Hilton Head Christian In the Hunt For Post Season Play

By Jeff Moeller

Contributing Writer

Hilton Head – Entering their 25th year of the program last year, Hilton Head Christian Academy didn’t deviate off their course.

The Eagles once again were in the postseason, this time advancing to the state semifinals. They fell to Wilson Hall, 50-29 in the SCISA Class 3A Region 1 bracket. Overall, the Eagles finished the year 6-6. 

This season under veteran head coach Ron Peduzzi, who will begin his ninth in charge, the Eagles will be in the hunt for the postseason and also to capture their first state title since 2023. Peduzzi previously won titles in 2020 and 2021.

Through the first three games, the Eagles soared to convincing victories over John Paul II (42-8), Beaufort Academy (41-0) and also avenged their defeat to Wilson Hall (38-26).

Their mettle will be tested with early October meetings with defending champion Bethesda Academy as well as perennial power First Baptist School. Both of them are in the Class 3A division this year. 

The Eagles have 37 players on their roster, and Peduzzi knows he has to make the most of it. They have just three seniors and 16 juniors.

“We wanted to give our yung guys a lot of reps early on,” said Peduzzi. “We wanted to get them acclimated to the program, and they have responded well.”

Senior quarterback Kres Langhals is off to a good start, and he also is the Eagles’ leading rusher. He is joined in the backfield by senior Joseph Haupt, and juniors Chase White and Hayne Burden along with sophomore Max Zwilsky.

“Kres has been a leader,” said Peduzzi. “He has been a leader since the summer, and he has helped make it an easier transition. He is a dual threat with his ability to run the ball.”

Senior Jackson Richardson returns as the primary receiving target, and others expected to be in the mix are sophomore Wes Langhals and Charlie Wilson. 

Up front, juniors Josh Koepke, Jacob Herrera, Caleb Altizer, Austin Marshall, and Damani Wright are back, and all of them will play both ways. 

Juniors Roland Settle and Jack Barrs are returnees at linebacker. In the secondary, juniors Sam Strum, Ryder Maffei, and Anthony Kruswicki all saw prominent time last season. 

Houpt will handle the punting duties, while sophomore Tripp House has taken on the kicking duties. 

One major challenge for the Eagles will be to develop their depth. With their first two games being blowouts, Peduzzi had the chance to play some of his younger talent.

“Our young guys have been stepping up,” added Peduzzi. “We have a handful of seniors and many juniors who got a lot of time last year as sophomores. We’ll be looking to keep our sophomores and freshmen ready to play.”

In spite of his team getting off to a fast start, Peduzzi wants to keep everything in its proper perspective.

“It still comes down to blocking and tackling,” he stated. “We still want to work on and stress the basics and fundamentals. We’ll take it one game at a time, and we hope we can improve as the season goes on. We’ve always strived to peak at the end of the season.”