Houston Gamblers fall 21-15 to St. Louis Battlehawks

Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (May 24, 2026) The Houston Gamblers came up just short Sunday evening, falling 21-15 to the St. Louis Battlehawks at Shell Energy Stadium in a hard-fought contest.

Houston started fast and looked ready to keep its playoff hopes alive. After forcing St. Louis to turn the ball over on downs, quarterback Hunter Dekkers led an early scoring drive. He connected with Jalen Cropper for a 27-yard gain before finding JaVonta Payton in the end zone for Houston’s first touchdown of the night.

The Gamblers later added a field goal after a big 42-yard run from Marcus Yarns, taking a 9-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Houston’s defense also made big plays in the first half. Eli Walker forced a fumble that was recovered by Kary Vincent to stop a St. Louis drive.

But the Battlehawks changed the game just before halftime. Quarterback Manny Perez threw a touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler with only seconds left in the half, giving St. Louis a 10-9 lead.

Houston answered in the third quarter when quarterback John Rhys Plumlee (shown above) helped lead a quick touchdown drive capped by a scoring run from Kirk Merritt.

The Battlehawks pulled ahead for good late in the game with a touchdown and a field goal. Houston had one final drive, but St. Louis made a final defensive stop to secure the win..

The loss eliminated Houston from a possible playoff slot, while the Battlehawks assured their position in the UFL semifinal playoffs

Houston Gamblers down Birmingham Stallions with last-second field goal

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 5, 2026) With Grammy winning rapper Ludacris (shown right) preforming at halftime, the Houston Gamblers earned a thrilling 22–20 win over the Birmingham Stallions on a misty day in Houston, thanks to a last-second field goal from John Hoyland.

He made all five of his field goals, including a 50-yard kick as time expired to seal the victory. His strong performance helped head coach Kevin Sumlin earn his first win of the season.

Houston focused on running the ball early after struggling in Week One. The plan worked, but the team had trouble finishing drives. The Gamblers reached the red zone several times in the first half but only came away with two field goals.

Quarterback Sam Ehlinger was not available, and starter Dekkers left the game with an injury. Backup Nolan Henderson stepped in and gave the offense a boost. He used both his arm and legs to move the ball and keep drives alive.

The Stallions took a 7–6 lead before halftime after quarterback Matt Corral led a quick scoring drive. Birmingham added another touchdown in the third quarter to go up 14–6.

Houston kept fighting. Hoyland added more field goals to cut the lead, and running back Jalen White scored a key touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the Gamblers ahead 19–14.

Birmingham answered late with a rushing touchdown to take a 20–19 lead, but they missed the two-point try.

With less than two minutes left, Henderson led a clutch drive. On fourth down, he found Armani Rogers to keep the game alive.

That set up Hoyland’s game-winning kick as time expired.

Houston finished with over 400 yards of offense and showed big improvement from the week before.