Cedar Park Upends Hutto

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: November 4, 2017

photos: Steve Thomas

Timberwolves Defense Dominates Hippos to Take Control of District

Just two weeks ago, Cedar Park’s hopes for a sixth-consecutive district title appeared to be in jeopardy. Senior quarterback Makenzie Sexton broke his femur after scoring the first touchdown for the Timberwolves against Georgetown. The Timberwolves showed tremendous heart in that game, however; and overcame a 27-7 halftime deficit to beat the Eagles 28-27. Last week, the Timberwolves struggled mightily and barely escaped with a 21-14 win over a struggling Pflugerville Connally squad. Despite the struggles, Cedar Park still entered their showdown with Hutto at 7-1 overall and 6-0 in district.

Hutto, on the other hand, was enjoying a dream season. Behind the stellar play of junior quarterback Chase Griffin, the Hippos entered the game at 8-0 overall and 6-0 in district. The Hippos were also averaging 50 points per game. Given the Hippos’ impressive performances and Timberwolves’ recent struggles, Hutto appeared to be the favorite to win Friday night’s showdown at Gupton Stadium and the District 19-5A title.

Cedar Park, however, had other ideas. Hutto started the game with excellent field position at their own 48-yard line and drove all the way to the Cedar Park nine-yard line. After that, the Timberwolves’ defense pinned its ears back and forced the Hippos to settle for a 27-yard field goal by senior kicker Isodoro Barrios. Cedar Park responded with a 62-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Ryan Fiala to junior wide receiver Brandon Breed to take a 7-3 lead. The Timberwolves increased their lead to 14-3 in the second quarter when senior running back Luke Pollicke found the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing drive, the Hippos drove the ball all the way to the Cedar Park eight-yard line but were forced to settle for another field goal which cut the deficit to 14-6. Late in the second quarter, the Hippo defense stopped Cedar Park senior punter Brant McDonald’s fake punt run just short of the first-down marker at the Timberwolves’ 42-yard line. Two plays later Griffin connected with junior wide receiver DJ Baptist on a 36-yard touchdown pass. The Hippos missed the extra-point, however, and went into the half trailing 14-12.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Fiala connected with Breed again on a 56-yard touchdown pass to give the Timberwolves a 21-12 lead. Breed finished the game with four catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. The Hippos’ offensive struggles continued on their next two drives as the Timberwolves’ forced Hutto to punt each time. After the second punt, the Hutto defense stopped the Timberwolves on third and 22, but an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty gave Cedar Park a fresh set of downs. Senior running back Josh Walker capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give Cedar Park a 28-12 lead. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Fiala connected with junior wide receiver Carson Neal to increase the Cedar Park lead to 35-12. Chase Griffin connected with DJ Baptist on a 62-yard touchdown pass, and senior running back Jayden Medina scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 35-25. However, the Hippos could not recover the onside kick after either touchdown; and the Timberwolves were able to run out the clock.

After the game, Cedar Park Head Coach Carl Abseck credited his defense with taking ownership of their poor performance against Pflugerville Connally and playing much improved against Hutto. He especially credit their physicality. Throughout the night, the Timberwolves sacked Chase Griffin six times and kept him under pressure the entire game.

With the win, Cedar Park improves to 8-1 on the year and 7-0 in district. The Timberwolves travel to Elgin next week to conclude the regular season. They will also look to capture their sixth-consecutive district title and their eighth in the last nine years. Hutto, meanwhile, falls to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in district. The Hippos conclude the regular season at home next week against Bastrop Cedar Creek.

by Steve Thomas