Renegades Pummel Showboats 47-23 For Their First Win of the Season

It took seven weeks, but the Arlington Renegades can finally claim their first victory of the season with a final score of 47-23 over the Memphis Showboats. With both teams anxious to shake off brutal losing records and move out of last place in their respective divisions, the 0-6 Renegades dominated the 1-5 Showboats all afternoon, confounding their defense with a one-two punch of Perez’s superb passing (27/32 for 296 yards and three touchdowns) and a strong ground game from running back De’Veon Smith.

Instead of relying solely on the superior play of quarterback Luis Perez, the Renegades put together their most complete game of the season and looked like they could do no wrong. Coach Bob Stoops utilized backup quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. on several key plays. Throughout the afternoon, the team controlled the time of possession, capitalized on turnovers, and ran up the scoreboard.

Taking the field first, Arlington’s offense put together an impressive 11-play opening drive that culminated with a Lindsay Scott Jr., 9-yard touchdown strike to tight end Sal Cannella. It would be his first score of the day. Cannella finished the afternoon with 9 catches for 71 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Arlington running back De’Veon Smith knew he needed a big game with RB Dae Dae Hunter out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Smith stepped up and delivered an outstanding performance with 101 yards rushing on 14 carries and two touchdowns. Early in the second period, quarterback Lindsey Scott, Jr. handed off the ball to Smith on a first and goal who scored with a 1-yard touchdown. On the subsequent two-point conversion attempt, Smith threw the ball to Caleb Vender Esch in the end zone. The score was suddenly 22-3 in favor of Arlington.

Although the Renegades weren’t perfect on the day, coughing up two fumbles, they made it a very long afternoon for the visiting Showboats defense. The Renegades had 415 total yards and only punted twice.

Memphis Quarterback Troy Williams, who was making his second start for the Showboats, was impressive, passing 14/21 for 127 yards with one touchdown, and another 34 yards on six carries with one rushing touchdown. Sadly, the rushing touchdown came at a heavy price for Memphis when Williams was tackled and left the game with a shoulder injury in the closing seconds of the third quarter.

He was relieved by Case Cookus who finished the game. Cookus was 11/17 for 103 with one touchdown and one interception. He tossed an 8-yard touchdown to Vinny Papale late in the game providing an opportunity to go for the 4th and 12 option from the 28-yard line but in an all too familiar scene, Cookus was sacked and stripped of the ball.

Showboats running back Darius Victor had 11 carries for 33 yards with his longest rush of the season, breaking several tackles for a fifteen-yard gain. Titus Swen brought in another 29 yards on five carries. Next weekend the Showboats will attempt to right the ship when they take on the Michigan Panthers at Ford Field.

The 1-6 Renegades will visit the San Antonio Brahmas next week and hope to extend their winning streak.

Sue Levine

Sue Levine spent the past five years creating and producing a successful weekly health and wellness podcast starring a wonderful iconic woman as the program host. As part of Sue's responsibilities, she scripted every episode and discovered a genuine love of writing. When the podcast ended late last year, she shifted the focus of her writing to covering pro sports. A passionate fan of NFL and UFL football as well as fantasy, she is delighted to be able to share her articles with other football fans.

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