The Battlehawks go on the road for their second of three opening away games to Lumen Field to take on the Seattle Sea Dragons. Coming off a heartbreaking in week 1, the Sea Dragons have a short week heading into their home opener, while the St. Louis Battlehawks are flying flying high after the heroics of AJ McCarron and Austin Proehl in the league’s first Thursday night matchup.
Weather:
Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 37F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. At Night Clear. Low 21F. Winds light and variable.
Betting Odds Per DraftKings:
Spread: BattleHawks +3
Moneyline: BattleHawks +150, Brahmas -175
Over/Under: 36.5
Sea Dragons Depth Chart and Injury Report
Offense | 1 | 2 | 3 |
QB | Ben DiNucci – 6 (Captian) | Stephen Montez – 12 | Harrison Frost – 14 |
RB | Brendan Knox – 28 | Morgan Ellison – 25 | |
WR | Josh Gordon – 0 | Damion Willis – 15 | |
WR | Jah’cour Pearson – 3 | TJ Hammonds – 19 | Kelvin McKnight – 86 |
WR | Blake Jackson – 80 | Jaylon Redd – 13 | |
WR | Juwan Green – 4 | Jordan Veasy – 88 | |
TE | Charlie Tamoepeau – 89 | ||
OT | Liam Jimmons – 71 | Barry Wesley – 69 | |
OG | Mike Menet – 72 | Paul Gratten – 65 | |
OC | Jared Thomas – 73 | Tejan Koroma – 56 | |
OG | Chris Owens – 55 | Josh Seltzner – 70 | |
OT | Colin Kelly – 67 | ||
Defense | 1 | 2 | 3 |
DE | Niko Lalos – 97 | Daniel Jones – 96 | |
DN | Antwuan Jackson – 52 | PJ Hall – 92 | Sama Paama – 50 |
DT | Austin Faoliu – 58 | Trayvon Hester – 93 | |
OLB | Elijah Ponder – 44 | Shareef Miller – 48 | |
ILB | Tre Walker – 8 | Emmanuel Smith – 43 | |
ILB | Jordan Evans – 26 (Captian) | Clarence Hicks – 9 | |
OLB | Tuzar Skipper – 51 | ||
CB | Chris Jones – 5 | Rojesterman Farris – 17 | Zafir Kelly – 36 |
CB | Linden Stephens – 21 | Shabari Davis – 24 | Mykael Wright – 16 |
S | Bryce Thompson – 1 | Qwynnterrio Cole – 32 | |
S | Antoine Brooks – 2 | Alijah Holder – 33 | |
Special Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 |
K | Dominik Eberle – 11 | ||
P | Cameron Nizialek – 10 | ||
LS | Thomas Fletcher – 45 | ||
KR | Jeylon Redd – 13 | Morgan Ellison – 25 | |
PR | Jah’cour Pearson – 3 | Kelvin McKnight – 86 |
St. Louis Battlehawks Depth Chart and Injury Report
Game Preview:
After a courageous performance that saw the Battlehawks Defense on the field for 40 minutes, St. Louis is riding high, after their exiting Week One victory against the San Antonio Brahmas in dramatic fashion the Battlehawks are looking to continue their winning streak in Week Two.
The Sea Dragons despite gaudy passing numbers only mustered 18 points, and due to turnovers, found themselves at 0-1 after “Lemon Gate” at Audi Field. While Ben DiNucci was extremely dynamic and flashed highlights reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes, a Pick-6 and a Fumble on the goal was ultimately the nail in the coffin for DiNucci and the Sea Dragons. While Ron Zook’s Defense looked great against Jordan Ta’amu who is one of the more proficient passers in Alt-Football, look for AJ McCarron to continue to utilize his physical big bodied receivers like Marcell Ateman, and Hakeem Butler against the Sea Dragons smaller seconday.
For the Battlehawks their biggest question is around their offensive line. With newly converted Center Mike Panisuk given another week to prepare and learn the position, the Battlehawks could be primed for an offensive breakout, that features a more dynamic presence from their trio of running backs. With Seattle experiencing a bit of a cold front, coupled with some snow on Wednesday, the Battlehawks may be forced to lean on Brian Hill in Week Two, but as stated don’t count out the Battlehawks Receivers making physical catches if the running game looks anemic.
Closing Thoughts:
Coach Becht faces off a former interim Head Coach Jim Haslett (during his time with the Rams), in his 2nd game at Lumen Field this Thursday. With Battlehawks and Sea Dragons coming off a short week with only Two full practices, it’ll be interesting to see what improvements and schemes both teams use in Week Two. Ultimately, the Battlehawks prevail in this one improving to 2-0 with a 25-19 victory over the Seattle.
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Pat Rifino is a former Security Contractor turned writer. He began his writing career talking about geo-politics, and the defense industry. Now Pat writes about alt-league football, while hanging with his dogs in his off time.
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