After trailing by two touchdowns before its offense ever snapped the ball, Hutto rallied to take a halftime lead, then held off Round Rock, 33-31, in a thrilling District 25-6A game at Memorial Stadium on Friday night. Round Rock could not convert a pass attempt that Hunter Frenette broke up in the end zone. “This was huge for our program,” first-year Hutto head coach Eli Reinhart said.
Hutto (TX) rallies to knock off Round Rock (TX), 33-31, stay perfect in District 25-6A play originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
HUTTO, Texas — After trailing by two touchdowns before its offense ever snapped the ball, Hutto rallied to take a halftime lead, then held off Round Rock, 33-31, in a thrilling District 25-6A game at Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
The Dragons (3-4, 3-2) tried for a game-tying two-point conversion following a spectacular 39-yard touchdown pass from Dov Stickler to Daniel Barry with less than one minute remaining. Round Rock could not convert a pass attempt that Hunter Frenette broke up in the end zone.
How’s that for Hippo swagger?
“This was huge for our program,” first-year Hutto head coach Eli Reinhart said. “Huge for our confidence. Huge for believing in everything we have been saying. There’s proof in the pudding now a little bit. With high school kids, that’s what matters the most.”
Hutto quarterback Kaden Stefek and two-way starter Jaiden Fields came up huge for the Hippos (5-1, 4-0). The dynamic duo connected for the first three touchdowns of the game for Hutto after they trailed, 13-0, and didn’t touch the ball on offense until the 1:47 mark of the first quarter.
“It was very similar to last week when we had the ball three times in the first half,” Reinhart said. “It’s kind of weird not having the football, but our kids were ready to go on offense. It could be easy to have a slow start, then all of the sudden it’s two turnovers of possession, and the game is lost.
“Our kids did a great job of sticking with it on both sides of the ball,” Rinehart said. “It wasn’t great early on defense, but we have done a great job at halftime of making adjustments to win games.”
Fields, a junior receiver and defensive back, got Hutto on the board with a dazzling 64-yard touchdown reception from Stefek, then added a 44-yard touchdown catch on which he tipped the ball in the air to himself to secure the grab.
Following a Round Rock punt — the first of the game for either team — Fields caught a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Hippos the lead for good.
“At this point last season, we were 3-3,” Fields said. “It feels great to be on top of the district. If we would have lost, it would have been a big shuffle for everybody. The win keeps us at the top and keeps us going.”
Round Rock moved into field goal range late in the first half before running out of time for an attempt to keep Hutto’s lead at 20-19 at the break. The Dragons missed a pair of two-point conversion attempts in the first half.
After a 1-yard touchdown run by Stefek, Round Rock cut the lead to one on a touchdown strike from Stickler to Barry. But Hutto blocked the PAT to hold onto its 26-25 lead with 11:39 left in the game.
“We stayed motivated,” Stefek said. “Going back out on the field, knowing we were going to score, always staying positive and always trusting our guys.”
On the ensuing possession, Hutto scored on a 9-yard touchdown run by Tulsa commit Keilan Chavies. The PAT gave the Hippos a 33-25 advantage. Fields intercepted a pass on Round Rock’s next possession.
“Jaiden is one of the best players not only in this area but in the state on both sides of the ball,” Reinhart said. “He plays every single snap, and he is a game-changer. We did some stuff with him that was a little bit different and found the matchups we wanted. He took advantage.
“It takes a quarterback who is putting the ball in the right position to give us those opportunities. Kaden did a phenomenal job. He never got stirred up, shaken. We missed some things, but he always bounced right back on the next play. He ran the ball hard tonight. Huge win. We couldn’t do it without these two. They’re vital to our program and to our team.”
Hutto is now alone in first place atop the District 25-6A standings. The Hippos have games against Round Rock Stony Point, Austin Vandergrift, Cedar Park Vista Ridge and Round Rock McNeil remaining. Hutto will look to keep rolling on both sides of the ball over the next four weeks.
“It was huge, for sure,” Stefek said. “We trust in our coach to call the plays, no matter when we get the ball, how we get it, what down we have. We know we’re going to go out there, convert a first down and score. We trust in each other.”
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