STAMFORD, Conn., February 26, 2020 – For the second consecutive week, Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Cam Phillips has been selected by fans as the XFL Star of the Week after more than 19,800 votes were cast on Twitter @XFL2020. A Roughneck player has also been voted as Star of the Week each week since the XFL season began.
Phillips continued his blistering start by hauling in eight passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the Roughnecks’ 34-27 win over the Tampa Bay Vipers Saturday. Phillips leads the XFL in all major receiving categories, highlighted by 324 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and has led the team to a 3-0 start. Roughnecks players have claimed all three XFL Star of the Week awards, as quarterback PJ Walker won it in Week 1.
On Sunday, Phillips and the Roughnecks take on the Dallas Renegades in the first “Texas Throwdown” game between the two intra-state rivals.
The other XFL Star of the Week finalist was safety Joe Powell of the St. Louis BattleHawks. Powell scored the XFL’s first-ever touchdown on a kickoff return Sunday, taking a pass off of a reverse play more than 80 yards for a touchdown that put the BattleHawks up 12-3 and sending The Dome crowd of 29,000 into a frenzy. The Battlehawks would go on to beat the New York Guardians 29-9 and push their record to 2-1.
Each week during the season, the XFL is giving fans the power to name the league’s top performer by voting for the XFL Star of the Week. On Saturday and Sunday, after each day’s games, one key player from each team is nominated by XFL Football Operations and the selected players are posted on the XFL Twitter account @XFL2020. Fans then have 24 hours to vote on their top player from each day; the daily winners then go head-to-head for the award.
The XFL Star of the Week is the league’s top weekly individual honor.
Mark Perry, a devoted sports journalist and founder of XFL News Hub, has been a key figure in XFL coverage since its 2018 revival. Launching XFL News Hub soon after the league's return announcement, Mark has established the platform as a primary source for comprehensive XFL updates. Renowned for his in-depth knowledge and commitment to sports journalism, Mark actively engages the XFL community, welcoming interactions at mark.perry@xflnewshub.com.
