The Hutto Hippos varsity football team fell to the Vista Ridge Rangers, 38-31, on Friday, Nov. 1. After holding a 31-17 lead midway through the third quarter, Hutto surrendered 21 unanswered points, dropping to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in district play.
The Hippos' first drive ended in a stripsack turnover, allowing the Rangers to take an early 7-0 lead. Hutto responded with a long drive but couldn't convert in the red zone, settling for a field goal by senior kicker Diego Lopez to cut the deficit to 7-3.
Vista Ridge answered with a field goal to extend its lead, but Hutto junior running back Keilan Chavies tied it up at 10-10 in the second quarter with a 22-yard touchdown run. Chavies was ruled out in the second quarter after reaggravating an injury that kept him out of last week's game versus Vandegrift.
Both teams continued to trade scores before halftime. The Rangers broke free for a 70-yard rushing touchdown, but Hutto senior wide receiver Jayden Little answered with a four-yard touchdown run, tying the game 17-17.
In the second half, the Hippos seemed poised to pull away, taking a 31-17 lead after a short touchdown pass from junior quarterback Kaden Stefek to senior wide receiver Braeton Anderson and an impressive onehanded touchdown catch by sophomore Jaiden Fields. However, Vista Ridge rallied to score 21 unanswered points, taking a 38-31 lead that Hutto couldn't overcome.
Hutto head coach Will Compton discussed the momentum shift and his team's performance down the stretch. “We got a penalty after that touchdown, and we kind of lost momentum after that.
We made some crucial mistakes in the secondary,” Compton said.
“We knew it would be a tough game, and the ball didn’t bounce our way.”
The Hippos reached ranger territory on multiple drives but were hampered by penalties, forcing them to punt in key moments. Compton commented on the missed opportunities in critical drives.
“We've been trying to address those all year. It hurt not having Keilan (Chavies) in the second half,” he said.
“We got into the red zone but couldn’t convert the way we needed to.”
The Hippos will conclude their regular season on the road against McNeil on Friday, Nov.
8, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
