THIS GIVEN SUNDAY — UFL SF: DEFENDERS, KINGS FOR UNITED BOWL

Two UFL Cinderella stories will meet with a championship on the line after the defending champion DC Defenders and expansion side Louisville Kings emerged victorious from Sunday’s semi-finals.

DC earned long-awaited revenge against Orlando after losing their final two regular season meetings with the Storm, while Louisville completed another chapter in an extraordinary turnaround from an 0-3 start to book a place in the United Bowl in their inaugural season.

The two teams will now meet at Audi Field next Saturday with the Defenders seeking back-to-back titles and the Kings chasing one of the most unlikely championships in modern spring football history.

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DC Defenders 28 @ 22 Orlando Storm

The DC Defenders avenged consecutive regular season defeats to Orlando to move within one victory of a second straight UFL championship after defeating the Storm 28-22 in Sunday’s semi-final.

In a rare sequence which saw the teams meet for a third consecutive week, Shannon Harris’ side finally solved the puzzle that had frustrated them in Weeks 9 and 10, producing arguably their most complete performance of the season to eliminate the top seed and silence the league’s most explosive offense.

DC quarterback Jason Bean was outstanding on the night, directing a 405-yard attack and repeatedly extending drives with his arm and his legs, while the Defenders converted 10 of 16 third downs after managing only six conversions in 23 attempts across the previous two meetings. More importantly, DC’s defense continually stiffened in key moments, keeping MVP finalist Jack Plummer and the Storm out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter.

The Defenders struck first after Orlando extended the opening drive with a penalty. Deon Jackson capped an 11-play possession with a three-yard touchdown run after Matt McCrane’s field goal attempt had initially appeared to conclude the series. Orlando answered with a Michael Lantz field goal, but Bean immediately began exploiting third down. Connections with Keke Coutee and a scramble for 11 yards kept another drive alive before Abram Smith broke free for 26 yards and eventually scored from three yards to establish a 14-3 advantage.

Plummer responded with a 45-yard strike to K.J. Hamler which led to another Lantz field goal, and the Storm looked poised to tie matters after big plays from Hamler and Elijhah Badger moved them to the one-yard line. Instead, Derick Roberson spearheaded a goal-line stand, stopping Plummer on fourth down and preserving the Defenders’ lead.

Bean continued to control the game, finding Cornell Powell and Braylon Sanders on a late first-half drive, but McCrane missed from 28 yards and DC had to settle for a 14-6 half-time lead despite outgaining Orlando by 230 yards to 104.

The second half opened badly for the Storm when Bryce Thompson intercepted a pass deflected by Chris Rowland, but it could have been worse as DC only converted the turnover into a McCrane field goal.

Sensing that they were still in the game, Orlando briefly seized momentum, spurred on by a 60-yard touchdown to Jerome Kapp coming off the board after a DC challenge that forced the home side to punt. With Bean sidelined temporarily following a heavy hit, the Defenders were forced to rely on back-up Spencer Sanders but, having not been in the same class as Bean this season, he was quickly intercepted by Kana’i Mauga, who returned the ball 60 yards for a Storm touchdown that narrowed the deficit to 17-13.

Fortunately for DC, Bean was cleared to return and answered the Orlando score with the game’s decisive drive, marching the Defenders 75 yards down the field before finding tight end Briley Moore, who broke free for a touchdown that restored breathing room entering the fourth quarter. McCrane then produced the knockout blow, drilling a 61-yard four-point field goal with under five minutes remaining, extending the lead to 28-16 and effectively ending Orlando’s hopes, even though Plummer mounted one final drive, culminating Rowland going in for a 40-yard touchdown. When the subsequent three-point conversion failed, however, Orlando remained six points adrift and Bean was able to see out the remaining time.

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Louisville Kings 29 @ 20 St Louis Battlehawks

The Louisville Kings’ remarkable debut season continued on Sunday as they defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks 29-20 at The Dome at America’s Center to secure a place in the United Bowl.

Chris Redman’s team opened the season with three consecutive defeats and looked destined for a difficult inaugural campaign. Instead, the Kings have now won seven of their last eight games and arrive in the championship showdown on the back of five straight victories after toppling one of the UFL’s traditional powers on the road.

Tanner Brown provided the headline moment, becoming the first player in league history to convert two four-point field goals in the same game, but Louisville’s running game and opportunistic defense again proved decisive.

The Kings announced their intentions immediately. After forcing an opening drive stop, RB James Robinson burst through the heart of the St. Louis defense and raced 53 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The score, against a Battlehawks unit which had entered the game as the UFL’s top-ranked run defense, was a wake-up call for the league’s perennial bridesmaid, but the could only answer with a Ramiz Ahmed field goal before Brown converted his second four-point kick of the year from 60 yards, extending Louisville’s lead to 11-3.

QB Luis Perez, a spring league stalwart and veteran of big games, settled the Battlehawks with consecutive completions to Steven McBride and James Bostic that allowed Jarveon Howard to power in from a yard out for his first rushing touchdown of the season. Momentum swung further in St. Louis’ favour during the second quarter, with Perez exploiting a Louisville offsides on fourth down to finding Blake Jackson for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Battlehawks then preserved their 17-11 half-time advantage when Myles Sims intercepted Tyler Hudson’s underthrown pass after Louisville attempted a trick play.

The Kings regrouped after the break. QB Chandler Rogers found Isaiah Winstead on third down and the receiver transformed the play into a spectacular 52-yard gain. Moments later, Rogers floated a perfectly-placed touchdown pass to the same receiver to restore Louisville’s lead. Ahmed’s 45-yard field goal nudged St. Louis back in front, but Louisville’s defense tightened as the fourth quarter began and, with the ball back in their hands, RB Ian Wheeler supplied the decisive moment, bouncing outside and sprinting 51 yards for a touchdown to put the Kings ahead 25-20.

St. Louis repeatedly failed to answer. A completion to TE Sal Cannella was erased following a successful challenge by Redman, and the Battlehawks’ struggles on third down left Perez facing increasingly desperate situations. Brown then delivered another historic kick. From 63 yards, he converted his second four-point field goal of the afternoon, stretching Louisville’s lead to nine points with less than five minutes remaining.

Perez still managed one final march into the red zone, but Cam Gill and Lonnie Phelps produced sacks that stalled the drive before Steele Chambers intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the comeback attempt.

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The United Bowl takes place at Audi Field this coming weekend, with the Defenders having home advantage following confirmation of the venue earlier in the season. The Kings, having already triumphed at the Battledome, will remain undaunted as they head into their third clash with DC holding a 2-0 lead in the series — although the reigning champions clearly believe in third times being a charm…