BELTON — Playing past the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2014, the Hico Tigers entered Friday night’s showdown at Crusader Stadium against No. 5 Lovelady full of confidence.

Unfortunately for Hico, a dream season came to an end on the campus of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor with a 42-7 loss against the Lions.

Despite the loss, the Tigers (8-4) took a major step forward in Todd Swearengin’s third year at the helm of the program after going 5-6 and 4-7 in his first two years. 2023 marked just the fourth time in the past decade that Hico finished the season with a winning record.