Wilson Hall beats Hilton Head Christian 21-9 in SCISA AAA semifinal

        Sumter – Wilson Hall is playing for the SCISA AAA football state championship for the second straight year. The Barons are getting to do that because of a total team effort, according to head coach Adam Jarecki.

        Wilson Hall controlled the game on both sides of the football and knocked off defending state champion Hilton Head Christian Academy 21-9 in a semifinal playoff game on Friday at Spencer Field.

        “Our defensive coaches came up with a great game plan, and our players did a great job following it,” said Jarecki, whose team improved to 11-1 on the season. “On offense, we just did what we do. We ran the veer, our misdirections, used the run to set up the passing game. We just had a great game.”

        The Barons will face Pinewood Prep for the state title on Saturday, November 23, at Charleston Southern University’s Buccaneer Field in North Charleston beginning at 7:30 p.m. The 9-2 Panthers advanced to the championship with a 35-21 win over Northside Christian Academy.

        Wilson Hall limited the Eagles, who finished the year 7-4, to just 167 yards of total offense, only 11 coming on the ground. That means the Barons did a great job of neutralizing HHCA quarterback Reid McCollum.

        Hilton Head Christian was averaging 33.8 points a game with McCollum having completed 166 of 271 passes for 2,287 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 847 yards and 16 scores on 141 carries. On Friday, the junior signal caller completed 17 of 34 passes for 156 yards and was held to minus 2 yards rushing on 13 carries.

        Middle linebacker Owen Meyers and defensive back Jackson Bonser led the Wilson Hall defense with nine tackles apiece. Meyers also had two quarterback sacks. Defensive backs Harris Naylor, Thomas Creech and Knox Burton each had an interception.

        Wilson Hall got all of its points in the first half when it totaled 280 yards of total offense. The Barons had two 100-yard rushers in Ben McLaurin and Milling Galloway. McLaurin had 15 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown, while Galloway had 16 carries for 115 yards.

        Meyers, the quarterback on offense, ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while completing 4 of 7 passes for 49 yards. Ford Wilder had two catches for 23 yards.

        Wilson Hall got on the scoreboard first with Meyers scoring on a 1-yard run. Bonser added the extra point to make it 7-0.

        The Barons held the Eagles on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt. However, Wilson Hall muffed the punt and HHCA’s Sam Strum recovered at the Baron 25-yard line.

        Hilton Head Christian got the ball in the end zone on the possession, but a penalty nullified the score. On the next play, Naylor intercepted McCollum with Wilson Hall taking over its 18.

        The Barons marched down the field with McLaurin ending the drive with a 5-yard scoring run. Bonser added the PAT to make it 14-0.

        “That was a big turning point in the game,” Jarecki said. "We were able to keep them from scoring and then we take it down the field and score. That really swung the momentum to us.”

        The Eagles fnally got on the scoreboard on a 3-yard run by Ethan Hames. The kick failed though, leaving the score at 14-6.

A long run by McLaurin on the Barons’ next possession set up another 1-yard scoring run by Meyers with four minutes left in the first half. Another Bonser extra point made the halftime score 21-6.

The Eagles received the second-half kickoff and drove deep into Wilson Hall territory. However, they had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Ian Kelly to make it 21-9.

        Later in the quarter, the Barons turned the ball over on downs. HHCA drove to the Wilson Hall 15 before turning the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter.

        Harrison Arnholt had five catches for 67 yards for HHCA, while Joseph Haupt had six catches for 36 yards. Kres Langhals had three catches for 35 yards.

        The Barons’ lone loss on the season was by a 49-7 count to Pinewood Prep. Jarecki knows Wilson Hall has its work cut out for it, but he is proud of his team.

        “Considering the players we lost from last year’s team, to come back and reach the championship game says a lot about this group,” Jarecki said. “To go 11-1, that’s a great season. We had a lot of people step up and fill some big roles. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”