Battlehawks QB A.J. McCarron tries to stiff arm away from Seattle’s Tyson Graham during Thursday’s XFL Football game at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Photo courtesy: XFL)
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis (2-0) | 0 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 20 |
| Seattle (0-2) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 18 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
SEATTLE, WA — For the second week in a row, the St. Louis Battlehawks pulled off a thrilling, heart-stopping victory. This time it came Thursday night, when the Battlehawks won on a last-second field goal by kicker Donny Hageman to soar past the host Seattle Sea Dragons, 20-18, in a game played at Lumen Field.
Hageman missed two kicks earlier in the game, which kept the contest close enough for Seattle to battle back and take a late lead. But with the game on the line and time about the expire, the former San Diego State standout banged home a 44-yarder to lift St. Louis to its second win of the season.
“I was really disappointed with the two I missed earlier,” Hageman said. “So I was really happy to have another chance to help our guys win this game. They played so hard. I was really glad to be able to get this win for us.”
The victory was the second straight comeback win for St. Louis, which trailed by double-digits in the second half for the second straight game, but was able to battle back due in large part to three turnovers by Seattle in the second half.
The Battlehawks managed just three points off those turnovers, but those miscues by the Sea Dragons kept them from adding to their lead. And that proved important once St. Louis took to the lead on a 44-yard touchdown catch and run by former NFL receiver Hakeem Butler.
Butler, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, and also played for the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles, caught a pass on a crossing route from quarterback A.J. McCarron, then stiff-armed a defender away, before coasting into the end zone for a score that gave the Battlehawks a 17-12 lead with just over seven minutes left in the game.
It looked like that might be enough to put Seattle away, especially once the St. Louis defense stopped the Sea Dragons on a fourth down play with 5:16 to go. But Hageman was short on a 50-yard field goal attempt with 3:12 to go that gave Seattle another chance.
And the Sea Dragons took advantage, by driving 60 yards on seven plays in a minute and 50 seconds to take the lead on a touchdown toss from Ben DiNucci to Jordan Veasy.
Fortunately, the Battlehawks didn’t panic. They had 1:21 left in the game and a timeout, which seemed like more than enough time to get into scoring range.
And that proved correct, as McCarron led his club to the Seattle 27-yard line with three seconds left to set up Hageman’s final field goal attempt.
The nerves were high on the St. Louis sideline, but Hageman was calm and confident, and he showed that by sending his kick right through the middle of the uprights as the clock hit zero to give the Battlehawks another scintillating win.
“It was just like we scripted it,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht joked after the game. “You gotta play four quarters, right? And that’s what we did. We played four quarters. Our guys battled hard and fought for this victory. I’m proud of these guys, man. We’re 2-0, baby. That’s what we came here to do. To get outta here 2-0, and we got it.”
St. Louis will look for its third straight win to begin the new XFL season, when it travels to the nation’s capital to the play the D.C. Defenders, who are also 2-0 this season. That game will be played on Sunday at noon and will be televised nationally on FX.
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | STL | SEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4:02 | SEA – Dominic Eberle 29 yd field goal | 0 | 3 |
| 2nd | 14:50 | SEA – Jahcour Pearson 54 yd pass from Ben DiNucci (Josh Gordon 3-pt pass from Ben DiNucci) | 0 | 12 |
| 2nd | 7:26 | STL – A.J. McCarron 1 yd run (Marcell Ateman 2-pt pass from A.J. McCarron | 8 | 12 |
| 3rd | 6:32 | STL – Donny Hageman 44 yd field goal | 11 | 12 |
| 4th | 7:08 | STL – Hakeem Butler 44 yd pass from A.J. McCarron (2-pt conversion failed) | 17 | 12 |
| 4th | 2:21 | SEA – Jordan Veasy 8 yd pass from Ben DiNucci (2-pt conversion failed) | 17 | 18 |
| 4th | :00 | STL – Donny Hageman 44 yd field goal | 20 | 18 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks Upcoming XFL Football Schedule |
| Sun., March 5 — at D.C. Defenders — 12 pm (FX) |
| Sun., March 12 — vs. Arlington Renegades — 3 pm (ESPN2) |
| 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. |