Beaufort High had the top three finishers, but Hilton Head High’s boys claimed the team title in the Class 4A Lower State cross country qualifier Saturday in Darlington.
Beaufort’s Nash Mills (16:42), Maxwell Davis (16:49), and Marlon Belden (16:52) were the first three runners across the line in the 5K race, but the Seahawks’ depth carried them to the team crown.
With all five scoring runners finishing in the top 16, the Seahawks finished with 54 points to easily outpace runner-up AC Flora (85) and third-place Beaufort (87). Bluffton (232) was 10th in the 18-team field. The top nine teams advance to the Class 4A state championships Saturday in Camden.
Jasper Reinhardt (17:28) and Will Lemire (17:33) led the Seahawks in seventh and eighth place, followed by Eduardo Gonzalez Ramos (11th, 17:41), Caden Thune (12th, 17:42), Kyle Martin (16th, 17:57), and Jossue Rondin (21st, 18:10).
Charlie Bennett (30th, 18:26) and Connor Eby (51st, 19:14) rounded out the scoring for the Eagles.
Nicholas Cunningham (34th, 18:33), Peyton Decker (35th, 18:34), and Charles Deaton (39th, 18:46) led the Bobcats and qualified for the state meet as individuals by virtue of finishing in the top 40.