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Sports

Starting With A Splash

by Alex Coley

The Seahawk Swim Team is off to an amazing start this season. Both the boys and girls won their first meet on September 12th and are looking forward to their second meet on Sept. 26. The Seahawks had an overwhelming victory two weeks ago with 490 points for the boys and 633.5 points for the girls. While in the first meet they competed against Bluffton and May River High School, in the upcoming one they will be swimming with different teams on the 26th of September.
The meets and practice sessions have been conducted with COVID-19 guidelines in place. During meets there are no observers allowed on the pool deck, everyone entering the pool must have a blue wrist band indicating that they have received a temperature and symptom check.
The girls and boys have also been split into two different meet sessions, one starting in the morning and the other starting in the afternoon. Most of the team expressed their agreement with the precautions that have been taken. 11th grader Liam Fromdahl said “I trust my teammates and my coaches to do the right thing.” Sophomore Justin Finn, another member of the team says, “It is a bit weird to adjust to them but I think we’re doing a good job of following and adapting them.”
The members that were interviewed were also asked what they were looking forward to learning and gaining from the swim team. 10th grader Marisa Martucci expressed that the swim team was a great place to learn good work ethic, build stamina, and to make friends. It’s her first year on the team and on the island. She is working towards building her friend group through swimming.
Justin said that the swim team was important to him and allowed him to be with and make friends that he would not have otherwise. According to him, “it’s physically tiring but definitely worth it.” Liam commented that he fell in love with the sport and really enjoys competing with all the people that are on the team.
Many on the swim team are excited about this upcoming meet and the chance that it could send some of the team members to the State Championships this year. In previous years, both the girls and the boys teams have made it on the podium. Members of the team took places in first, second and third across a variety of events in 2019 and are hoping to do so again this year. According to Marisa, “It can only go up from here and it’s exciting to see how far it’s gone even with COVID-19.”

Seahawks Swim Brings Second Overall at State

by Marisa Martucci

The Seahawks Swim team places second overall in the state meet in early October. Both the boys and girls team placed second. The coaches and swimmers are quite proud of how they did.
Mia Sinkiewicz, a swimmer on the team, describes how she felt the meet went. “I was happy to see that 10 girls qualified for state in multiple events, and several other girls were extremely close to qualifying for the state meet,” she began. She is very proud of the girls and their performance at the big meet. Mia explains that the girls did a wonderful job in all of their events, and all of them have made a personal best.
“With separating the meets by gender, the meet went by very quickly. It would have been nice to see our boys team compete and be able to support each other, as we have in the past, but with so many schools canceling sports and swimming, we were fortunate to have just our abbreviated season” Mia also says, “I’m extremely happy with second place at state as a team. We are a very small team in comparison to most of the other teams in the state, and everyone contributed and did the best that they could possibly do.” The swim meet was exciting, and the girls would cheer and yell for their team mates. “I'm very proud of our team effort in the State meet and throughout the entire season!”

Tennis Team, How It's Affected Right Now and The Overall Team From A Student Perspective

by Jake Huggins

The Boys tennis team this year is expected to have a good season. Last year, however, the season got cut short. They were only able to play one game.
The players like the coaches and the way that things are set up. The coaches are there to “guide us and teach us new techniques,” as explained by Olivier Hadley, a veteran member of the tennis team. The way that tennis works is that the players are divided into ranks from a ladder tournament at the beginning of the year and they play other players from other teams with similar ranks. Now, the rank of one team might be vastly different than another team. As he also states, his role on the team is to “be a team player and have fun!”
Due to the recent events including COVID-19, many people were wondering if there was even going to be a season. Right now, the guidelines have led to a high chance of having a season this year.

Girls Tennis Starts the 2020 Season

by Addison Fisher

The girls tennis team at HHIHS is excited and prepared to start off the new season.
Ninth grader, Haliey Cruz, a member of the girls tennis team, says “our energy in the team is great and we all get along and make a great team”.
Their last game was against Lucy Beckham High School, a new school near the Charleston area. Haliey says how they lost, however they fought hard and they know how to prepare for the next time they play Lucy Beckham High School.
As the 16 players move forward with their season, they continue to work hard and play their best every game, and hope to eventually win states.

2020-21 Basketball Conditioning Starts in HHIHS

by Fernando Gomez
In the month of October at Hilton Head Island High School (HHIHS) students who want to try out for basketball start conditioning for the season. John O’Gorman, a student trying out for the basketball team, goes to these conditioning sessions every Tuesday and Thursday.
“I’m honestly not the biggest fan of conditioning but it's important to do it to stay in shape and be ready for the season.”
The students have to run timed miles and run sprints for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday. They have drills such as 6,8, and 10 one hundred yard sprints. They also have 200 yard sprints. They always jog and stretch before doing any running to prevent injuries.
John said, “the hardest drill for me was definitely the 100 yard sprint that we had to run 10 times. It just wore me out towards the end. Also, before that we had already run fourteen 100 yard sprints.”
The easiest drill was the jog around the track. It wasn’t too difficult and was more like a way for the students to catch their breath.
The students just started conditioning so this is all they have done so far. The students are practicing hard every day for a spot on the team. They still have a couple weeks before tryouts so everyone who wants a spot on the team should start practicing now.

HHIHS Jv Volleyball Player Talks About the New Season

by Fernando Gomez

Junior Varsity volleyball manager Sophia Weismantel, a freshman at Hilton Head Island High School, describes her responsibility and point-of-view from off the court. Sophia talks about the season for the players, Covid-19 protocol, her responsibilities as JV manager, and the season from her eyes.
In terms of COVID-19, the team has been very strict with the protocol. Basic precautions such as masks at all times, hand sanitizer around the gym, temperature checks, etc. have been put in place. As manager, Sophia has to follow the same rules as the players, and stay aware of the situation. During the games there are also people who are cleaning the ball and trading it out with a new one as a way to keep contact to a minimum.
The season may look differently from a managing point-of-view and Sophia agrees. “Scoring is an inside look. It shows the statistics of the game.” she says. As manager, an inside look on the game is given. The ability to see how each player is doing based on the numbers is something the players do not get to see. She is able to see what is needed from the team in future situations and can see the advantages and disadvantages of the team.
Sophia is held accountable for certain tasks as manager, some of which include traveling with the team, scoring for JV, and occasionally Varsity, libero tracking, which tracks the rearmost player and the actions associated with them, and helping the team with warmups.
Communication is a key component in volleyball. With the Covid protocols the team has to follow, communication on the court is decreasing, making it more challenging to play. The players are expected to wear masks while playing, making it harder to hear other players talk clearly. Sophia has noticed that the games become more difficult with the lack of communication, but the team perseveres and usually end in success. “They do the best they can in the situation they're in,” says Sophia.
From the view of the Junior Varsity manager position, Sophia Weismantel is excited for what the rest of the season will bring and is confident in her position.

The Varsity Volleyball Team Continues to Work Hard Pushing to Win States

by Addison Fisher

The HHIHS varsity volleyball team has a region play record of 6-0, and they have hopes of being the state champions.
Tenth grader Kenna Mason, setter on the varsity volleyball team, explains how "The whole team brings a really competitive, but fun energy. We are all so close, we are like a family on and off the court.”
The players on the team have been close for a long time and each season helps them grow as a team. Kenna and her team believe they have a good chance of winning states this year, and with only a few games left, they are pushing to win every game in the region.
“We are hoping to go undefeated in the region and be seeded first for states, which will allow us to host all the games and have an advantage to get to the finals.”
The whole team has been preparing for states all season long. Kenna says, “I think the coaches have prepared us for states by trying to get us mentally strong in case calls don’t go in our favor and by pushing us to play to the best of our abilities.
With two games left at home, they are pushing through and the team continues to prepare for the opportunity of pursuing to win states.

Volleyball Management From An Inside View

by Ellie Mastrorocco

Addison Fisher, a JV volleyball player for HHIHS, sat down and spoke about their season and what it is like to be a high school athlete.
The JV volleyball team has started off the season with an overall successful start. Addison spoke about wins and losses. She mentioned winning 4 games and losing 3 away games. This team of young ladies has so much potential.
“I think the rest of the season will be successful. We understand what we did wrong and need to learn from our mistakes and move on and try our best to beat the teams we have lost to.”
Life as a student athlete can be very rough especially when traveling. It can lead to long nights of homework and studying and little sleep but people who are truly committed to their sport are willing to make that sacrifice.
“The energy on and off the court is amazing for both JV and Varsity teams. Being a student athlete at HHIHS is a great experience. I love being a part of the volleyball department.” They have away games every Thursday and the next one is in Beaufort.
“Overall it's a great experience being a volleyball player and I wouldn't trade it for the world.”

Volleyball In COVID-19

by Thompson May

Throughout all the chaos with the Coronavirus, one of the only semi-normal things is sports. Although it may not be exactly the same as before, at least we have something. Maddie Massey, a volleyball player for the Seahawks, discusses what it's like to play sports with the Coronavirus.
Volleyball players must practice with masks on. “We are also split into groups.” Maddie practices Monday, Wednesday and sometimes Tuesday. "We practice on Mondays and Wednesdays and we have practice on Tuesdays too.”
They only let 100 fans in “There are fans at our games, you have to buy the tickets online to be able to get in, we’re only letting 100 fans in.” Everything is sanitized. “Yes, we have all the balls sanitized and for each serve we have the players give the ball to an assistant and have them clean off the ball. When you walk into the gym there are marked off areas for the fans to sit and we keep our fans separate from the guest team fans.
In conclusion, sports are not the same as before but they are trying their best to make it as normal as possible.

Ladys Seahawks Volleyball Team Stays Successful

by Ady O'Grady

Kenna Mason is a captain of the Lady Seahawks Volleyball team and she shares her team's successes and outlooks on the season.
As of last night, September 16, the Lady Seahawks keep their undefeated streak in their region. They took the victory against James Island and are now 7-0 in region play. They hope to keep their streak going until the last game they have, the state championship.
Kenna states that their team is looking very strong and they work to keep getting stronger everyday. As stated before, they are undefeated in region and they are trying to win their region again, like they did last year. The main goal is to win the state championship. Kenna says they are reaching that goal “by practicing everyday and by staying as healthy as possible.” Kenna also stated that her coach, Coach Talarczyk, always says “champions practice everyday.” The team wants to do anything they can to not only finish their season healthy, but to finish it out with a ring.
Kenna said that her team is very strong but the biggest competition they had would be May River or James Island, James Island is a new team in their region. The Lady Seahawks have taken both wins against James Island and have played May River once. They took the victory the first game and Lady Seahawks will play May River one more time for region play. Kenna says that, “we are looking forward to hosting states, if we come out undefeated in our region, we get to host all lower states in playoffs.” The Lady Seahawks hope to get that home court advantage during playoffs.
Kenna’s team is so successful and people often wonder what sets them apart. Kenna says “we are all close and play as a team. We all also play on a club team together and have strong chemistry as a team.” Kenna and her team are out to reach those goals and hope for a successful rest of their season.

The Start of Volleyball

by Lia Piccioli

The Hilton Head Island High School Volleyball team had quite a start to the season. The team won the home game against Bluffton High Tuesday Sept. 22.
Allison Misko is a sophomore and Volleyball team captain, discusses the game. She states how the rules of Volleyball have changed this season. They cannot change sides at half time, captains cannot do a coin toss, they cannot touch hands when doing subs, they cannot shake hands at the beginning nor end of the game with the opposite team.
The team has some pre-game rituals before every game, they all huddle up to talk about what they need to do for the game and warmup.
Allison, the captain, says “everyone is so nice and supportive and I’m very excited for the season”.
And that's the start to the HHIHS Volleyball season.

Junior Girls Volleyball Manager Explains What is the Difference with Covid-19

by Mary Elizabeth Vaccaro

Sophia Weismantel, the girls Junior Varsity Volleyball manager, states, “the girls volleyball team has excelled even with the different circumstances due to COVID-19.”
Sophia is the JV manager. This means she travels with the team and does the scoring at all of their games. The girls have played five games, two of those games being away and three at home, as of early October. They have won four and lost one, so far this season. The team has 15 players and six of those are on the court during games.
Sophia explains the precautions that were made to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. She says that masks are worn at all times. There is a sign-in at the home and away games. At the sign-in, people are there to check spectators' temperatures. If the temperature does not show a fever, the person is given a wristband that they must wear until they exit the gym. All tickets for home games must be pre-purchased due to the capacity rules. Hand sanitizer is also provided at the benches and the scoring table. The last precaution is the balls are constantly being cleaned. Before each player serves a new ball is used.
Sophia explains, “The team is also doing a very good job of maintaining a social distance.”
Although these precautions are needed, Sophia mentions that the masks affect communication which can be crucial in games. Sophia said, “I really think the girls are going to do well this season.”

A pLayer'S View From the Court

by Sophia Weismantel

Grace Boyden, freshman volleyball player, discusses what online school and the volleyball season have been like with new COVID-19 rules.
“So far the school year has been great, it was very different at first, but now I’m used to the online school curriculum” she states. When asked about her thoughts on going back to school physically, Grace said, “I’m excited, I think the school is doing their best to make sure everyone is safe. Hopefully it works out.” She continues, “I think virtual (learning) was a good way, for me personally, to ease into my classes.”
While everyone is well aware that Covid-19 has affected the school year, the virus has also affected the volleyball season.
Grace says, “Well we have to wear a mask on and off the court, there are people cleaning the balls during each game, we have hand sanitizer at the scoring table, and everyone gets their temperature checked before every game.” She states, “I’m really proud of the coaches and staff for the safety measures they have taken so we can still play.”
After being asked if the masks affect the game play, she states, “I think it affects communication, which is essential to volleyball.” She continues by saying, “Even if you didn’t really know who was talking, you could still hear what they were saying, but now it’s harder to do that.”
Grace talks about how she practiced for volleyball in the summer. She was able to do beach volleyball until June. Because of the virus, there was nothing else Grace could do, so Grace and her dad built a hitting board. “You throw the ball at the board and it bounces back to you, so you’re basically peppering (passing) with yourself.”
Grace also opened up about working out more, saying she would use workouts done by former college volleyball players that she found on YouTube.
It is clear that Grace Boyden, as well as the volleyball team and the school, are doing their part to make sure we can still learn and participate in school activities during this pandemic.

A Loss Away From Home

by Sophia Weismantel
On October 1, 2020, I interviewed Alisha Clark, freshman volleyball player. The team faced a close and upsetting loss against James Island High School.
When asked how she thought the team played as a whole, Alisha responds, “ I feel like we could have done better,” And continued with, “ We could have been more communicative,” which is definitely something
Alisha Clark stressed the importance of communication while discussing the game. “Communication is key, and without that it’s hard to work together as a team and win.” Alisha went on to state “we needed to be in our base, because a lot of us weren’t.”
A volleyball player’s ‘base’ is where the defense starts. When a ball is served over to the other team’s side, the team that served gets into their base, so they are ready for when the ball comes back over.
Alisha reflects how she played against James island, “I don’t think it was my best game.” Alisha Clark answered honestly, “ I was not getting outside (the court) to hit the ball and it was affecting the way I was hitting.” Alisha continued to go on about her game play and how she wished she was more diligent during the game. She concluded, “I was not playing to my full potential.”
Lastly, Alisha was asked how she planned to improve her volleyball skills, personally, after Thursday’s unfortunate loss. Clark responded, “I need to be on my toes more and stay focused.” She discussed her intent to work harder and do her best, especially in practices, because that’s where improvement starts.
The away game that took place on Thursday was a sad loss for the Junior Varsity volleyball team. Alisha Clark and her determination, along with the team’s, shows that the Seahawks are always willing to work harder and do their best. Afterall, it takes time and practice to be the best.

Football is Ready to Start the 2020 Season!

by Addison Fisher
The first game is Thursday October 7th for JV v Bluffton and Friday October 8th for varsity football.
Tenth grader, Morgan Bedenbaugh, states “Our energy this year for staff and student athletes is through the roof and we have that mentality that we are going to go out on the field and we are going to play our hearts out every week so that we can leave behind a legacy for this school which, will be that we have the best football team in the state.”
The football team has been preparing by working on technique, and perfecting each position. There was a lot of pre-season conditioning to get prepared physically. Morgan says, “We spent a lot of time getting prepared mentally, and working towards being on the same page so that we work as a collective unit.”
The football team is only playing conference teams this season. Morgan states that, “We really get to show everyone who is best in our division." He also says how the team feels about this, “I think I can speak for the whole team when I say we are extremely excited for this season.”
The players and coaches of HHIHS are ready to start off the 2020-2021 school year with a great football season.

Winless to Undefeated

by Thompson May
As of October 22nd the JV football team is 2-0. That is a big change from last year. Last year they did not win a single game going 0-8. This the players are doing better than last year two games into the season is a big deal. Morgan Bedenbaugh is the Quarterback and one of the leaders on the team.
Morgan was asked about what has changed since last year. He says “ I think our mentality has changed since last year, last year we were young but this year our sophomores have grown and gotten better and we added some good freshmen to our roster.” Morgan believes that they have been more successful this year because “along with what I said before we have grown as a team in size and spirit.”
Morgan stated one thing he really likes about this team is “ We are a more competitive and dangerous team this year and we are a tight brotherhood, that's what makes us special.”
This team has grown a lot since the start of last year and they do not plan on stopping. The sophomores have shown great spirit after what they went through last year and are ready for whatever comes their way.

Hilton Head Seahawks Victorious in Bridge Bowl Against Bluffton Bobcats

by Sasha Udvornocky
The Seahawks are victorious against Bluffton for the second year in a row, after the October 9th Bridge Bowl held at the Bluffton Bobcats stadium. During the first quarter the Seahawks were up 7-0. Then during the 3rd quarter, the Seahawks scored 2 more touchdowns and field goals, bringing them to a total of 21 points to Bluffton’s 6. Finally, at the end of the 4th quarter, the Seahawks had 35 points, crushing the Bobcats score of 12. This will move them on to their home game against James Island on October 16th.

Seahawks Football Takes A Big ViCtOry Against James iSLAND

by Ady O' Grady
Friday, October 23, the Hilton Head Island Seahawks played James Island High School and ended with a victory. That makes the Seahawk football team 2-0 for the season. They have beat Bluffton High and now added James Island to that list.
The Seahawks are a strong team hoping to keep their season alive. In preparation for their game against James Island, Adam Clark said “we went over the other teams film and made new plays to stop their offense.” The boys prepare for their games by seeking out their competition and finding what they need to do against them to succeed. Finding strategies against their opponents is important.
The team is a close group of boys who love to play together and love to win. The Seahawks work as hard as they can to play their best and end with a win. The team loves game day and getting ready to play on Friday nights. Adam Clark says “my favorite thing about game day is the pregame meal with the team.” They are a competitive team who love to get ready and prepare to fight as one.
Adam and his team hope to keep playing and keep winning. The team is doing what they can to have their season continue during this pandemic. Adam says “my goal for this season is to go undefeated.”
The Hilton Head High Seahawks are on a good track starting off their season. Adam Clark says “James Island was our biggest competition in the region.” The boys got that win and they are ready to take on the rest of the region. The Seahawks have a successful season ahead of them but hope to be able to complete it.

hhihs gIRL'S gOLF cONTINUES TO pRESERVE During A Pandemic

by Mary Elizabeth Vaccaro

The Hilton Head Island High School’s girls golf team played very well this season. They placed 2nd in the first match of the season, on September 1st.Their second match was on September 3rd and the Seahawks placed second. The third match was on September 8th and the girls took second place in the tri match at Eagle’s Pointe Golf Club.
On September 10th, the Seahawks 8th grader Alexia Milbrandt took Low Medalist Honors with an even par 36 at The Golden Bear Club. The fifth match was on September 15th. May River won. The sixth match was on September 19th. The Seahawks fell short to May River in the 18 hole match at the Barony Course.
Their seventh match was on September 22nd. The Seahawks placed first. On September 24th, the girls had their eighth match. The Seahawks won the quad match at Patriots Point Links. The ninth match was on October 1st and the Seahawks placed second.
The Seahawks were victorious in a tri match at Olde Beaufort Golf Club on their tenth match. The eleventh match occurred on October 8th and the Seahawks placed second. At the Region Tournament on October 12th, the Seahawks placed second.
At the State Qualifier on October 19th, the Seahawks came in 3rd. The girls qualified for the AAAA State Tournament on Monday, October 26th and Tuesday, October 27th at Shipyard Golf Club.
The Seahawks placed 3rd at states. Congratulations to all players!

Girls' Golf Season Summary

by Mary Elizabeth Vaccaro

Tenth grade student Eliza Jane Coulter is a member of the girls golf team at Hilton Head Island High School. She explains what is different this year because of the Coronavirus. Eliza Jane also explains how the team is still excelling in golf even with the new found struggles.
Eliza Jane has been playing golf for a total of four and a half years, four of those years on the Hilton Head Island High School girls golf team. So far the team has played thirteen 9 hole matches and one 18 hole tournament. They had regions, which is 18 holes, on October 12th and lower states on October 19th. The girls are preparing for the state tournament. There are 11 girls on the team this year.
A few major precautions have been made regarding the Coronavirus. Eliza Jane explains how for the first 3 weeks they had pods. She also says that usually they exchange scorecards, but to stop the spread of germs, each player now keeps their own. However, one girl keeps track of the “official scorecard” which contains everyone's score from each group. They are also required to wear masks at every gathering. This includes when they discuss local rules and pairings at the beginning of every match. They even have to wear masks when the girls turn in score cards and gather for the scorings. In the past, the team drove to Okatie and Beaufort matches together in a Suburban van. This year they had to ride in the big athletic bus, even though only 5 girls competed at matches, this was to maintain social distance.
“We are very lucky to have very few precautions since our sport is one of the few non contact sports that can survive in these different times,” said Eliza Jane.
Although there were not many major changes, Eliza Jane said that wearing a mask can be difficult while playing an outdoor sport in such hot weather. She still believes that the virus cannot come in between playing a good game. Eliza Jane said that the girls on the team have played extremely well. For example, last year May River was their biggest competition. This year they have had at least 6 matches where May River only beat them with 8 strokes or less.
“We are all improving and I’m really impressed with how we are doing,” is how Eliza Jane explains this year's golf team.
Next week the Hilton Head Island High School girls golf teams goes to states so wish them luck!

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