Hilton Head Christian football preseason outlook

Published Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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HILTON HEAD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY EAGLES

Roster

No.NameHeightWeightPositionClass
3Cody Hilton5-11130TE/LBSoph.
4Weston Butler5-8160WR/DBSr.
5Eric Farr6-1190RB/DBJr.
8Zac Lenns6-0185WR/DBSr.
10Jake Crandall6-1220TE/LB/KJr.
11Ryan Emery5-9160WR/DBJr.
13Ryan Cash5-6140WR/DBJr.
14Shea Watkins5-11160WR/DBSr.
17Luke Sirgo6-2180QB/DBJr.
19Alex Martin6-2170WR/DBSoph.
21JaBrook Tucker5-7170RB/LBJr.
24James Berl5-9160WR/DBSr.
39Anthony Arcuri5-5145WR/DBJr.
44Ethan Gort6-7210WR/LBSr.
50Nick Borghi5-11225OL/DLSoph.
53Michael Hull6-0180OL/LBSr.
55Josh Lancaster5-9240OL/DLSr.
57Kyle Weaver6-1240OL/LB/DLSoph.
58Wesley Cooler5-9165OL/DLSr.
62John Taylor Stones5-9200OL/DLJr.
63Saxby Chaplain6-0200OL/DLSr.
64Alec Westmark5-10170OL/DLSoph.
65Cole Malphrus6-1230OL/DLSoph.
72Ryan Smith6-2200OL/LBJr.
73Lamar Johnson5-9235OL/DLSr.
88Devin McGuinness6-4180WR/DBSr.

Projected starters

Pos. No. Name Comment

QB 17 Luke Sirgo (6-2, 180, Jr.) Threw for 2,820 yards, 32 TDs in ’08

RB 5 Eric Farr (6-1, 190, Jr.) Led Eagles with 456 rushing yards last year

WR 44 Ethan Gort (6-7, 210, Sr.) At 6-foot-7, almost unstoppable in the red zone

WR 8 Zac Lenns (6-0, 185, Sr.) Top returning receiver with 47 catches last year

WR 19 Alex Martin (6-2, 170, Soph.) Abundant Life transfer emerging as solid third option

TE 11 Ryan Emery (5-9, 160, Jr.) Eagles have a history of throwing to their TEs

LT 57 Kyle Weaver (6-1, 240, Soph.) Great size for SCISAA lineman, and only a sophomore

LG 73 Lamar Johnson (5-9, 235, Sr.) Eagles’ most dependable lineman will play both ways

C 64 Alec Westmark (5-10, 170, Soph.) JV center has experience with shotgun snap

RG 58 Wesley Cooler (5-9, 165, Sr.) Will focus on defense when John Taylor Stones returns

RT 55 Josh Lancaster (5-9, 240, Sr.) Back after taking year off; brings size, depth to line

DT 50 Nick Borghi (5-11, 225, Soph.) Earned significant playing time as a freshman

NG 65 Cole Malphrus (6-1, 230, Soph.) Racked up 65 tackles (six for loss) and two sacks last year

DT 73 Lamar Johnson (5-9, 235, Sr.) One of few two-way starters for HHCA

OLB 44 Ethan Gort (6-7, 210, Sr.) Rare combination of size and speed disrupts offenses

ILB 10 Jake Crandall (6-1, 220, Jr.) Prototypical linebacker: Strong and athletic

ILB 53 Michael Hull (6-0, 180, Sr.) Leading tackler a year ago with 116 (seven for loss)

OLB 72 Ryan Smith (6-2, 200, Jr.) Will get plenty of chances when teams run away from Gort

CB 88 Devin McGuinness (6-4, 180, Sr.) Baseball, hoops player adds athleticism to secondary

CB 4 Weston Butler (5-8, 160, Sr.) Natural born cornerback didn’t play last year

FS 24 James Berl (5-9, 160, Sr.) Experienced at all secondary positions; two picks in ’08

SS 14 Shea Watkins (5-11, 160, Sr.) Hard-hitting safety had 28 tackles, one INT a year ago

K 10 Jake Crandall (6-1, 220, Jr.) Soccer player provides strong, accurate leg

P 8 Zac Lenns (6-0, 185, Sr.) Averaged 33.6 yards per punt last year

KR/PR 8 Zac Lenns (6-0, 185, Sr.) Versatile player will have the ball in his hands often

2008 results

DateOpponentResult
Aug. 22WILSON HALLL 13-34
Sept. 5THOMAS HEYWARD*W 28-0
Sept. 12FIRST BAPTIST*W 34-0
Sept. 19at Hilton Head Prep*W 24-6
Sept. 26at St. Andrew’s*W 35-19
Oct. 3at Chas. CollegiateW 28-7
Oct. 10at Orangeburg PrepL 14-34
Oct. 17CATHEDRAL ACADEMYW 41-0
Oct. 25at Colleton Prep*W 48-21
Oct. 31NORTHWOOD ACADEMY*L 14-17
Nov. 7PEE DEE ACADEMY**W 40-16
Nov. 14at Thomas Sumter**L 21-46

Home games in ALL CAPS

* denotes SCISAA Region 2-AA game

** denotes SCISAA Class 2-A playoff game

2009 schedule

DateOpponentTimeComment
Aug. 21at Wilson Hall7:30 p.m.Barons made SCISAA Class 3-A finals last year
Sept. 4at Thomas Heyward*7:30 p.m.Rebels in rebuilding mode with new coach
Sept. 11at First Baptist*7:30 p.m.Hurricanes lost 12 seniors off 1-9 team
Sept. 18HILTON HEAD PREP*7 p.m.Home team has never won in this series
Sept. 25ST. ANDREW’S*7 p.m.Saints said goodbye to top offensive weapons
Oct. 2CHAS. COLLEGIATE7 p.m.Sun Devils have new coach after 3-7 season
Oct. 9ORANGEBURG PREP7 p.m.Put up 28 or more points eight times in ’08
Oct. 16at Cathedral Academy7:30 p.m.Generals were winless a year ago
Oct. 23COLLETON PREP*7 p.m.Warhawks are young but always have talent, good coaching
Oct. 30at Northwood Academy*7:30 p.m.Last two meetings have gone down to the wire

Home games in ALL CAPS

* denotes SCISAA Region 2-AA game

Team Information

Stadium name: Eagle Stadium

Region: SCISAA 2-AA

Coach: Tommy Lewis (64-43 overall, 50-24 entering seventh season at HHCA)

2008 record: 8-4 overall, 5-1 in SCISAA Region 2-AA, lost to Thomas Sumter in SCISAA Class 2-A semifinals

Top returning starters: QB Luke Sirgo, 2,820 yards, 32 TDs; WR/LB Ethan Gort, 31 catches, 549 yards, six TDs, 60 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, five sacks; WR/DB Zac Lenns, 47 catches, 561 yards, five TDs, 69 tackles, two interceptions; OL/LB Michael Hull, 116 tackles, seven tackles for loss; OL/DL Lamar Johnson, honorable mention all-area.

Coach’s prognosis for 2009: “We’re very excited about the guys we have coming back. We think we can compete and compete well, and it’s just a matter of keeping our guys healthy.”

Three burning questions

1. Who will prolific passer Luke Sirgo throw to? With two players who caught 45 or more passes gone — Mark McDevitt caught a team-high 48 and Joey Davis grabbed 45 — it’s hard to believe Sirgo has one of his favorite receivers back in Zac Lenns (47 catches, 561 yards, 5 TDs). Towering target Ethan Gort also returns after catching 31 passes for 549 yards and six TDs last year, but the Eagles are looking for sophomore Alex Martin to emerge as a third receiving option.

2. Can the Eagles develop more of a running game to provide some balance on offense? The ground game suffered from a lack of experience on the line and in the backfield last year, but with all five starters back up front along with running back Eric Farr (458 yards, 5 TDs), expect a bit more balance this year.

3. Can the defense be as good as last year, when it held opponents to seven points or fewer five times? That will depend on the secondary, where the Eagles are relatively inexperienced despite starting four seniors. Cornerbacks Devin McGuinness and Weston Butler didn’t play last year. But they have plenty of help in the front seven, with an experienced defensive line and stars Ethan Gort and Michael Hull at linebacker.

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