Grid League 2026 – Bandits vs Wild: Houston Wins 24-11 for the West Top Seed and the Bye

The Houston Bandits needed a win for the West’s top seed and the first-round bye, and they got it, beating the Atlanta Wild 24-11 at the Mesquite Convention Center in Mesquite, Texas.

John Young cleared the Ladder with seven seconds left and Houston took it 53-46. In the Ladder each team sends one player at a time down a row of four barbells that get heavier by quadrant, and a made lift scores whatever quadrant it sits in, so the fourth bar is worth four.

Fans voted the last Ringer Point to be the handstand obstacle course: up a ramp, over three hurdles, sideways down a line and around a set of cones, all of it upside down. Everyone expected Matthew Rattay. Houston sent Taylor Krippner, who was up the ramp first and never gave the lead back.

Atlanta won both Echo races behind RJ Hibbard and Gavin D’Amato. Sophia Davenport owns the Bandits, coaches them and races for them, and was asked at the break what she needed from her team.

“Put on the gas and work. Simply put, put on the gas and work.”

Sophia Davenport, Houston Bandits owner and head coach

The match ran Hang Loose, the fourth and last of the season’s match formats. Houston finished 3-1 in their second season and take the bye at the championship on October 3 and 4 in Lakeland.

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