2024 Preview: Hilton Head Seahawks 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When a 3-1 start to the 2023 season turned into a 3-7 finish, Hilton Head players weren't wondering what went wrong.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They already knew.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“Hilton Head football has been looked at as soft,” senior linebacker and captain <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360171' first='Connor' last='Wiendl']</strong> said. “To be honest, I think that we haven't been able to prove people wrong in the past. We've had a lot of guys that are mentally soft, even some of our supposed leaders. The huge thing on that is now the leaders we have today and coaching. We're working ourselves mentally every day in practice. We realize how the mental aspect of the game is big.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Seahawks didn't need to look very hard to promote internal change after they dropped four rivalry games - Beaufort, Bluffton, Colleton County and May River - by five points or less. Finding an edge became the new name of the game for coach BJ Payne's crew.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wiendl (pictured) believes it started with conditioning; he pointed out how offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253895' first='Evan' last='Wilder']</strong> is now repping weight that not all that long ago he couldn't max. The routine bled over to spring practice and the summer sessions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Payne's take the whole thing brings about a chicken-or-the-egg conversation. Is the team better because it's more mentally tough? Or is the toughness chasing what he's deemed to be a better roster top to bottom.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We've always had one or two dudes and then 50 kids who just happened to play football on the island,” he said. “Now, we have a team with a bunch of really good high school football players. Defensively, we don't have any DI guys. We've got a lot of guys getting recruited at the DII or DIII level. They play hard and they love the game.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Those nine returning starters on at side of the ball should be a boost for a defense that was already pretty respectable despite the losing record and missing the postseason.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Packaged with some early games on the schedule, it shouldn't take long to figure out whether Hilton Head has turned the toughness corner.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1013024' first='Troy' last='Timko'] RB, 2025 - While averaging 122 yards and a touchdown a game, Timko established himself as one of the hardest runners in the Lowcountry.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nathan Apy</strong> DB, 2025 - The safety finished his junior year third on the team in total tackles (66) while picking off a pass, recovering a fumble and blocking a field goal. Apy also recorded three tackles for loss, which by that point is icing on the cake.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caleb Spangler</strong> DL, 2025 - A safety not all that long ago, Spangler has moved up as he's gotten bigger. He's averaged 28 tackles and 11 tackles for loss over the course of the last two seasons. Last fall, he also showed more pop in rushing the quarterback, as he had 4.5 sacks and five QB hurries.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1360171' first='Connor' last='Wiendl']</strong> LB, 2025 - The Seahawks' leading tackler from last fall finished the season with 79 stops in 10 games. He also broke up a couple passes and intercepted another. Wiendl will be one of Hilton Head's captains this fall and is undoubtedly one of the team's front men.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1360333' first='Carson' last='Haines'] DB, 2025 - Knowing when to leave your feet at the right time is a nifty skill set for a corner to have. Haines has it. With his team-leading four interceptions last year, Haines took off at just the right time in all four instances. (They're the first four portions of his 2023 reel, if you're curious.) He's a cover corner capable of helping the Seahawks turn one this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16042553/655a5d52b534910ad44cae1b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c55d034d90"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSS(es)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shaikh Thompson DL - His 29 tackles for loss were the highlight of a season often void of them last fall. Thompson was an elite talent now getting ready to suit up for an NCAA Division-I program.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1603740' first='Thaddeus' last='Czarnecki']</strong> RB, 2027 - While Timko is getting the bulk of the carries, the plan for the next Seahawks' tailback is already in place. Czarnecki had a decent showing as a freshman and will continue to get more carries when the time is right.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578797' first='Tristen' last='Simmons']</strong> LB/DB, 2025 - Simmons spent most of last season injured and out of action. But the coaching staff is expecting big things out of him now that he's healthy again. He finished 2022 with 53 tackles and seven tackles for loss.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1271255"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c55d03625f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 6-foot-2, 285-pound right tackle has three more years to learn how to play this position. That's a pretty crazy fact for a young man who was playing very real minutes there as a freshman. The Seahawks' offense is set in a way where opposing defenses will test Crockett time and again. He doesn't need to be perfect to make significant headway.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19378337/664e0af2503a0b1bdc5e97f5' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-668c55d03628b"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->