By Michael Adams
madams@austinsportsjournal.com

HUTTO – The Hutto Hippos will have a easier travel schedule this fall than they did the past two years as a member of 12-6A.

There are no more trips to Waco, Killeen or Belton in the near future, and state powerhouse Duncanville won’t be waiting for a first-round playoff game, either.

Hutto (4-7 in 2024) will trade those bus rides for shorter trips to the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex or nearby Dragon Stadium, which is a short 10 mile trip west on U.S. Highway 71.

The Hippos were shifted to District 25-6A at the University Interscholastic League’s biannual redistricting, placing them in a league with familiar rivals Round Rock, Stony Point, Cedar Ridge, McNeil and Westwood. Manor, Vandegrift and Vista Ridge are also part of the nine-team district.

While first-round playoff matchups against local 6A juggernauts Westlake and Lake Travis are a possibility, Hutto should be more competitive in their new home.

“I think the best part is that we actually have some rivalry games to get excited about,” said third-year Hutto coach Will Compton. “Some of these kids have been playing with each other since Pop Warner football, so they know each other. It’s just going to create a different type of atmosphere on Friday nights, we won’t have to travel as far, and it’s great for our fans.”

Photo gallery

Change is nothing new for Hutto’s football team.

Both the school and the town has seen significant growth in the past two decades.

Hutto was a Class 3A powerhouse for many years under legendary coach Lee Penland, reaching the Class 3A-Division II state championship game in 2005. Tatum defeated the Hippos 38-34 in that game.

The Hippos moved to Class 4A in 2008 and stayed in what was then the state’s second largest classification. The UIL added Class 6A in 2014, which changed Class 4A to 5A.

In 2020, Hutto jumped to the state’s largest classification in 2020 and moved into District 25-5A, where the Hippos went 7-7 and made the playoffs in 2021.

District 25-6A is always unpredictable despite being dominated by Vandegrift the past two seasons. Last year, the final three playoff spots weren’t determined until the final week of the season.

While new challenges await, Compton said he’s excited for games closer to home and thinks the Hippos are ready to compete in District 25-6A.

“We’ve had a really good offseason and a really good summer,” Compton said. “We talk about our core values all the time, and family is one of them. This is a tight-knit group and it showed in the offseason and into the summer, just being there for one another and holding each other accountable.”

Hutto will open the season on Friday, Aug. 30 at San Marcos. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Austin Sports Journal Summer Tour

Editor’s note: This is the second installment of the Austin Sports Journal’s summer high school football tour. For the next three weeks, the ASJ is visiting high school football teams all over the Greater Austin Area as they prepare for the 2024 season, which begins Thursday, Aug. 29.

Past stops

Monday, Aug. 5: Anderson, Pflugerville and LBJ

Tuesday, Aug. 6: Weiss