Hilton Head High’s boys cross country team claimed its sixth consecutive state championship – and its ninth in the past 10 years – on Saturday in Columbia.
Led by Sam Gilman’s runner-up finish and Jasper Reinhardt’s seventh-place showing, the Seahawks edged Eastside by two points for the team title. Gilman capped his brilliant career by finishing the 5K race in 15:43, 13 seconds behind Daniel’s Alex Zangara.
Beaufort High’s Marlon Belden finished five seconds behind Gilman in third, leading the Eagles to a fifth-place finish. Bluffton finished ninth.
Hilton Head High (1st): 2. Sam Gilman 15:43; 7. Jasper Reinhardt 16:08; 19. Logan Seifert 16:40; 21. Max Baez 16:51; 37. Colton Thune 17:20; 66. Eduardo Gonzalez Ramos 17:54; 82. Caden Thune 18:13
Beaufort High (5th): 3. Marlon Belden 15:48; 16. Nash Mills 16:38; 36. Joshua Wilborn 17:20; 38. Collin Durham 17:24; 43. Max Davis 17:30; 48. Charlie Bennett 17:39; 99. Eli Smith 18:51
Bluffton (9th): 18. Armando Macias Jimenez 16:40; 46. Branden White 17:38; 60. John Sutay 17:46; 65. Peyton Decker 17:53; 98. Kegan Brandt 18:50; 104. James Orten 19:04; 126. Nicholas Cunningham 20:27