In a playoff game that was reminiscent of old smash mouth football, Hayden Shinn and the Hilton Head Christian Academy Eagles ran past a tough Greenwood Christian squad 23-7 to advance in the first round of the SCISA 2A state playoffs.
Shinn, the reigning RBC Heritage Player of the Week, backed up that claim with 84 rushing yards and a 13-yard TD strike to his favorite target JP Peduzzi. Daniel Harrington found the end zone twice, bookending the scores. Shinn has broken the pass TD record for HHCA set by Luke Sirgo back in the late 2000s.
“We kept hiccuping with penalties, but we gotta thank our defense’s success for helping our offense’s success,” Shinn said after the game. “We have five receivers who could score on any given play and a great offensive line.”
The game was much closer than the score would indicate. After a pitch to Harrington scored a TD, the Hawks marched down the field and fell past the goal line on a 1 yard run to even the game at 7.
Following a series of quick passes down the field, Shinn found Peduzzi in the end zone before converting a two-point try to take a 15-7 lead into the locker room.
The Eagles came out of the half looking to create some separation, but instead it turned out to be momentum for the visitors right out of the gate, as Carter Johns intercepted Shinn after the Eagles drove the ball to the Greenwood 30.
Penalties were detrimental to both offenses in the second half. The Hawks ran 12 plays, but were stopped after a costly delay of game made it fourth-and-8, which was easily shut down by the Eagle defense. HHCA had first-and-goal at the 9, but a 5-yard penalty followed by an intentional grounding call killed any chance of a touchdown.
Instead of an easy distance, the penalties backed up the field goal attempt, and Peduzzi came up short, giving the Hawks new life down by just eight. However, Greenwood failed to convert on fourth-and-inches at the HHCA 39. The Eagles subsequently went down and iced the game on an option play to Harrington, going 25 yards to the house.
This contest was decided by who could finish drives deep in enemy territory, and the Eagles got it done a little more often.
HHCA traveled by air for much of the first half, but Shinn’s legs were the dominating message by the home team in the second. He rushed nine times for 77 yards after the break.
The Hawks provided a well-oiled rushing attack, rarely throwing it until they had to down late. Four different running backs had at least five carries for Greenwood, but they couldn’t sustain enough drives to pick up points, thanks to the Eagles’ “bend but don’t break” defense.
“We obviously didn’t have our best stuff on either side of the ball, but good teams find a way to win,” HHCA coach Ron Peduzzi said.
Hilton Head Christian will host their SCISA 2A semifinal next week against Florence Christian, who took care of Hilton Head Prep in round 1.
— Wesley Kerr