AUSTIN – On paper it was a Class 3A, Division II state quarterfinal.

For the Hutto Hippos, who for the second time this season were facing the Cameron Yoe Yoemen, the game was about much more than just a berth in the state semifinals and a date with the Cuero Gobblers.

"It was all about revenge," said Hutto junior linebacker Dylan Martinez as the Hippos lost out on a shot at the 19-3A title with a four-point loss at home to the Yoemen in Week 10. "17-13 was in on our mind all week."

And it was revenge the Hippos got.

Behind a methodical yet effective offense and a defense that kept a powerful Yoe attack off balance, the Hippos avenged their regular season ending loss in emphatic fashion with a 35-14 victory before an estimated 8,000 fans at the Round Rock I.S.D. Athletic Complex.

Yoe (13-1) has only lost three football games over the last two seasons with Hutto (12-2) accounting for two of those defeats. The Hippos three touchdown victory on Saturday night not only ended Yoe's shot at their first state title since 1981, but it makes Hutto a state semifinalist for the first time in school history.

"I don't even know what to say now," said Hutto head coach Lee Penland. "We keep going places we haven't and the kids keep playing hard. We beat the No. 6 ranked team in the state (Bridge City), tonight we beat the No. 3 ranked team, and next week we get the No. 1 ranked team.

"We're just glad to be playing and getting after it from here on out."

The Hippos won on Saturday in much the same way they had throughout their playoff run – on the legs of junior quarterback Jeremy Kerley. Kerley, Hutto's multi-talented 5-foot-10-inch 170 pound playmaker, rushed for a game high 111 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace a Hutto offense that totaled 290 yards, 212 of those coming via the ground.

"We lined up in the power-I, we got in the gun, we ran our option game, we tried a little bit of everything," Penland said. "We tried to mix it up. Our offensive line did a great job because they kept packing it in on us."

Kerley and Martinez also helped the Hippo defense keep Yoe's high-flying offense crawling, although the Yoemen were already crippled heading into the game. Derek Evans, Yoe's all-state receiver who had a big night in the November 4 meeting in Hutto, broke his foot in Yoe's 21-0 area round victory over Robinson two weeks ago and had season ending surgery earlier this week.

Without his top target Brian Scott never quite found a rhythm as Yoe's junior signal caller totaled a hard-earned 77 rushing yards on 16 carries and threw for 135 yards on a 10-of-24 passing.

"We just tightened up some things from the last game," said Martinez. "We looked at the plays that they scored on last game and really focused on that throughout the week. They've got some good players, I'll admit, they're a good team, but we felt like we could come out and shut them down."

It looked like a mirror image of the first meeting between the two clubs early on as Yoe took the ball on their first drive of the game and marched right through the teeth of the Hutto defense. Scott capped off an impressive six play, 64-yard drive that ended when he hit Cordrick Mobley on a tunnel screen that resulted in a 48-yard gain. Mobley fumbled the ball into the end zone on the one-yard line, but offensive lineman Wade McCullin pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown.

But Hutto's offense got rolling late in the first quarter when Penland and his staff did rode the legs of tailback Jerrick Gauthier and fullback Shilo Wampler, both of whom pounded away behind their big, physical offensive line. Gauthier ended the nine play, 53 yard drive by diving over left guard Lee Gonzales and into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown.

Jose Diaz's extra point gave Hutto a 7-6 at the 11:35 mark of the second quarter and the Hippos never looked back.

Their first scoring drive was a sign of things to come as the Hippos 212 rushing yards came on 47 carries as the Hippos were content to grind it out all night.

"I've said all year that we have the best line in 3A," said Kerley.

Two plays after Gauthier's touchdown run Martinez intercepted an ill-time halfback pass by Yoe running back T.J. Olivarri and returned the ball 18-yards to the Yoe 18. The Hippos then went to work and thanks to a 16-yard third down pass play from Kerley to Kyle Knapp, Hutto's seven play drive ended when Kerley bulled his way into the end zone from one yard out for a 14-6 Hutto lead.

After Yoe's first quarter touchdown, Hutto scored 21 straight points to take a 21-6 lead at the break.

Yoe cut the Hutto lead to 21-14 on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Scott to Ryan Mikulec, but Hutto answered back on their ensuing drive with a three-yard touchdown run by Gauthier to take a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Kerley ended Yoe's last chance for a comeback when he intercepted a screen pass by Scott. Kerley picked up the spare on Hutto's ensuing drive by calling his own number on a midline keeper from 30-yards out for the game's final score with 4:31 left in regulation.

"I think we're turning some heads," said Kerley. "We kind of get over looked because Hutto's a small town, we're not Round Rock or Pflugerville.

"It feels good to finally get there," said Kerley about the Hippos first trip to the Final Four. "After all of the hard work, offseason and two-a-days, 30-someodd games, it feels so good just to finally be there."