Luis Perez tosses a pass during the May 8, 2026 game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Columbus Aviators. Photo by Marcelina Enriquez.
The Battlehawks returned to their BattleDome Friday night for a true football homecoming. The Battlehawks had been on a three-game road trip, which they went 2-1, and were now 4-2 on the season and second in the standings to face the new UFL team, the Columbus Aviators, for the first time.
Head Coach Ricky Proehl would welcome his former coach and teammates from the 1999 St. Louis Rams, Super Bowl 34 Champions. On hand for the Week 7 UFL game were Hall of Fame Coach Dick Vermeil, Linemen Adam Timmerman and Andy McCollum, Defensive Tackle Jeff Zgonina, and Linebacker Mike “The Catch” Jones. They would be honored during the coin flip and at half-time.
The intensity during the Battlehawks pre-game warmups was noticeably higher as compared to previous games. The now venerable, but still puissant Vermeil sat on a chair behind the end zone as the offensive linemen went through their footwork routine and observed and analyzed them as if he was choosing his next championship team. His watchful eyes seemed to be felt on the players as they went through their steps with more vigor.
But it was not just the legendary players that had the Battlehawks hyped up. As a 4-2 team, they were very much in the playoff hunt and a win over the 2-4 Columbus Aviators would put them one step further on the path to the postseason. And in true UFL story mode, the Battlehawks introduced their latest DLC, Luis Perez.
Luis Perez is known as the “King of Spring” football. Despite never playing varsity football in high school, he chose to walk onto Southwestern College in Chula Vista after training himself to play quarterback from YouTube videos. He accepted being the ninth quarterback on the depth chart. He persevered and eventually played at Texas A&M Commerce, with whom he won a NCAA II football title in 2017.
Perez signed with numerous NFL off-season teams, but never made a season roster. He pushed on with his passion and played for different semi-pro teams before making his way to the USFL and finally the XFL in 2023 with the then-Arlington Renegades. The Renegades won the XFL Championship in 2023 and Perez took the XFL Championship game honors. Despite his success and being one of the highest performing quarterbacks in the UFL the last two years, Perez somehow lost the starting job to Austin Reed on the now Dallas Renegades.
The Battlehawks had already replaced their season opening quarterback, Brandon Silvers, with backup Harrison Frost when their third string quarterback, Michael Pratt, was injured. They traded offensive tackle Corey Stewart to the Renegades in exchange for Luis Perez. Frost played the next two games and went 1-1, but Head Coach Proehl still felt that Frost was “leaving some plays on the field.” Perez was named the starting QB for the May 8th game to be played at the Dome at America’s Center.
After the Aviators ended their first drive with a punt, the Battlehawks took over and moved the ball down the field with mainly their running game. Perez would throw a few passes, but the highlight of the drive was a forty-yard rush by running back Jarveon Howard that led to a one-yard rushing touchdown by Perez. The Battlehawks quarterback ended his first drive with his new team with a touchdown.
Perez threw a touchdown to wide receiver Steven McBride later in the first quarter. His game stats for the most part were similar to Frost and Silvers’ stats for the season, with a 53% completion rating and one interception, but Perez did exude a bit more confidence than the other two have this season. It may have been the potential threat over Perez’s arm that made the difference as the offense was able to open up the running game with several long runs and two touchdown rushes by Kylin James of 14 and 18 yards.
In the end, the Battlehawks held their ground against the Aviators 31-10. Though Columbus closed the gap and held St. Louis scoreless in the fourth quarter, the win never felt in jeopardy. | Ryan Parker
