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The St. Louis Battlehawks fell, 25-15, Sunday to the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL Conference Championship with 30,237 fans in attendance at The Dome at America’s Center.
The Battlehawks (7-4) never held a lead but closed to within four points of San Antonio (8-3) in the third quarter when LB Pita Taumoepenu recovered a fumble by Brahmas QB Chase Garbers at the San Antonio 10 yard line. Taumoepenu sprinted to the end zone to narrow the score to 19-15 with 5 minutes, 41 seconds left in the third quarter.
Brahmas K Ryan Santoso made a 31-yard field goal on San Antonio’s following possession to complete an 8-play, 62-yard drive and extend the lead to 22-15 with 1:18 remaining in the third quarter. Both teams punted on their next possessions. St. Louis then reached the San Antonio 32 yard line, but K Andre Szmyt was unable to convert a 50-yard field goal attempt. Santoso then made a 45-yard field goal to give the Brahmas their final 10-point lead.
San Antonio led by as much as 19-3 with 10:08 to play in the third quarter after a 69-yard touchdown run from RB Anthony McFarland Jr. The Battlehawks scored their first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB A.J. McCarron to TE Jake Sutherland with 5:54 left in the third quarter to cut San Antonio’s advantage to 19-9. WR Hakeem Butler nearly made a 2-point conversion catch, but officials ruled the catch out of bounds, which left St. Louis at a 10-point deficit.
Battlehawks FS Kameron Kelly ended the Brahmas’ first offensive drive with an interception in his own end zone, but San Antonio scored on each of its next two drives. Garbers threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to WR Marquez Stevenson, and RB Morgan Ellison added a 1-point conversion to put the Brahmas up, 7-0, with 4:21 to play in the first quarter. Garbers then threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to WR Justin Smith on the first play of the second quarter to run the lead to 13-0. Szmyt gave St. Louis its first points on a 46-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 10 points, 13-3, with 11:36 remaining in the second quarter.
RB Jacob Saylors led the St. Louis rushing attack with 79 of the team’s 86 rushing yards for the game. WR Hakeem Butler made a game-high six catches for 59 yards, and McCarron was 19-for-29 passing for 179 yards and a touchdown. LB Elijah Lee led the defense with 12 tackles, including a sack, in his Battlehawks debut.
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