The 2020 Battlehawks will hold a favorable place in the hearts of XFL fans and St. Louisans a like. The return of pro football to the “Dome” in 2020 brought to a city that was wronged by the NFL particularly Stan Kroenke who shipped the Rams to L.A. While members of the 2020 Battlehawks have continued their careers in Pro Football one player was recognized for his skillset up north in the CFL.
Casey Sayles a member of the 2020 team was named a CFL All-Star in the East Division as a member of the Hamiliton Tiger-Cats. Sayles who came out of Ohio University, in 2016 has been playing the CFL since 2021 upon the XFL’s ceasing of operations due to the pandemic. In three CFL seasons Sayles has totaled 114 tackles along with 18.0 sacks for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamiliton. In 2023 Sayles totaled 50 tackles coupled with 7.0 sacks both career highs.
Sayles has been a bit of a journey man before finding stability in the NFL. The former Ohio Bobcat has had stints with the Rams, Steelers (x2), and Birmingham Iron (AAF), along with the Battlehawks in 2020. While his time in St. Louis may have been limited, Sayles won the hearts of fans by trading a football for a box of Girl Scout cookies with a young fan.
While the 2023 Battlehawks gave us plenty of new memories to reminisce about, nothing quite hits our emotions like the 2020 team. Whether it be Joe Powell’s TD return, Taylor Heinicke smashing seltzers, or Jordan Ta’amu’s acrobatics, seeing players like Casey Sayles continue to succeed brings a smile to St. Louisans along with fans of the XFL. While merger talks currently have many speculating about the future of the XFL, one thing is for sure the Battlehawks will always be a fixture in Spring Football for years to come.
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