By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
The last time the Hilton Head Seahawks were playing football this deep into November, the year was 1990. Dan Utley was the program’s head coach, just the second one in program history, and would take the Seahawks to the state finals that season. The creation of Bluffton High School was still 14 years away, and the Cross Island Bridge on the island was yet to be constructed.
Fast forward 35 years, and the Seahawks have soared back to state title contender status for the first time since the Utley Era. On Friday, they’ll host upstart powerhouse Gray Collegiate for a spot in the SCHSL Class 4A Lower State title game.
It’s a season that has been a well-deserved ride for BJ Payne, who has done wonders with the program since 2012. He has been known for his work in cultivating future talent at the collegiate and even pro level, including current Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed and NFL veteran Poona Ford, but he has never taken the Seahawks to the third round of the playoffs until this year.
And it’s no fluke that they’ve arrived at this point. Fueled by an electric and ultra-athletic two-way star in Thaddeus Czarnecki and a breakthrough junior quarterback in Derrick Raniszewski, the Seahawks have flown past expectations in 2025, a year after winning their first playoff game since 2015.
Czarnecki had large shoes to fill in the backfield after the departure of teammate Troy Timko, and he quickly seized the opportunity of the full-time role with his workmanlike finesse and the power to turn a four-yard gain into an explosive run. The offense has relied on its run game, which has opened up the prolific passing game and created rushing lanes for Raniszewski. After taking some sizable steps forward in 2024, the junior has become sensational this year, showing remarkable poise in the most impactful situations that have been thrown his way. He has delivered in all the key moments en route to a perfect region record and a 9-1 regular season, the only blemish being a road loss to Class 5A title contender James Island.
Raniszewski’s biggest breakthrough moment came in a home duel with Bluffton’s Aedan McCarthy, a game that ended up determining the region championship. After Hilton Head’s lead was cut to just three points with four minutes to go following a lengthy rain delay, the Seahawks faced a menacing third down on the verge of giving the ball back to the Bobcats’ explosive offense with more than enough time to tie or take the lead. But Raniszewski, ready for the moment, delivered the final blow himself, hooking up with Jeremiah Walters, who broke past a pair of defenders to all but seal the crucial region win.
He’s built off that game since, developing a lethal connection with Walters, who has become a dynamite receiver and playmaker at all levels. It was Walters who came through with the heroics in Friday’s second-round matchup with Wilson, using his quick instincts and hands to recover a fumble on defense before gashing the Tigers on the ensuing play in a 58-yard touchdown reception.
Payne has always built his teams around the defensive side of the ball, and this year’s edition might be the deepest and most collectively talented edition he has cultivated. The strength starts up front, with Josh Bigger and his exceptional 33 tackles for loss in 12 games. Former Hampton County Hurricane Jayvin Risher has been a key addition in pressuring the opposition on the line, and Will Jimenez shows time and again why he has checked all the boxes of an elite high school linebacker. The secondary was a slight concern heading into the year, but the emergence of Louis Gadson and Justice Morris-Jones has made it much more difficult for teams to throw on the Seahawks. And Beau Sexson has become a more than capable kicker for Hilton Head’s prolific offense, boasting a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals this season, including a long of 42 yards.
Payne’s squad has yet to be truly tested in this playoff run. The Seahawks quickly exorcised their South Aiken demons dating back to 2008 in a thorough offensive domination of the Thoroughbreds in the opening round. They showed their quick bounce-back capabilities a week later, rebounding from an early turnover and Wilson score by blitzing the Tigers the rest of the way with 31 unanswered points. And that lock-down defensive effort gives a sense they will have more than a fighting chance when the 10-2 War Eagles come to town on Friday night.
Payne’s group will need to start on time and put some doubt and defensive pressure in the eyes of freshman phenom quarterback Xavier Wright, who has broken through as an elite passer and playmaker early in his career. Holding prolific back Trevon Williamson down and forcing Wright to make tough throws in a hostile environment will give Payne’s group a lane to make a key stop early.
The task may be made tougher if they are without key offensive lineman Hayden Crockett, but Hilton Head has taken good care of the football and has a quarterback with a winning mentality to the level that has arguably not been seen yet here at The Nest. It’s hard to doubt the capability of Raniszewski, Czarnecki, and an unrelenting Seahawk team heading into a golden opportunity on Friday night.
Wes Kerr is a graduate of Hilton Head Island HS and Davidson College. He reports on local sports for LowcoSports.com and is co-host and producer of the LowcoSports Lowdown and other Lowco Media productions.
