Championship dreams still alive for Lowcountry high school football teams
The championship games this weekend will be familiar settings for Thomas Heyward and Hilton Head Christian.
Thomas Heyward (11-1) will be vying for its fourth consecutive SCISA Class A crown when it faces Lee Academy (7-5) at noon on Saturday at Charleston Southern. The two teams played in last year’s championship, with THA winning, 46-14.
The Rebels routed Thomas Sumter, 49-9, and Lee Academy downed St. John’s Christian 27-6 in last week’s semifinals.
This season hasn’t been easy for the Rebels. Tyshon Mansell is their third starting quarterback due to a rash of injuries that has ravaged the team throughout the season.
Mansell has thrown for nine touchdowns, but the Rebels’ real strength has been their running game that has amassed over 3,000 yards behind senior James Townsend, junior Anthony Fripp, and eighth-grader Tony O’Banner. Townsend also has been a defensive standout for the Rebels.
“Our guys are starting to click on all three cylinders of the game,” Thomas Heyward coach Nic Shuford said. “We’re definitely playing our best ball heading into this championship game.
“Lee Academy is a strong team with an excellent coach in David Rankin. He will have his guys ready to play and execute on a high level.”
Hilton Head Christian (12-0), winners of 24 straight games, also returns to Charleston Southern as the defending SCISA Class 2A champion to meet Williamsburg Academy (10-0) for a 5 p.m. start on Saturday. The Eagles defeated Pee Dee Academy, 52-23, to punch their ticket to their third consecutive final.
Eagles’ quarterback Jace Blackshear has been a one-man wrecking crew all season and has been among the area leaders in passing yardage, completions and touchdowns. In the win over Pee Dee, Blackshear was 18 of 31, passing for 271 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for 33 yards.
Jackson Lainer has been a force all season in the backfield and linebacker for the Eagles. Last week, he rushed for 128 yards and registered 19 tackles. Speedy Robinson has emerged as a threat in the back field and the flat, as well as defensive presence. Robinson had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving, along with nine tackles against Pee Dee.
HHCA coach Ron Peduzzi refers to his group as “Junkyard Dogs” for their relentless and aggressive attack all season, with the Eagles’ high octane offense recording 531 points and allowing just 131 with four shutouts.
“Pee Dee is a good football team, and they really punched us in the mouth in the first half,” Peduzzi. said. “We made some really good adjustments at the half, and it worked to slow them down. We got two turnovers that really helped. From there, we were able to take control.”
Despite his team looking and playing like a juggernaut on both sides of the ball, Peduzzi remains cautiously optimistic about meeting Williamsburg.
“They’re very good, and they’re undefeated,” he said. “They have played very aggressive all season. They have a veteran team with 14 seniors, and they are hitting their stride.
“We know we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
State semifinals
While SCISA is hosting its championships this weekend, two Lowcountry public schools remain in the hunt for public school championships. Beaufort (10-2) will travel to Myrtle Beach (9-1) for a SCHSL Class 4A Lower State 4A semifinals, while Whale Branch travels to CE Murray in the Class A Lower state semifinals.
Beaufort is looking to avenge last season’s 49-37 shootout loss to the Seahawks.
“We have to beat someone from that region,” Beaufort coach Bryce Lybrand said. “But I don’t think it’s a huge obstacle for us. We’ve played some pretty good football teams this year. Myrtle Beach is going to be at the top of our list. We’ll be ready.”
The Eagles, winners of four straight who have scored 161 points during the span, have been paced by the trifecta of senior quarterback Tyler Haley, senior running back Amariee Morris, and junior wide receiver McLeod Reichel.
The Eagles are coming off an impressive 42-10 victory at North Augusta. Beaufort also been reenergized with its defense, which has given up just 42 points over its last four games.
Beaufort’s defense has recovered eight fumbles, 54 quarterback pressures and 18 sacks. Junior defensive tackle Eamon Smalls has developed into a consistent performer.
Whale Branch (8-1) is coming off a 27-12 win over Lake View in the second round last week. The Warriors have been ranked in the top 10 in Class A for most of the year, and its lone loss is to Baptist Hill, which is still left in the playoffs.
Whale Branch has a strong running game, led by senior Joseph Hicks, who has rushed for 1,129 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Sophomore Kent Chisholm leads the team with eight interceptions.
