The Houston Gamblers (3-5) visited The Dome at America’s Center on Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Battlehawks (5-3). The Battlehawks had a chance to clinch a playoff spot, but Houston spoiled the party.
In the first quarter, St. Louis kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 32-yard field goal to give the Battlehawks a 3-0 lead. Houston would get the ball on the 34-yard line. Houston quarterback Hunter Dekkers completed five passes for 53 yards and rushed for eight yards to the four-yard line. Three plays later, Dekkers threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Jontre Kirklin for a 7-3 lead to conclude an eight-play drive for 66 yards.
Later, St. Louis had the ball on the 32-yard line when Houston defensive back Kary Vincent Jr. intercepted Luis Perez’s pass for a pick-six 35-yard touchdown for a 14-3 lead. St. Louis had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. They moved the ball to the 18-yard line to begin the second quarter, trailing 14-3.
In the second quarter, St. Louis kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 44-yard field goal. The Battlehawks trailed the Gamblers 14-6. Midway through the second quarter, Houston quarterback Hunter Dekkers threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Keys III for a 20-6 lead to conclude an eight-play drive for 86 yards.
With under a minute left, St. Louis defensive back Tayler Hawkins intercepted Hunter Dekkers at the 16-yard line. St. Louis moved the ball to the seven-yard line, where kicker Ramiz Ahmed made a 25-yard field goal. The Battlehawks trailed the Gamblers 20-9 at halftime.
St. Louis got the ball to start the third quarter at the 31-yard line. St. Louis quarterback Luis Perez completed a 28-yard pass to Steven McBride to the 36-yard line. St. Louis moved the ball to the 11-yard line, where kicker Ramiz Ahmed missed a 29-yard field goal.
Houston took over, and quarterback Hunter Dekkers led them down to the 19-yard line. Kicker John Hoyland made a 37-yard field goal for a 23-9 lead. The drive took 11 plays for 61 yards.
Late in the third quarter, St. Louis quarterback Luis Perez had his pass intercepted by Major Burns at the 37-yard line. Houston reached the 39-yard line when the third quarter ended, leading the Battlehawks 23-9.
Houston would end up punting the ball to St. Louis to begin the fourth quarter. The Battlehawks started on the 29-yard line. Quarterback Luis Perez threw four straight passes for 56 yards to the 11-yard line. After running back Jarveon Howard rushed for four yards, Perez threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Neville. The Battlehawks trailed the Gamblers 23-16. The drive took seven plays for 71 yards.
Late in the game, St. Louis failed to get a fourth-down play. Houston took over and moved the ball to the 49-yard line. They decided to punt the ball on fourth and one rather than go for it. St. Louis got the ball on the 11-yard line. Luis Perez quickly threw two passes for 67 yards to the 22-yard line.
Houston’s defense forced a fumble, but St. Louis recovered in the process of losing 10 yards. On 4th and 19, Houston defensive end Malik Fisher sacked Perez, but a holding penalty on Houston gave St. Louis a first down. Perez threw three more passes for 33 yards to the three-yard line. The clock ran out, and St. Louis was unable to get the play off. The Gamblers survived to beat the Battlehawks 23-16. For St. Louis, it was their first home loss since Week 3 of the 2025 season.
Houston’s offense had 200 yards (152 passing yards, 66 rushing yards), 13 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times. Quarterback Hunter Dekkers completed 15 of 22 passes (68.2%) for 155 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and four carries for 15 yards. Backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee completed 2 for 3 passes (66.7%) for -3 yards. Running back Kirk Merritt had two carries for 22 yards.
Wide receiver Lawrence Keys III made three catches for 60 yards and one touchdown, while Jontre Kirklin made three catches for 10 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 62 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and one forced fumble.
St. Louis had 365 yards on offense (308 passing yards, 61 rushing yards), 20 first downs, 1 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 12 times. Quarterback Luis Perez completed 25 of 46 passes (54.3%) for 296 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Running back Jarveon Howard had nine carries for 31 yards.
Wide receiver Steven McBride made seven catches for 104 yards, while Tyle Neville made five catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and two pass breakups.
Next week, the teams will meet in a rematch on Sunday at 7 pm on ESPN2.
