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Cedar Park Rolls Over Hutto

steve thomas

photo: Steve Thomas

Hippos Started Strong but Timberwolves Prove Too Much

After dropping their first two district games to Georgetown and Pflugerville Connally, the Hutto Hippos had won four-straight and were on the verge of securing a playoff berth. Standing in their way, however, were the defending UIL 5A Division II Champion Cedar Park Timberwolves. While a loss to Cedar Park would not have necessarily eliminated Hutto from the playoffs, the Hippos were nonetheless eager to pull off a huge upset at home on Senior Night.

Early in the game, the Hippos appeared to have a chance to do the unthinkable. On their second offensive drive, Hutto sophomore quarterback Chase Griffin connected with junior wide receiver Jakobe Davidson off of a deflection for a 58-yard touchdown catch and a 7-0 lead. This marked the first time since last year’s UIL 5A Division II Championship that Cedar Park had trailed in a game.

The Timberwolves wasted little time in responding, however. On the third play of the ensuing drive, junior quarterback Makenzie Sexton connected with senior wide receiver Hayden Craig for 58-yard touchdown catch of their own to tie the game at 7-7. Cedar Park’s defense then came up big two drives later. After the Hippos forced the Timberwolves to turn the ball over on downs, Cedar Park junior Jordan Diver intercepted Chase Griffin’s pass and returned it 27 yards to give the Timberwolves a 14-7 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Chase Griffin connected with sophomore wide receiver DJ Baptist on a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game back up at 14. Hayden Craig, however, gave the Timberwolves the lead back for good with a 27-yard touchdown run on the ensuing drive. Senior running back Tyler Lavine then extended the Timberwolves’ lead to 28-14 just before halftime with a five-yard touchdown run.

Despite holding Cedar Park to a field goal to open the second half, the Hippos were unable to capitalize and score any points to narrow the gap. Throughout the game, the Cedar Park defense dominated the line of scrimmage putting Griffin under constant pressure. To make matters worse, senior running back Dearyon Milligan left the game with an injury after fumbling the ball near the 50-yard line.

Neither team was able to score until late in the third quarter when Sexton connected with junior receiver Dalton Hayek on a five-yard touchdown pass to ice the game for the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves then added to two field goals in the fourth quarter for the final score of 44-14.

With the win, Cedar Park improves to 9-0 overall and 7-0 in district. The win also marks a 25-game winning streak for them. The Timberwolves finish their regular season next week at home against Elgin. The Wildcats are 3-6 overall and 3-4 in district following a 37-34 overtime loss to Leander Rouse.

Hutto, meanwhile, falls to 6-3 overall and 4-3 in district. The Hippos travel to Bastrop next week to finish their regular season against Bastrop Cedar Creek. The Eagles are 2-7 overall and 1-6 in district following a 63-6 loss to Pflugerville Connally.

by Steve Thomas

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