Hilton Head Sports

Two area volleyball players were named to the SCISA All-State team, and two others were picked to play in the SCISA North-South All-Star Game.

Former Hilton Head Island High School star Poona Ford made his first NFL start in the Seattle Seahawks’ 43-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 2, and his performance earned rave reviews.

Hilton Head High’s Emily Ruckno claimed All-State honors at the SCHSL Class 5A/4A singles tennis tournament in Columbia in December. Ruckno went 4-2 in the tournament to finish sixth.

Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort has been named to the list of Top 100 Resort Courses by Golfweek in the magazine’s 2019 Ultimate Guide. The home of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing, Harbour Town was ranked No. 18, joining an impressive list that includes Pebble Beach, Pinehurst and Bandon Dunes.

So far this year, 13 Heritage Academy student-athletes have earned scholarships to play in college next year.

Seven golfers head the list: Katharina Hesse, Rollins College; Kota Murata, University of Hawaii-Manoa; Chase Phillips, George Mason University; Ty Sullivan, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; Cynthia Tu, Brigham Young University; Felix van Kleef, University of Nevada-Las Vegas; and Hoshi Yadav, Holy Names University.

The Palmetto Dunes Tennis and Pickleball Center has doubled in size recently, expanding from eight pickleball courts to 16. The new courts at the Hilton Head resort were unveiled in October.

Hilton Head Prep’s girls tennis team completed a dominant run through the SCISA Class 2A state tournament with a 5-1 win over Spartanburg Christian in the state championship match Oct. 20.

On Nov. 14, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period, nine Hilton Head Island student-athletes signed letters of intent to compete in college.

Bluffton police officers laced up their sneakers to take on some Bluffton teens for a basketball tournament Nov. 10 at the M.C. Riley Sports Complex.