<strong>SWIMMING</strong>

<strong>BHS boys 9th, girls 17th at state meet</strong>

Beaufort High’s boys finished ninth, and the girls were 17th at the SCHSL State Swimming Championships on Oct. 12 at the USC Natatorium in Columbia.&nbsp;

Beaufort’s Samuel Marrero was fourth in the 100 back and 13th in the 50 free, and he helped the Eagles finish fourth in the 400 free relay and seventh in the 200 medley relay.

James Stone was sixth in the 100 fly and 12th in the 50 free, Witt Compton was ninth in the 200 IM and 12th in the 100 breast, and Cameron Hussman was 10th in the 200 free and 13th in the 100 back.

Lily Bostwick was the only scorer for Beaufort’s girls, placing sixth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free.

<strong>VOLLEYBALL</strong>

<strong>Seahawks sweep Eagles in key region match</strong>

Hilton Head High volleyball moved a step closer to locking up the Region 7-4A title with a sweep of Beaufort High on Oct. 10.

The Seahawks won 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-23) to complete a sweep of the season series and solidify their spot atop the region standings. HHIHS already has clinched at least a share of the region title and will claim it outright with a win in one of its two remaining matches.

Hannah Merchant led the Eagles with eight kills and added two blocks and 24 digs, while Sakura Simmons had 25 digs, Peyton Polk added 19, and Olive Renforth had 18 and three kills. Zyaire Middleton handed out 11 assists and picked up 13 digs for the Eagles, who were 56-for-56 serving with four aces.

<strong>Bobcats edge Eagles in 5-set thriller</strong>

Bluffton volleyball pulled out a thrilling five-set win over Beaufort High in a key Region 7-4A matchup Oct. 8.

The Bobcats rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2 (20-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-11, 15-10) to pull even with the Eagles in the region standings.

Hannah Merchant led Beaufort with 22 kills while adding 20 digs and serving 13-for-13, and Olive Renforth added 11 kills, 20 digs, and served 14-for-14. Megan Schoener led the Eagles with 26 digs and was 17-for-18 serving, and Peyton Polk added 16 digs.

<strong>BHS makes silver semis at West Ashley</strong>

Beaufort High went 2-1 in pool play and fell in the silver bracket semifinals at a 12-team tournament at West Ashley on Oct. 12.

The Eagles started the day with a 25-14, 25-22 loss to eventual gold division champion Carolina Forest, but they bounced back to beat Fort Dorchester (25-13, 26-24) and Cane Bay (25-22, 25-11) to earn a spot in the silver bracket. BHS dropped a tough, three-set match to Summerville (20-25, 25-23, 15-10) in the semifinal round.

Hannah Merchant led the Eagles with 19 kills while serving 24-for-25 and adding 25 digs. Arry Brown collected 11 kills in her best performance of the season,&nbsp; Zyaire Middleton dished out 28 assists to go with 25 digs and served 28-for-30, and Sakura Simmons had a team-high 32 digs and served 32-for-33 with three aces.

<strong>HHCA outlasts BA in 5-set thriller</strong>

The rematch between SCISA volleyball powers Hilton Head Christian Academy and Beaufort Academy went down to the wire Oct. 10, with HHCA escaping with a five-set victory.

BA won two of the first three sets, but HHCA rallied to claim the final two sets for a 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 12-25, 25-21, 15-9) victory and sweep the season series.

McKayla Willingham (15 kills, five blocks) and Emily Ann Hiers (10 kills, nine assists, seven digs, two aces) led BA’s attack, while Amelia Huebel had seven kills and two blocks, Chase Vaigneur added four kills and four aces to go with 16 assists, and Mary Hanna Hiers had a team-high 16 digs.

<strong>Dolphins down Bobcats in 5</strong>

Battery Creek volleyball claimed a hard-fought five-set win over visiting Bluffton on Senior Night on Oct. 9.

The teams alternated taking each of the first four sets before the Dolphins claimed a tight fifth set to win the non-region match 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 15-25, 15-12).

Dazanni Hinton had a big night for the Dolphins with 13 kills, three blocks, and four aces, while Laiani McCullough compiled nine kills and four blocks, and Trezure Sipley added eight kills and three blocks. Halle DeJesus dished out 21 assists, and Paige McArthur collected six kills, six digs, and seven aces.

On Oct. 8, the Dolphins lost to May River 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-17), clinching the Region 8-3A title for the Sharks.

<strong>CROSS COUNTRY</strong>

<strong>Holy Trinity outruns competition at Habersham</strong>

Holy Trinity swept the team titles in a cross country meet featuring eight area private schools Wednesday in Beaufort’s Habersham community.

The Lions won the boys title by a wide margin over runner-up John Paul II, as Holy Trinity’s Collin Durham claimed the individual title with a 5K time of 17:57, with JPII’s Noah Brock in second.

Holy Trinity edged Hilton Head Prep for the girls team title, while Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Devon Yarde won the girls race, ahead of runner-up Lauren Winegar of JPII.

<strong>TENNIS</strong>

<strong>BA takes down JPII</strong>

Beaufort Academy girls tennis claimed a 6-3 victory over host John Paul II on Oct. 8 at Berkeley Hall.

The Eagles swept the six singles matches, while the Golden Warriors claimed all three doubles points.

Jayda Scheper, Ansleigh Pingree, Brycen Ambrose, Emma Dillinger, Tallie Pendarvis, and Kate Luckey each won singles matches

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<em>Above: Beaufort’s Hannah Marchant, right, powers the ball over the net during the first set against Hilton Head Island High School on Thursday at Beaufort High. Marchant’s efforts weren’t enough and the Eagles lost in straight sets to the Seahawks, 25-12, 25-18 and 25-23.&nbsp;Photo by Bob Sofaly</em>