Summerville – For the fourth time in the last five years, the Hilton Head Christian Academy
Eagles will be playing for a SCISA football state championship game after holding off Pinewood
Prep 42-30 on Friday in a AAA semifinal at the PP field.
The Eagles went to three consecutive SCISA AA title games from 2019-2021, winning two in a
row (2020 and 2021) before moving to AAA last season.
“This never gets old”, HHCA head coach Ron Peduzzi told his team after the game. “Some of you
have been here before and some have not, but this is special every time you reach it and never take it
for granted.”
The win for the Eagles, who improved to 10-2 on the season, sets up a rematch with the last team
to beat them, Wilson Hall. The Barons picked up a 17-10 over HHCA in Week 2 of the season. Wilson Hall
avenged one of its two losses by beating Florence Christian School 21-7 on Friday in the other semifinal.
“A win is a win, but we didn’t play our best game. But give Pinewood a lot of credit. We got the lead
and we have been able to build on it, but that didn’t happen tonight,” said Peduzzi. “We hadn’t been
challenged in the past nine weeks so when they came back, we got a bit nervous. I like the way we
responded and the way we finished the game.”
The Panthers finished their first season under former South Carolina great DeVonte Holloman at
8-4. With a young team coming back, they will be one of the favorites in 2024.
“It was a hard-fought game. I’m proud of my team; they didn’t quit, but we made too many
mistakes to beat a good team like Hilton Head Christian," Holloman said. "I think we earned a lot of
respect tonight. I’m so proud of my seniors. They played their hearts out, and I know they are hurting right
now.”
Early on the game was all HHCA and looked like a blowout was on after the Eagles went 60 yards on
their first drive to go up 7-0 when quarterback Dylan Clark connected with wide receiver Isaiah Anderson
for a 5-yard touchdown. The key play on the drive was a 35-yard pass completion from Clark to Harrison
Arnholt on third down and 25 yards to go.
The Eagles made it 14-0 on a Clarke 3-yard touchdown run. The 9-yard drive was set up by a Keene
Reese interception and return. There was still 6:13 left in the first quarter.
Pinewood finally got some offensive footing in the game on its next possession by pounding the rock.
Freshmen running back Grayson Salego rushed for 32 yards on the drive and helped move the Panthers
down the field. However, the drive stalled at the 21 when HHCA’s Reid McCollum sacked Pinewood
quarterback Will Watson. Coleman Fulkerson nailed a 37-yard field goal to get the Panthers on the board
at 14-3.
The Eagles increased their lead to 21-3 when Clark hit senior AJ Houpt with a beautiful 21-yard
touchdown pass to cap a 69-yard drive.
Pinewood answered quickly as Watson connected with Terrance Stallworth on one of the
prettiest post routes you will ever see -- (Sports Center Top 10 good) for an 80-yard touchdown
and the lead was cut to 21-10.
Both defenses controlled the action for the rest of the half, and it appeared they would go into
the half with score at 21-10, but with 1:16 left the Panther defense came up with a big play as Jacob
Sweet picked off Clark and returned it to the HHCA 11-yard line.
Asa Windham came in for an injured Watson and promptly hit Troy Dandridge with a 9-yard
touchdown pass. The PAT was no good, but the Panthers had cut the lead to 21-16 heading into
half time.
HHCA received the opening kickoff to start the second half and the Pinewood defense forced a
punt. Disaster struck for the Panthers as they muffed the punt and HHCA’s Zane Wilson recovered
it, allowing the Eagles to keep possession of the ball.
“That was a big play certainly, but we had also made some mistakes earlier that hurt as well,”
said Holloman.
The Eagles did what good teams do and that is to make the opponent pay. Clark would cash in as
he scored his second rushing touchdown and the lead was 28-16.
Pinewood showed it was not going to let that mistake define the game. It put together an 11-play,
74-yard drive and cut the lead to four at 28-24 when Windham scored a 27-yard run and then hit
Dandridge for the 2-point conversion.
Clark would hit Tyson Mansell with his third touchdown pass on the night and the Eagles pushed the
lead back to 11 at 35-24.
The Panthers would respond again as Windham and Dandridge would hook up again, this time from
five yards out, but the 2-point conversion was no good. The Eagle lead was cut to five at 35-30.
The Eagles would put together a game clinching 6-play, 67-yard drive capped by Clark’s third rushing
touchdown.
"We put together a drive to win the game. Pinewood is a tough team, but we were able to get it done,”
said Clark.
Peduzzi expects a battle against Wilson Hall.
“They beat is the first time around, but we are a better team now as is Wilson Hall. We need a great week
of practice to get ready for Saturday.”
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