Welcome back to another ATX/SATX edition of Team of the Week. Each week we take a look at a team from across the San Antonio/Austin area and surrounding areas that impressed us for one reason or another.
This week the honor of team of the week goes to the Hutto Hippos football team. The Hippos have started off to a blazing start this season with impressive wins over San Marcos (46-21) and Liberty Hill (56-49). Their win against the Panthers may have been the more impressive of the 2. Liberty Hill is a favorite in 5A, making a run to the state championship last season, and are known for their Slot-T offense that can wear down teams. While the final score may have been close, Hutto in my opinion did a very good job of containing the Panthers until their late 4th quarter rally.
One of the key reasons for their success has first come on the offensive side. Junior quarterback William Hammond has been impressive going 32-47 with 547 yards and 9 touchdowns, and no interceptions, to start the season with another 166 yards on the ground. He has relied on wide receivers Gary Choice and Alex Green among others.
Then on the defensive side you have one of the best defensive backs in central Texas in Kenny Settles who has tallied up 25 tackles and 2 interceptions including an interception followed by an 105 yard touchdown that helped fuel their win last week versus Liberty Hill.
Coming into the game versus Liberty Hill, Hutto had been on my radar since Will Compton had come in as the new Head Coach for the Hippos. When you think of teams in Central Texas you tend to think of Westlake and Lake Travis, but Hutto could have the talent to make some noise the next few years. While their win over Liberty Hill was super impressive, their next couple of weeks we will be very telling when it comes to what we can expect from the Hippos this year. This Friday they have 2-0 Steele coming to town, followed by Judson the Week after. A 4-0 start before heading into district play could go a long way for them this year.