The National Christian School Athletic Association (NCSAA) has named two Hilton Head Christian Academy (HHCA) Athletics leaders National Coaches of the Year. Ron Peduzzi was selected as the 2024 NCSAA Varsity Football National Coach of the Year. HHCA Athletic Director JW Wilkerson was named the 2024 NCSAA Varsity Baseball National Coach of the Year.  

Both men have noteworthy coaching and playing careers, leading their teams to state championships during the 2023-2024 school year. On November 18, 2023, HHCA's Varsity Football team earned its seventh State Championship title in program history, its third in the last five years. On May 15, 2024, HHCA Varsity Baseball claimed the SCISA AAA State Championship – the Eagles first baseball title since 2010 and third in program history.

While HHCA Athletics has enjoyed a long-standing tradition of success in competition, it is the commitment of coaches like these two men that truly make an impact in the lives of our student-athletes. They each have a genuine desire to help students reach their full potential–not only in sports but also in life. 

Doug Langhals, HHCA Head of School

Coach Ron Peduzzi coached at the collegiate level from 1987-1997 and has led high school athletes for the past 27 years. He has served at HHCA since 2015 and begins the 2024 season with an HHCA record of 66-17. To date, Coach Peduzzi has led the Eagles to three state championship titles (2020, 2021, 2023), one state runner-up title (2019) and five region championship titles (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022). This is the twelfth time he has been named Coach of the Year.

"Coach Peduzzi helped shape me into a better athlete and man. He is a true example of a strong man and leader that puts his faith first and lives by what he teaches," shared Jackson Conrad, former player/HHCA Class of 2024.

Coach Wilkerson has been a part of HHCA Athletics since 2021, when he was hired as the Head Coach for Varsity Baseball. He had an integral role on the HHCA Athletics Leadership Team during the 2023-2024 school year, serving as Assistant Athletic Director, and was recently named HHCA Athletic Director.  A Bluffton High School (BHS) graduate and BHS Athletics Hall of Fame member, Wilkerson played collegiate baseball at Toccoa Falls College (NAIA/NCCAA) when the team was the 2010 National Runner-Up. He spent seven years with Southwest Florida Christian Academy (SFCA) in Fort Myers, Florida, where he helped build a winning baseball program and was named the 2019 FACA District Coach of the Year. With an all-time coaching record of 176-92, Coach Wilkerson's three-year HHCA record is 56-28. 

Former player and HHCA graduate Steele Burd shared, "Coach Wilkerson not only taught me things on the field, but he showed me how to be a man and handle things off the field, as well." Another Class of 2024 player, James Crosby, shared this about his former coach: "He taught me that even when you're having a bad day, there is always something to laugh about. I don't think he even knows he taught me this. I have a high level of respect for Coach Wilkerson."

Recipients of the NCSAA National Coach of the Year award are carefully selected from over 500 national member schools. We consider this to be the most important honor that we recognize each year. It is certainly unusual for one school to have two NCSAA National Coaches of the Year within the same calendar year, and I offer a special congratulations to the HHCA community for this accomplishment.

Nate Hartman, NCSAA Executive Director

The National Christian School Athletic Association (NCSAA) is a non-profit Christian organization with a mission to pursue Christ-centered excellence in athletics while impacting communities with the love of Christ -- and, in everything, to bring honor and glory to God.