Athletics

HHCA Wendy's Heisman Nominees

Hilton Head Christian Academy seniors Janel Raquet and Michael Hull were named School Winners of the prestigious Wendy’s High School Heisman Award.  Michael also was named a South Carolina state finalist. To be eligible for this award, students must exhibit excellence in academics, athletics, and community/school leadership.

The Wendy’s High School Heisman program, awarded in conjunction with the collegiate Heisman, celebrates the achievements of the nation’s top high school seniors both in and out of the classroom. Just as the collegiate Heisman is known for being the top award in college football, the Wendy’s High School Heisman award is known for being the most prestigious award at the high school level. The award encourages future leadership by recognizing well-balanced lifestyles at an early age.

Janel and Michael are both honor students at HHCA and recipients of Scholar/Athlete awards.   Janel is a tri-sport athlete, who plays soccer, volleyball and basketball, serving as captain of the varsity volleyball and basketball teams.  Michael earned first team honors at linebacker, was co-captain of the South’s All-Star team, and served as co-captain of HHCA’s 2009 State Championship football team.  He also plays forward on the varsity basketball team and plays drums or guitar in the school’s worship band.  Janel is president of the National Honor Society and an award-winning member of HHCA’s Jazz, Pep and Concert bands.  Both students participate in community service projects with organizations at the school. “Janel and Michael are great examples of HHCA’s commitment to excellence in academics, sports and serving others,” explained Trevor Creeden, the school’s guidance counselor.

Created in 1994, Wendy’s High School Heisman has set the standard for high school student-athletes and gained tremendous prestige in its own right. To date, more than 188,000 high school students have represented their schools and been touched by the Heisman glory.

Varsity Basketball Players Honored by SCISAA

Seniors Chris Ferraro and Ethan Gort have been selected to play in the SCISAA vs. GISSA all-star basketball game at Augusta Prep in Augusta, Georgia.  Both forwards had an outstanding season averaging 13-14 points a game and 8 rebounds.  The varsity Eagles made it to the SCISAA quarter-final game played in Sumter, SC. Other honors this basketball season go to senior Erika Sonberg and senior Zac Lenns. Erika was selected to play in the SCISAA vs. GISSA game and Zac was named to the North-South All-Star team. Neither will be able to participate in the games due to prior commitments.

Vilcheck One to Watch
Chandler Vilcheck, junior at HHCA, is leading the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour in points for player of the year. Chandler has played in three tournaments this year and has placed in the top three each time.  With a field of 96 players representing 20 different countries the HJGT was a notable challenge for the February tournament at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City, Florida. Vilcheck finished one stroke behind the leader from Tampa, FL and tied for a second place finish with Mark Sanchez of Ontario.

HHCA Sporting Clay Target Team
Kerry Davis, 7th grade student, has a clay target in her sites as caoches Fuzzy Davis and Jon Greenwell look on.  The Clay Target team is fairly new to HHCA. A group of students began competitive shooting in the spring of 2007 and the sport has grown and developed each year, adding more shootouts and tournaments each year.

Ryan Naddy (HHCA 6th Grade)
Sixth grade student Ryan Naddy participated in the Carolina Classic swim meet held in Columbia early in December.  Ryan swims for Hilton Head Aquatics (H2A) a competitive swim team that offers year round training for swimmers of every ability ages 5 - 18.  At the meet he qualified for the State Finals (to be held in February) in all nine events in which he competed.  Ryan earned 1st place overall in the 200 Breast Stroke, and qualified for Sectionals which will take place after State Finals in the 200 IM.

Katie Boysen '10
The American Saddlebred Association of Georgia (ASHAG) has named Katie Boysen, a senior at HHCA, their high point grand champion for 2009  in the Country Pleasure division on her horse CH S. S. Lies and Alibis.  Katie was also named reserve high point grand champion in the five gaited division on her horse CH Executive Dunk.  This is the second year in a row that Katie has won in these two divisions.  ASHAG also named her trainer, Christy Parker of Pine Haven Stables, Trainer of the Year.

Ellie Patterson '10
As Published by the Island Packet
By JUSTIN JARRETT
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843-706-8120

Meet Hilton Head Christian volleyball player Ellie Patterson

Through the changing sports seasons and a steady stream of new coaches, Ellie Patterson has been a constant for Hilton Head Christian Academy's girls sports teams for the past four years.The setter for the volleyball team, the point guard for the basketball team and a role player for the soccer team, if the Eagles are playing a game, Patterson is sure to be found somewhere.As her high school career begins to wind down, Patterson took a few minutes to talk about everything from the volleyball team's recent winning streak to her expectations for the basketball team's first season under coach Joni Colburn and the role sports will play in her life when her days at Hilton Head Christian are done.

Question: After a rough start to season and a 2-11 start, your volleyball team has won three matches in a row, and two of them were against teams that had beaten you earlier in the season. What happened to spark this turnaround?

Answer: I feel like we were kind of sick of losing, and we never really put all our heart into the games, we were just like, 'Oh, it's another volleyball game.' But we really wanted to win, and we tried our hardest and were more encouraging. We were more upbeat and having fun.   READ ENTIRE ARTICLE

Chandler Vilcheck (HHCA Junior)
Living Fuel Junior Open
October 3-4
Press Release

Living Fuel Junior Open Tampa, Florida

Tampa, FL- The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour traveled to Tampa, Florida this weekend to host the Living Fuel Junior Open at Emerald Greens Golf Resort and Country Club- Meadow-Pine.  This excellent course, with its strategically placed water and bunkers, posed a challenge to many of the players; those that prevailed proved their skills as golfers.  Many of the age divisions saw shifts in the leaderboard over the 36-hole tournament, which contributed to the excitement of the tournament.  Both rounds saw beautiful weather with sunny skies and high temperatures.

After the first round on Saturday, Eduardo Zamudio of Mexico City, Mexico took command of the lead with a two-under par round of 70, with the help of three birdies.  Jamie Veloz of Englewood, Florida was two strokes behind Zamudio after the first round when he carded an even-par round of 72.  Chandler Vilcheck of Bluffton, South Carolina and Kristian Sorensen of Svendborg, Denmark were both 7 strokes off the lead after the first round, each turning rounds of 77.  The second round saw many changes in leaderboard.  Veloz came back with another even-par round of 72 on Sunday to take the lead and the tournament. Veloz was victorious because of his well played par-5s; he played them in two-under par for the tournament.  Vilcheck started the second round a little shaky with a bogey on the second hole, but he then made a magnificent comeback, birding four of his last six holes.  Vilcheck shot a final round three-under, 69, to take second place for the tournament with a two day total 146. Sorensen also had a fantastic second round, carding a two-under par, 70, and was able to knock Zamudio out of third with his tournament total 147.  Zamudio dropped to fourth with a second round 78 and a tournament total 148.

Michael Montgomery '09
As Published in the Island Packet
By SAM McDOWELL
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843-706-8123
Published Sunday, October 4, 2009

Former HHCA golfer returns home for Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational

In Michael Montgomery's mind, the start to his college career couldn't have been much worse. The prospect of competing against 90 golfers every tournament overwhelmed him, as did college life.But the most difficult task was competing against himself. As a result of the self-imposed pressure he carried on the course, he finished his first nine rounds of qualifying for various tournaments with a 75 average, a number he wouldn't accept on his most tolerant of days.His play during the critical situations haunted him most. It became so shaky that Mark McEntire, his coach at the College of Charleston, approached him about possibly redshirting his freshman year.

"I really didn't want to do that," said Montgomery, a former golfer at Hilton Head Christian. "I told him if he thought it was better for the team, I'd do it."But I came up here to play."

He's done exactly that since then.Seven of his next eight qualifying rounds were under par. Now, he's not only competing in tournaments, he's making a run to win them. In last weekend's Mason Rudolph Invitational, he finished in a tie for 10th place. That landed him the College of Charleston student athlete of the week award.He's credited much of the success to McEntire, who walked the course with him for each of the two rounds in the Mason Rudolph Invitational to keep his mind from wondering about the "what-ifs" after every shot.

"Once I started getting on that roll, my confidence shot through the roof," Montgomery said. "I'm finally getting comfortable here. I have the attitude that nobody can beat me. I realized that I can keep up with these guys."

Just in time for a trip back home.Montgomery and his College of Charleston teammates will take part in the Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational at Haig Point on Daufuskie Island. The 12-team event starts Monday and concludes Tuesday afternoon. Teams will play a practice round today.South Carolina won last year's inaugural tournament by 21 shots over Georgia State and San Diego State. The Gamecocks return to defend their title.Montgomery still considers Haig Point his home course, a place where he basically grew up. He recorded his first ever hole-in-one at the course.Montgomery said he's had this date marked since he first saw the College of Charleston schedule. He made the trip back home a couple days early to get a lesson from his long-time swing instructor, Andrew Rice, in preparation for the tournament.

"I've learned how to play the game there," Montgomery said. "I always thought I'd get the chance to come back and play there. The realization that it's happening is a pretty cool feeling."

Joe McDevitt '06

Lander University student Joe McDevitt and HHCA alumni (2006) attended the summer training camp of the National Football League Buffalo Bills where he had opportunities to work with star wide receiver Terrell Owens and other members of the team. His assignment was to help Owens and his teammates stay healthy and in good physical condition.

McDevitt is a junior majoring in athletic training and exercise studies at Lander, and the Bills welcomed him to their camp as an athletic training student intern. He reported to the team’s training site at St. John Fisher College near Rochester, N.Y., on July 19 and remained through the team’s first five pre-season games.

Jessie Rose Remegi '07

"Not every college athlete stays committed," Mrs. Karla Remegi says of her daughter Jessie Rose. This is Jessie Rose's third season playing for Milligan College's Lady Buffs.  Remegi is one of eight players on the women's tennis roster for the 2009-10 schedule.

According to Head Coach Ron Worrell, "Jessie Rose should have a good year on the courts for the Lady Buffs this, her junior year.It’s hard to realize this is her third year on campus! It seems like only yesterday she sent me her video she made while attending HHCA to see if I was interested in her trying out for the team.She was plagued by a shoulder problem last spring but rebounded and made a good showing in the conference tournament.

We will participate in the ETSU Fall Classic on Sept. 19 & 20. Last year there were 17 teams involved. NCAA Div I, Div II, and NAIA schools enter players. Each player gets 3 singles matches and 3 doubles matches. It’s a great experience!The Lady Buffs are returning 5 out of 6 starters this year. We are looking forward to a stronger showing in the conference tournament in the spring.

I expect Jessie Rose to continue doing well. She has a solid baseline game. She has refined her classic ground strokes in singles and is becoming more aggressive in doubles. Her doubles partner, Caitlin Conley, also a junior, are working hard and may play in the #1 doubles slot.

As with all juniors and seniors, with age comes wisdom and her match strategy has improved over the years. I can tell by her practice sessions this fall that she is fired up and ready to play."

Saturday’s HHCA Invitational was a nail-biter for more reasons than one for head swim coach Melanie Hilton.  Not only was she responsible for a nine-team event, which included more than 150  swimmers,  officials and judges, timers and a timing event company, but she had her head-coach’s hat on, or visor if you’re pool-side! Hilton was event planner, head coach, gracious host and head cheerleader for her team of seventeen ranging from sixth grade up to eleventh. This year SCISA threw in an unexpected twist.  Only swimmers who met qualifying standard times would be competing in Augusta at the state competition.  Coach Hilton took this news in stride and used it to motivate her young team.  What could have become a huge negative obstacle was just the motivation these swimmers needed to challenge even their best times. “It meant some hard practices – that means 2 ½ hours in the pool some evenings. But at least we had a visual goal of where we needed to be,” said Coach Hilton of the qualifying standards. In so many ways the home meet invitational was a success. Even the youngest of swimmers in 6th grade were mere seconds from qualifying times. A heart-break for some, but such a great accomplishment for the first-year athletes! “The swim season is short but tough. The road to Augusta means long hours in the pool, mental focus and physical demands,” Hilton said.  “This year was incredible!!  The team shaved seconds off of their individual and relay times.” HHCA Eagles will send nine athletes to the SCISAA State Swimming Championship. The boy’s team will include Drew Lewis, Ryan Naddy, Drew Robinson, Tristan Cummings, and Charlie Guenther. Abbey Robinson, Reilly Toomer, Sydney Cantwell, and Haigler Woods will represent the lady Eagles at this year’s championship.

Whether you are a sports fan, avid bargain hunter, or a mom starved for grown-up conversation, Friday night's home football game against cross-island rival Hilton Head Prep delivered!

As if the Annual Cross-Island Bowl wasn't reason enough to motivate a hike down Gardner Drive in search of parking, the 2nd Annual Booster Club Silent Auction had a large draw of its own. Last year's auction paid off big time for the Booster Club with proceeds of $11,000. Auction chair Lisa Cooler paid no mind to naysayers in regards to the present economy. She worked tirelessly with her support crew to put on a beautifully run event that brought in nearly $10,000!

There were as varied reasons to be on campus as there were age groups.  If you are a lower school student, this might mean a gang of friends playing backyard football behind the stadium. If you are a Booster Club volunteer, it might mean frying up bag after bag of french fries and flipping burgers on a charcoal grill.  And the shop-a-holics were in a frenzy strategically placing bids and hovering til the last second of half-time when they could claim their prize.

And what is an event recap without celebrating a 33-6 win on the football field?  HHCA Eagles took no chances when developing the strategy for victory.  Their main focus was to shut down Prep's passing game. And did they ever! 

This is the eighth time the teams have met for the cross-island bowl, but the first time the trophy has been claimed by the home team. Victory was made even sweeter by keeping the trophy at Gardner Drive for two years in a row!

Healthy rivalry, sportsmanship, and an overall sense of camaraderie was the name of the game under the lights at HHCA this time around.

Don't miss your chance to see the Eagles play the next three Friday nights at home with kickoffs at 7 pm. Varsity takes on:

Eagles in the Community
August 31, 2009