The St. Louis Battlehawks knocked off the undefeated Orlando Storm 25-17 on the road, but first-time head coach Ricky Proehl nearly cost his team the victory with one critical decision. In a moment of stunning transparency, Proehl admitted he ignored his special teams coordinator's advice on a crucial punt, leading to a blocked kick that shifted all the momentum.
"It's just being transparent as a new head coach, first-time head coach. 5 weeks in, you know, I didn't listen to my special teams coach," Proehl said after the game. "On that penalty on the punt, he said, hey, the guys are tired, you just ran down the field, keep the field position where it's at. And I said, you know, Ryan, our punter, said, coach, let me punt it. And I listened to him."
Dominant First Half Gives Way to Drama
The Battlehawks put on a clinic in the first half, holding Orlando to just 29 yards and 21 plays while building what looked like a commanding lead. Harrison Frost spread the ball around to eight different receivers, completing his first five passes on the opening drive for a touchdown.
"We had a game plan of emphasizing the quick game, get the ball in our playmakers' hands and let them make plays," Proehl explained. "We've got a ton of players that can make plays. And that was their game plan going in."
The Storm entered the game 4-0 and hadn't shown any signs of vulnerability through four weeks. But St. Louis controlled every aspect of the first 30 minutes, sustaining drives and keeping Orlando's offense off the field.
The Punt Block That Changed Everything
After a penalty on a punt attempt, Proehl faced a choice: accept the field position or re-punt for better placement. Against his coordinator's advice, he chose to re-punt. Orlando blocked it and immediately scored to get back in the game.
"I wanted to pin them down further, and we repunt, they blocked the punt. And as a head coach, you're sitting there going, please don't let this be the reason you lose, because it gave them a lot of momentum, got them back in the game. And I just thank them for bailing me out."
That blocked punt turned into a quick 14-point swing for Orlando, who recovered the ball at the 1-yard line and punched it in. The Storm went from being completely shut out to having life and momentum.
Special Teams Struggles Nearly Costly
The punt block wasn't St. Louis's only special teams issue. Kicker Ryan Sanborn, who doubles as the punter, missed two extra points earlier in the game after their regular kicker got hurt in warmups.
"I think he's human. He probably felt some of the pressure on the extra points. He hit him good, he just pushed him right," Proehl said. "I talked to him, I said, I don't care if you miss every field goal, just kick it, just keep doing what you're doing."
Sanborn responded when it mattered most, drilling two field goals in his first UFL action to help seal the victory. The kicks were his first career UFL field goals after being pressed into emergency duty.
Defense Closes the Door
Despite the momentum shift, St. Louis's defense came up clutch when the game was on the line. They pressured Orlando quarterback Jack Plummer all night and made the stops they needed in the fourth quarter.
"Any quarterback, they'll tell you when you get pressure and you get hit a couple of times, you know, you start hearing steps," Proehl said. "And I think that's what our defense— we're really good defense."
Frost acknowledged his own mistakes in the second half but praised the overall team effort. "Obviously I'm still— you know, there's still mistakes that I'm making that I have to learn from and grow from," he said.
The victory moves St. Louis to 3-2 and hands Orlando its first loss of the season. For Proehl, it's a learning experience about trusting his coordinators and a reminder that even costly mistakes can be overcome with the right team response.