Hilton Head Christian Academy standout Daniel Harrington collected his homecoming crown at halftime, and then he gathered a few of his teammates for a quick pep talk.
The homecoming king pointed out how close Northwood Academy had come to getting back in the game, and how the Eagles needed to put the pedal down and put the Chargers away.
When the homecoming king talks, folks listen.
The Eagles showed a renewed spirit in the second half Friday, pulling away for a 42-7 win to open SCISA Region 2-2A play.
It looked like it would turn into a rout early, as Harrington hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass on HHCA’s opening series, and Hayden Shinn threw his second TD of the first quarter, a 50-yard strike down the sideline to JP Peduzzi.
The Eagles let off the gas momentarily, letting a promising drive to bog down and end with a missed field goal and allowing the Chargers’ plodding offense to chew up yardage and clock and keep it close, but Harrington revived them, catching a Shinn pass across the middle and racing up the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown and a 20-0 lead.
Northwood put together a strong drive near the end of the half, though, capped by Tyler Gadsden’s 4-yard touchdown run, and the Eagles fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the Chargers another chance before halftime. The Eagles’ defense came up big, though, forcing a fumble at the 2-yard line to preserve a 20-7 halftime lead.
If that had gone differently, Harrington reminded his teammates after the homecoming ceremony concluded, this would be a game.
The Eagles’ defense put the pedal to the metal.
Harrington scooped up a fumble and raced 14 yards for a touchdown on the opening series of the second half, and Jace Blackshear added a 65-yard scoop-and-score on Northwood’s next possession to make it 35-7.
Shinn and Harrington connected one more time to cap the scoring, as Harrington juked a would-be tackler on the left sideline and cut back across the field, dodging defenders for a 60-yard TD.
HHCA (5-1, 1-0) travels to Orangeburg Prep for a key region matchup next Friday.
Photos by Tom Cloud