was just the beginning, Hill broke free for a 15-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter to give the Battlehawks a 17-3 lead.
Arlington answered back with a 1-yard touchdown score and two-point conversion of its own early in the fourth quarter, but St. Louis put the game away midway through the fourth, when McCarron found Hakeem Butler for a 25-yard touchdown toss, that along with a one-point conversion to Jake Sutherland, gave the Battlehawks their final margin.
“I thought we played well in all phases, offense, defense, and special teams,” Becht said. “We had a real good week of practice and our guys have been gelling together pretty well these last couple of weeks. So we felt pretty good about what we’d be able to do out here today.”
The win lifted St. Louis’ record to 3-1 and sets up a huge matchup next week, when the Battlehawks will host the team that handed them their only loss this season, the 4-0 D.C. Defenders.
The two clubs played last week, with D.C. winning 34-28, in a what was a terrific game for the first 59 minutes and 45 seconds, but was then marred by a melee on the field, as players threw punches and helmets at one another, at the end of a very intense battle.
The Battlehawks and Defenders will play on Saturday at the Dome, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
Scoring Summary
| 1ST QUARTER | ARL | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 5:46 – FG – Donny Hageman 28 yd field goal | 0 | 3 |
| 2ND QUARTER | ARL | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 4:35 – FG – Taylor Russolino 37 yd field goal | 3 | 3 |
| :11 – TD – Darrius Shepherd 27 yd pass from A.J. McCarron (A.J. McCarron pass to Brian Hill for 2-point conversion) | 3 | 11 |
| 3RD QUARTER | ARL | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:48 – TD – Brian Hill 15 yd run (2-point pass conversion failed) | 3 | 17 |
| 4TH QUARTER | ARL | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:40 – TD – De’Veon Smith 1 yd run (De’Veon Smith Pass to Sal Cannella for 2-point conversion) | 11 | 17 |
| 9:55 – TD – Hakeem Butler 25 Yd pass from A.J. McCarron (A.J. McCarron pass to Jake Sutherland for 1-point conversion) | 11 | 24 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks Upcoming XFL Football Schedule |
| Sat., March 18 — vs. D.C. Defenders — 6 pm (FX) |
| Sat., March 25 — at Vegas Vipers — 6 pm (FX) |
| Sat., April 1 — at Houston Roughnecks — 2 pm (ESPN2) |
| Sat., April 8 — vs. Vegas Vipers — 12 pm (ESPN) |
| Sun., April 16 — vs. Seattle Sea Dragons — 2 pm (ESPN) |
| Sat., April 22 — vs. Orlando Guardians — 11 am (ESPN) |
| All Battlehawks home games will be played at The Dome at America’s Center. |