Is Hilton Head Christian football program due for another championship run?
HHCA has won seven state titles as it prepares for its 25th season
Bluffton – It has been “a while” since Hilton Head Christian Academy has won a state championship in football. You have to go all the way back to 2023 when the Eagles claimed the SCISA AAA title to find the most recent championship trophy.
This is stated in jest, at least partly. Hilton Head Christian started its program in 2002 with former University of South Carolina head coach Jim Carlen in charge, meaning the school is preparing for its 25th season. The Eagles won a championship in seven of the first 24 years, so the law of averages might suggest another one is due.
Head coach Ron Peduzzi, who has guided Hilton Head Christian to three of those titles in 2020, 2021 and 2023, isn’t saying anything like that is in the offing. He thinks the Eagles had a good spring practice though and hopes to springboard the momentum over the summer into the start of the season.
“We used all 10 practices (in the spring), and we hope to improve in our workouts and 7-on-7 competitions as a working unit,” said Peduzzi, who has a 79-27 record in seven years as Hilton Head Christian’s head coach.
The Eagles have two 7-on-7 events scheduled for the month of July at this point. They will play in one at Battery Creek on July 8 and then travel to Charleston the following day to play in a tournament at The Citadel.
Hilton Head Christian has only one scrimmage set up so far. That will be on August 1 when the Eagles play host to defending Class A runner-up Colleton Prep Academy.
The Eagles hope to get another scrimmage in before they start their regular season. While most schools will be starting on August 21, Hilton Head Christian will open on August 14 on the road against John Paul II. It will play its home opener the following week against Beaufort Academy.
The Eagles will have eight starters returning on both offense and defense from a team that went 6-6 but reached the semifinal round of the AAA state playoffs.
Back to lead the offense is rising senior quarterback Kres Langhals. This will be his first full year as the starter in the quarterback-centric offense, taking over in the middle of last season.
Langhals completed 110 of 186 passes for 1,793 yards and 19 touchdowns. He rushed for 387 yards and seven touchdowns on 82 carries.
Langhals will have the top three receivers from last season as targets in senior Joey Houpt, senior Jackson Richardson and junior Sam Strum. Houpt had 69 catches for 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns, Richardson had 45 receptions for 645 yards and five scores, and Strum had 31 catches for 415 yards and five touchdowns.
They were all named to the All-Region 1-AAA team along with three returning on defense. They are junior defensive lineman Hayne Burden, Langhals at linebacker and junior Chase White at linebacker.
Burden led the team in tackles with 105, tackles for loss with 13, quarterback sacks with four and quarterback hurries with 21. Langhals had 39 tackles, five
TFLs, 2 ½ sacks, two interceptions, two caused fumbles and two fumble recoveries, and White had 82 tackles, five TFLs, one sack and one interception.
Peduzzi said there is more than just wins and losses at stake when Hilton Head Christian takes the field.
“HHCA football has always played for an audience of One,” he said. “We play to win with an understanding that we must honor our faith, legacy and effort on and off the field. We will be on the field to battle every game, whether we are David or Goliath. We will always place team before self. Go Eagles!”
