HOUSE OF PAYNE
SPORTS
94 hiltonheadmonthly.com
FOOTBALL COACH BRINGS NEW ENERGY TO HILTON HEAD HIGH'S FOOTBALL PROGRAM, BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD BY JAMES MCMAHON PHOTOS BY HHI SPORT SHOTS
B.J.
Payne understood exactly what he was getting into when he assumed leadership of the Hilton Head Island High School football program nearly 20 months ago. He also knew what it was going to take to turn it around in very short order. Turns out he’d been there and done that. Payne came to Hilton Head in January 2012 after previous Seahawks head coach Tim Singleton was dismissed following several poor seasons on the field and run-ins with the South Carolina High School League off of it. After spending three years transforming the Lexington High School football program in Ohio from doormat to power, Payne arrived determined to change more than just the Seahawks’ performance on the field. His focus was squarely on building a program of account-