ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Or a more painful ending.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ put itself in a two-possession, first-quarter hole that simply ended up too deep as a second half rally fell short in a 30-15 loss to the Arlington Renegades in a United Football League contest at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Our guys were pushing in the fourth quarter,� Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht said. “We had our chance and we have to find a way.�

The Battlehawks, who never led in the XFL Conference affair, lost starting quarterback Manny Wilkins to a right ankle injury on the fourth play from scrimmage. He tried to move up the middle on a QB draw, but his right leg buckled and he went down in pain, dropping the ball in the process. Arlington defensive lineman Chris Odom rambled 39 yards for a scoop and score.

Wilkins was among the top quarterbacks in the league and led ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ to season-opening wins over Houston and San Antonio. The 29-yard-old Arizona State product was chosen as the UFL offensive player of the week following the win over the Brahmas.

An air cast was placed on Wilkins’ leg as he was carted off the field.

“Tragic to see something happen in that moment,� Becht said. “It’s terrible. He was in a lot of pain.�

The shocked Battlehawks (2-2) struggled through most of the first half but finally began to find their footing behind backup quarterback Max Duggan, who finished 8-of-17 passing for 78 yards.

They used their defense and a few timely plays to get back into the contest.

Trailing 22-15, Duggan marched his team down to the Renegades 3-yard line in the closing seconds for a potential game-tying or go-ahead score.

But a fourth down pass bounced off the hands of wideout Gary Jennings Jr. and into hands of Arlington defensive back Ajene Harris, who rambled 100 yards for the clinching score with 15 seconds remaining.

“I didn’t play well enough for us to have a chance,� Duggan said. “I’ve got to do better.�

Arlington (3-1) capitalized on a pair of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ turnovers to roll to a 16-3 lead after just 13 minutes and 30 seconds.

The Battlehawks’ rally began when linebacker Willie Harvey picked off a pass and rumbled 56 yards for a score to get his team to within 16-15 late in the third period.

“I kind of baited him,� Harvey said of the pick of quarterback Luis Perez.

Arlington promptly responded with a 72-yard scoring drive to push its lead to 22-15.

Duggan got the offense rolling down the stretch, hitting Frank Darby on a 21-yard pass. A 2-yard run by Jacob Saylors gave ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ a first-and-goal at Arlington’s 3-yard line.

But the march stalled after Duggan misfired on back-to-back attempts to Jennings Jr.

“I hurt our o-line, holding onto the ball and not letting it go,� Duggan said. “I needed to get through my reads quicker.�

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ punt returner Jahcour Pearson fumbled a punt late in the first quarter that led to a 3-yard TD run by Arlington’s Dae Dae Hunter.

The Battlehawks defense stepped up after the two early turnovers and held Arlington without a first down from the second quarter until late in the third.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ kicker Rodrigo Blankenship was a bright spot on special teams. He hit on field goals of 55, 53 and 31 yards. The former University of Georgia standout is 10-for-10 this season.

The Battlehawks, despite the shock of losing their quarterback in gruesome fashion, fought back and were within a play of coming out on top.

“At the end of the day, (Duggan) still had an opportunity with the ball in his hands,� Becht said. “That’s all you want, as players, you want to be in that moment. So we’ve got to galvanize and come together. We are a team, and if this team plays well together we’re hard to beat.

“And we’re getting close.�

The Battlehawks host the Michigan Panthers (3-1) at 6 p.m. April 26 at the Dome at America’s Center.