SCISA 3A Championship: Hilton Head Christian 28, Wilson Hall 6
NORTH CHARLESTON | It was a tale of two seasons for Hilton Head Christian Academy. An 0-2 start, finished off by a defeat at the hands of Wilson Hall. Bye week. And then 11 straight wins, the last one over…
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Continue ReadingNORTH CHARLESTON | It was a tale of two seasons for Hilton Head Christian Academy.
An 0-2 start, finished off by a defeat at the hands of Wilson Hall.
Bye week.
And then 11 straight wins, the last one over those same Barons.
It came full circle for the 2023 SCISA 3A state champions.
After falling to Wilson Hall back in Week 1, Hilton Head Christian got the sweetest revenge at Charleston Southern on Saturday in a 28-6 victory thanks to a pair of touchdown passes and runs from senior Dylan Clark.
It’s the third championship in four seasons for the Eagles and head coach Ron Peduzzi who has built his program back to powerhouse status in the state.
The title was fueled by Hilton Head Christian Academy’s ferocious defense that showed up from the opening series. Zane Wilson helped stabilize a hungry front seven and got even better as the game wore on with ultra-reliable Bradlee Anderson at his side. Wilson Hall started to find a groove with its run game after the first drive, but the Eagles continued to find an answer to keep the Barons out of the end zone, making a stop on fourth-and-1 before forcing a missed field goal on the next drive. Jackson Conrad‘s terrific strength on the line and Isaiah Anderson‘s stellar athleticism helped create disruptions up the middle and on the outside while Wilson shined with his quick pursuit and excellent reads of the Barons’ rushing attack. He was the glue that held it all together, dominating with championship-level intensity and physicality while also helping out in pass coverage. The Eagles kept their shutout going through halftime with a 7-0 advantage before Dylan Clark blew the contest wide open.
With his dynamite and elusive running to scramble and pick up chunks of yards seemingly at will, Clark’s heroics sparked a high-flying Eagle offense that finished the job in style this year. The senior phenom was responsible for all four Hilton Head Christian scores, completing 10-of-18 passes for 152 yards with both a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. But his best work came in the ground game, turning 21 carries into 137 yards and two scores. Every time the Barons thought they had their opponent stopped, Clark found a way to escape or plow through defenders to move the sticks. With the help of a terrific offensive line led by two-way sensation Conrad, Clark hooked up with versatile senior playmaker Gage Zatalokin and Thomas Heyward Academy transfer Tyshon Mansell for a pair of passing scores in the second half. Mansell’s score came on a textbook screen pass, using his breakaway quickness to escape down the right sideline and outrun a host of Barons to the end zone. Zatalokin displayed sensational route running and reliable hands on a flawless route to the corner of the end zone on a ball that Clark placed perfectly for him to grab over the shoulder. Clark‘s aggressiveness led him to a pair of mistakes, but more often than not he made the right decisions and delivered through the air to spark his team’s signature high-octane offense. Oh, and he added an interception on defense in the second half to punctuate his big day. Mansell’s screen touchdown made it 14-0, but it was the defense of Anderson knocking the ball loose on the subsequent series that gave it right back to Clark who punched it in for a commanding three-score lead that gave the Eagles enough breathing room to hold on for the victory.
Wilson Hall fought against a terrific Hilton Head Christian squad, keeping the game very much in doubt through the first half with some strong work defensively from Walker Wilson and Grayson Alexander to keep the Eagles’ excellent offensive line in check. The Barons put several promising drives together in many parts thanks to the explosive outside threat of wide receiver Blake Van Patten. The senior standout was a menace who could fly down the field and make textbook plays on the football to deny passing looks on defense and rack up yards after the catch at wideout, finishing with eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown where he sped past the secondary to find the end zone over the top on a gorgeous lob from quarterback Clark Kinney. Kinney was efficient when given the time to make throws, completing 13-of-21 attempts for 206 yards with a touchdown and a pick. Miles Van Patten played a well-rounded game on both sides, racking up an efficient 47 rushing yards on nine carries while using his power and strong physical play on defense to burst through the line and cause disruptions for the Eagles’ spread attack.