“A” frames welcomed the surfers of the South Bay Scholastic Surfing Association last Wednesday at Torrance Beach.
“It’s best day of the year and for sure so far of the high school surf season,” said Greg Browning, a pillar of the surf community whose son Parker surfs on the South High Surf Team. “The kids are frothing.”
Home team South High took on Palos Verdes High School, a rivalry since the start of the surf league twenty years ago when Peninsula High was the only school on the Hill. When PV High reopened up in 2005, it took some of Peninsula’s best surfers. No need for cheerleaders, as each surf teammate was their own cheering squad.
The boy’s shortboard lighted things up in the first heat. With proper timing and position, a tube rider was something easy to pull off. It’s a gamble though, if you don’t make it out of a tube it’s an incomplete score and half the points.
“When a wave blows out an intense mist of water — like at Pipeline when it barrels — we say the wave’s spitting,” said surf judge Ronnie Del Valle. “Torrance is not as gnarly as Pipeline, so it’s more like a sneeze…like the wave’s ‘atchooing.”
PV’s Chad Brown took home second by way of a killer long left. Bypassing the section of a closing tube that would of “sneezed” him of his board, he slashed consistent turns all the way to the beach. South’s Chris Stimpfl, who has grown what seems like a foot from last season, manhandled an overhead set right with a radical backside off the top for the win. no images were found
Jack Rowan started his contest campaign (he surfed in three divisions) by striking back for PV. He shredded a right with cutbacks and hits off the lip to win the heat. South’s Will Hayward placed second with an off the hinges backside rollercoaster.
The girl’s shortboard heat got bombarded with set waves from the increasing tide scattering all the surfers back to the beach. South’s Hunter Richardsville was the first to make it out and took advantage of an inside right. She rode the right all the way to the beach to place second. PV’s Paula Knickrehm took off on an overhead set to the screaming of the crowd. Getting to her feet, she slipped, free falling eight feet down the face of the wave for the wipeout of the contest. She shook it off and worked the entire heat trying to get back to the outside. Catching one more wave, she won the heat.
In the longboard division, PV’s Rodney Buck placed second with a couple quick noseriders on his front and back side. Buck had the win casually in his back pocket until his teammate Rowan caught one last left with seconds on the clock. Rowan was only concerned the entire heat with crazy deep in the pocket noserides in strange places of the wave. It looked cool, but in order for a noseride to count a surfer must walk back. He won the heat with a stylish backside hang ten to coaster.
The bodyboarders bombed the sets. It was a heat focused on who could get the deepest in the tube and come out. South’s Bram Sprokkereef won with an in-and-out and an el rollo in the shore break. His teammate Ron Sannes placed second with a couple of pits and a 360.
Women’s longboard became more of a paddling contest than a surf contest. The sets were persistent and whoever made it to the outside had the better luck. South’s Kelly Gibson placed second with a solid right. Much like the girl’s shortboard division, Alicia Stephan of PV opted to catch the breakers on the outside. She took off on a double overhead set, made the drop to the screaming of the crowd, and rode all the way to shore.
With two heats to go in the boy’s shortboard division, the contest was as close as it gets, South 74, PV 72. The very talented Peter Healy of PV won with the highest score of the coaster. He jammed the line for a floater best described as “rock-an-roll” to win the heat. South’s Ron Sannes placed second with a swirly 360 on a set right.
In the last heat of the day, PV had a chance to win if they placed in first through third. Coming from his second place finish in the longboard division, Buck couldn’t stop the red hot Parker Browning. The South high Spartan galvanized a set right with a style that’s equally flowing and gouging to win the heat. Final score: South 87, PV 81
Just down the beach, Chadwick/San Pedro High beat Bishop Montgomery/North High 86 to 61
The following day the swell dropped a hint for the Mira Costa vs. El Segundo High meet at 26th St. in Manhattan Beach.
“It’s a little soft but the waves still have enough size to make a great contest,” said league director Dickie O’Reilly.”Once the tide drops a bit throughout the morning, it should get better.”
In heat one of the boy’s shortboard, Costa got the morning started by placing in top three spots. Chad Coons placed second by milking a right all the way to the beach with smorgasbord of different hits of the lip. With his cruisy style Matt Hodges won heats by throwing buckets on all of his figure-eight cutbacks to the beach.
video by Marty “Martycam” Tuesling
El Segundo’s Shane Frontino’s waves in heat two in the boy’s shortboard were best described as “jamming.” He jammed of the top multiple times for the win. Mira Costa’s Andrew Neal had two sick cutbacks for second.
The Mira Costa girl’s shortboard team swept the heat. It was close between the veteran Lauren Friedrich and newcomer Charlotte Sabina the entire heat. Friedrich was picking and choosing gems of waves and riding them all the way to beach. With one minute to go, Sabina caught a set left and blasted it on her backside to win the heat.
With the talent in the longboard division, it could’ve been the final for the all-star meet. Mira Costa and El Segundo have always produced solid surfers who ride equipment on the longer side.
“It was the best heat in the contest,” said O’Reilly.
No more are three fin longboards relevant, as the board choice was leashless, single, and heavy. Mira Costa’s Andrew Neal one the heat with critical deep in the pocket hang tens, hang heels, and switch fives drenching of style. His brother Peter Neal placed second with a couple of hard drive drop knee cutbacks.
While the waves suited longboarding quite well, it’s a bit detrimental to the surfers in the bodyboard division who thrive on pounding and hollow lips. Mira Costa’s Cooper Garner made do and won the heat with a 360, killer cutback, and an el rollo on one wave. His teammate Luc Jacquemetton placed second with a 360.
In the girl’s longboard, Mira Costa’s Darby Dayton placed second with a long left from one side of the contest area to the other. Her teammate Kyra Williams won the division with a smooth style left on her backside.
The talk of the league has been about the Mira Costa junior Cody Purcell. He pulls off the almost impossible. This is a skill that only a few surfers possess — one that comes to mind who likewise had this trait was Alex Gray. A decade ago, Gray dominated the SBSSA with crazy impromptu out-of-nowhere maneuvers. Purcell took off on a right, only to have a surfer drop in down the line in front of him. Normally, a surfer would kick out and look at the judges to give the intervening surfer an interference. Not Purcell. Purcell used the collapsing lip to pull a critical carving 360. Once the the surfer pulled out, he figured eight with cutbacks before blasting an air on the inside for the highest score in league so far. El Segundo’s Lukas Roscoe placed second with a solid bash off the lip.
In the final boy’s shortboard heat, Freshmen Zack Rosenberg from Mira Costa won the heat with a backside rollercoaster while his teammate Robbie Itzinger placed second with a lip bounce. Final score: Mira Costa, 113. El Segundo, 50.
Just north of the contest, Peninsula High beat Torrance High 87 to 64.
“Peninsula’s Cole Yoshida dominated winning three divisions, boy’s shortboard and longboard and the bodyboard,” said O’Reilly.
Results:
South High vs. PV High
Boy’s Shortboard
heat 1: 1st Chris Stimpfl, ST. 2nd Chad Brown, PV. 3rd Luke Humphrey, ST. 4th Briggs Peus, PV. 5th Trevor Kahn, PV. 6th Robert VanLingen, ST.
heat 2: 1st. Jack Rowan, PV. 2nd. Will Hayward, ST. 3rd. Vincent Podegraz, ST. 4th. Spencer Paine, ST. 5th. James Park, PV. 6th. Quinn Stoneman, PV.
heat 3: 1st. Peter Healey, PV. 2nd. Ron Sannes, ST. 3rd. Jesse Mendez, ST. 4th. Sean St. Pierre, PV. 5th. Anders Sprokkereef, ST. 6th. Carson Coffey, PV.
heat 4: 1st. Parker Browning, ST. 2nd. Rodney Buck, PV. 3rd. Ethan Lee, ST. 4th. Dylan Hyman, PV. 5th. Bram Sprokkereef, ST. 6th. Sean Ely, PV.
Boy’s Longboard: 1st. Jack Rowan, PV. 2nd. Rodney Buck, PV. 3rd. Peter Healey, PV. 4th. Bram Sprokkereef, ST. 5th. Will Hayward, ST. 6th. Ron Sannes, ST.
Bodyboard: 1st. Bram Sprokkereef, ST. 2nd. Ron Sannes, ST. 3rd. Peter Healey, PV. 4th. Jack Rowan, PV. 5th. Chris Stimpfl, ST. 6th. Quinn Stoneman, PV
Girl’s Shortboard: 1st. Paula Knickrehm, PV 2nd. Hunter Richardville, ST. 3rd. Jessie Gaudet, ST. 4th. Alicia Stephan, PV. 5th. Sacha Recht, ST. 6th. Cassidy Cushman, PV.
Girl’s Longboard 1st. Alicia Stephan, PV. 2nd. Kelly Gibson, ST. 3rd. Jessie Gaudet, ST. 4th. Sophie Traversi, PV. 5th. Samantha Englert, ST. 6th. Paula Knickerehm, PV.
North/Bishop Montgomery vs. Chadwick/San Pedro
boy’s shortboard
heat 1: 1st. Nate Babbit, NBM. 2nd. Andrew Buchannan, CWSP. 3rd. Zack Babbit, CWSP. 4th. Justin Aroesty, NBM.
heat 2: 1st. Aiden Farlo, NBM. 2nd. Joey Merkin, NBM. 3rd. Ben Terrazas, CWSP. 4th. Ryan Anderson, CWSP. 5th. Patrick Breen, CWSP
heat 3: 1st. Shane Milos, NBM. 2nd. Jason Balasbas, CWSP. 3rd. Lolgan Fourmy, NBM. 4th. Tommy Milin, NBM. 5th. Jackson Anderson, CWSP.
heat 4: 1st Wyatt Kircher, NBM. 2nd. Brennan Kall. 3rd. Hunter Kamppila, NBM. 4th. Keith Stinson, CWSP. 5th. Jack Thatcher, CWSP.
Boy’s Longboard: 1st. Nate Baker, CWSP. 2nd. Joey Merkin, NBM. 3rd. Aidan Farlo, NBM. 4th. Michael Ezer, CWSP. 5th. Michael Dileva, NBM.
Bodyboard: 1st. Jared Martinez, CWSP. 2nd. Nathan Draves, CWSP. 3rd. Jonatghan McDaniel, NBM. 4th. Frankie Andre
Girl’s Shortboard: 1st. Natalie Soriano, NBM. 2nd. Daniella Clark, CWSP
Girl’s Longboard: 1st. Daniella Clark, CWSP. 2nd. Natalie Soriano, CWSP. 3rd. Charlie Boiler, CWSP. 4th. Brittany, CWSP. 5th. Sofia Santos, CWSP.
Mira Costa vs. El Segundo
Boy’s Shortboard
heat 1: Matt Hodges, MC. 2nd. Chad Coons, MC. 3rd. Nick Cerofeci, MC. 4th. Jack Daley, ES. 5th. Chase Woods, ES. 6th. Tim Martin.
heat 2: 1st. Shane Frontino, ES. 2nd. Andrew Neal, MC. 3rd. Chad Parks, MC. 4th. Ryan Ulrich, MC. 5th. Victor Knopp, ES. 6th. Drake Vasquez, ES.
heat 3: 1st. Cody Purcell, MC. 2nd. Lukas Roscoe, MC. 3rd. Alex Fry, MC. 4th. Zac Montrose, ES. 5th. Pat Komick, MC. 6th. Diego Rivera, ES.
heat 4: 1st. Zack Rosenberg, MC. 2nd. Robbie Itzinger, MC. 3rd. Noah Hale, ES. 4th. Doug Golubovic, MC. 5th. Victor Knopp, ES.
Boy’s Longboard: 1st. Andrew Neal, MC. 2nd. Peter Neal, MC. 3rd. Ryan Ulrich, MC. 4th. Noah Hale, ES. 5th. Drake Vasquez, ES.
Bodyboard: 1st. Cooper Garner, MC. 2nd. Luc Jacquemetton, MC. 3rd. Sean Fitzgerald, MC. 4th. Jackson Weaver, ES. 5th. Zac Montrose, ES.
Girl’s Shortboard: 1st. Charlotte Sabina, MC. 2nd. Lauren Friedrich, MC. 3rd. Kyra Williams, MC. 4th. Dani Montrose, ES.
Girl’s Longboard: 1st. Kyra Williams, MC. 2nd. Darby Dayton, MC. 3rd. Amelie Vergnolle. 4th. Sydney Aguirre, ES. 5th. Taylor Stone, ES. 6th. Darcie Hill, ES.
