Hippos look to stop skid vs. Temple
ANDREW SALMI andrew.salmi@granitemedia partners.com
HUTTO — The Hutto High School varsity football team is at a very critical point of its 2023 season as the Hippos have had back-to-back heartbreaking district losses at home vs. Midway High School and last Friday on the road at Harker Heights High School. The Hippos (1-5 overall record and 0-2 record in 6A-District 12 play) have a pivotal home game at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 as Hutto hosts the Wildcats of Temple High School.
Temple is also struggling to piece together wins this season as the Wildcats have limped to a 1-6 record and are winless at 0-3 in district games. This is a golden opportunity for Hutto head coach Will Compton and his Hippos to right the ship heading forward at home Friday night.
In last week’s 44-35 loss to Harker Heights, the Hippos again got a great performance from their offense but were hindered by turnovers on offense as well as shaky defensive play. Although senior standout quarterback Will Hammond put up great numbers with 327 yards passing on 24-of-38 completions for four touchdowns through the air, three interceptions on offense were critical as this game simply got away from Hutto in the second half. Hammond also showed off his elite dual-threat ability as he rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Hammond’s favorite targets on the night were senior wide receiver Alex Green and sophomore running back Keilan Chavies. Green exploded for 12 receptions for a whopping 214 yards and two scores, while Chavies continued to be a huge threat out of the backfield as he hauled in four receptions for 66 yards and three touchdowns.
Even though the Hutto defense again gave up points, they were able to force some turnovers to keep them in the game. Senior defensive back Steven Galindo and sophomore defensive back Carlos Sorto both had interceptions for the Hutto defense, while senior linebacker Israel Medrano and senior defensive lineman Chris Smith both finished with double-digit tackles on the night with 11 and 10 stops, respectively.
