Who Are the Beaumont Renegades? How Can The Lions Topple Them?

Who Are the Beaumont Renegades? How Can The Lions Topple Them?

A Fan’s Guide to the American Division Championship Game

Hello, Lions fans! Quick scenario for you…I’m watching my all-time favorite US rugby team play at home, and I hear the PA announcer say that the boys are playoff bound! So excited, I opened my phone and went to the website to see who they were playing in the playoffs. It was there that I learned, I had heard the name of the team they were playing against, but I didn’t know anything at all about their opponents a week from that day. I went to my squad’s website and saw that they had beaten their soon-to-be enemies once before, but I simply couldn’t be bothered to go and watch any of that other team’s games. Life simply got in the way for me.

Trust me…I get it. No one at all has the time in their day to go watch a game from a team that already isn’t their favorite. Fortunately for you, fellow Lions fans, I am here today to tell you all about the Beaumont Renegades, the National Division title game, and the road for the Lions to win a 6th league title. Let’s hop into it, starting with their opponents this week, the Beaumont Renegades out of Beaumont, TX.

The Renegades (8-1) are coming into this game off the back of an overwhelming offensive performance against the Rouxgaroux. 63 points were hung over the Roux in their home stadium, and that is no doubt a momentum booster. The offense has been led all year by rookie QB Carl Robinson III, who boasts an impressive 65.6% completion rate (84/128), with only 6 interceptions all year. His yardage is great, too, with 935 yards on the season, as well as an average of 116.9 yards/game. The offense runs through him, both figuratively and literally. His rushing numbers are outstanding, with 327 yards on just 51 attempts. An average rusher of 6 yards, this guy is simply someone you would want out there as a coach. It helps, too, that the receiving core is electric, with WRs Vincent Wilkerson and Zuri Davis holding the top two spots in every metric imaginable. These two guys are each 200+ yard catchers with 8 touchdowns. Simply put, this offense is great when they are hot. 

What keeps them hot, you may ask? Only one of the most stifling defenses in the NAL. This defense is often what keeps the Renegades in games. I point to the first Columbus-Beaumont showdown to prove this point. The Lions led the game headed into the fourth quarter, but the Beaumont defense pushed hard to keep their squad in it and eventually won it out. The defense boasts 201 solo tackles across the unit, and the leader of them all is DB Trey Taylor with a monstrous 30 tackles in only 6 games. Oftentimes, though, the ball will simply just fall incomplete. Their pass defense is in the upper echelon of the league, alongside the Lions and National Division contender Omaha Beef. This defense keeps the offense hot, helps them get hot, and all-around controls games. When clicking, they lead the team to an 8-0 record.

Notice, though, the lone loss on their record. The Renegades dropped a game at home to the Lions. The boys didn’t just manage a close upset win…the Columbus Lions dominated portions of the game, avoiding a late comeback press by the Renegades. Sure, playoff football can be a totally different beast, but the one in 8-1 has to stick in the mind of the Beaumont Renegades. But it also has to influence the Columbus Lions. The Lions have to remember that this team isn’t just beatable, but dominatable. The mental battle these two teams will certainly be compelling to see on Saturday.

The National Division final between the Omaha Beef (8-1) and Colorado Spartans (7-3) will be a barn burner. These two teams played to a wild 1-point finish last week, with the Beef just barely edging out the Spartans thanks to a missed kick at the tail end of the fourth quarter to end it 35-24. The winner of this game will go on to face the winner of Columbus vs. Beaumont in the National Arena League Championship Final, but first, Columbus has to recreate the magic to topple the Renegades in Beaumont.

Even though Columbus is on the road on Saturday, this game can be watched a couple different ways. If you’d like to support a Lions sponsor, Pour Decisions will be hosting a watchalong with plenty of great gameday food discounts. If you’d rather stay in, the National Arena League YouTube channel will be streaming the game from Beaumont, Texas for free. However you choose to watch, lend the boys your support from wherever you are! Go Lions!

- Riley Bloodsworth (06/05/2025)