Box Score The Vegas Knight Hawks defeated the Duke City Gladiators 53-39 on Saturday night in New Mexico, snapping a three-game losing streak.

After trading scoreless drives to begin the game, Ja'Rome Johnson opened the scoring with his twentieth rushing score of 2024. Kevin Macias sent the ball through the uprights on the ensuing kickoff giving Vegas a deuce and raising the early lead to nine points.

The temperature in Albuquerque rose as teams traded unsportsmanlike penalties to start the second quarter. After a lengthy drive down field the Gladiators rushed in for their first touchdown of the game. A failed drop-kick attempt held the score at 9-6.

Another unsportsmanlike penalty on Duke City gave Vegas excellent field position to start their next drive. Vegas capitalized on the short field with a Taurean Taylor touchdown run.

On their next offensive possession, Duke City made a switch at quarterback, putting Javin Kilgo in for Hassan Rodgers. On his second throw of the night, Kilgo throws an interception to Darius Williams.

In the final minute of the first half, Johnson completed a 20-yard pass to Caleb Holley pushing the score to 23-6. As Duke City tried to score in the waning seconds of the half, Kilgo threw another pick, this time to James Ceasar. The first half ended on a Macias field goal attempt going wide right.

Rodgers came back in at quarterback for the Gladiators to start the second half. He led Duke City down the field cutting the Vegas lead to 23-12. A failed onside kick attempt gave Vegas the ball at the Gladiators 13 yard line.

Both teams then began to trade rushing touchdowns, Holley for Vegas, Jordan Byrd for Duke City. Johnson then kept the ground game going by recording his second rushing score of the game. Rodgers ended the third quarter by throwing a 50-yard endzone-to-endzone pass shrinking the Knight Hawks lead to 37-25.

The fourth quarter began with both teams finding the endzone raising the score to 44-31. Johnson scored his third rushing score of the game following a lengthy, time-killing drive.

Duke City answered on their next play with another long passing touchdown. The Gladiators then converted a two-point conversion. Duke City recovered the onside kick. However, they surrendered two more points on a Lorenzo Hernandez safety.

After Vegas recovered the onside attempt, a Johnson kneel ended the three-game losing streak and moved the Knight Hawks record to 8-3 in 2024.

The Knight Hawks will take the field again when the Arizona Rattlers come to Lee's Family Forum next Saturday, June 22. Click here to purchase tickets.