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Mira Costa, PV square off for SB Surf League title
Mira Costa’s Josh Perch launches off the lip during last Thursday’s contest against Palos Verdes. Photo
Mira Costa surfed against Palos Verdes High School at 27th Street in Manhattan Beach last Thursday for the South Bay Surf League Championship.
In their first encounter this year, during a five way meet. They tied. In their first duel meet, Costa prevailed 81 to 80. PV needed a win on Thursday to tie Costa for the League title.
It was freezing cold. I mean Santa Cruz cold. Your bones ached at 6:30 a.m. when the first heat was called. PV coach Kirk Lantz all smiles walking down the beach with me. I asked him “Are you going to surf the same surfers in the same heats as last time?” Kirk answered “No, I want to shake things up.” I asked “Why, you tied with Costa the first time and only lost by a point the last time.” Kirk said “Yeah, but this time it’s all or nothing.”
There were howling offshore winds holding up the four-foot barrels like a left point break. It was still dark when a six-foot set starts tubing outside and the crowd started screaming. Four porpoises came streaking out of the barrel, slotted perfectly in the tube. Two of them leapt 10 feet in the air. One slid across the lip on its belly like it was going for a floater. Another shot out, then cut back into the tube. The first heat surfers turned to the judges to ask “How are we going to top that?”
The dark, purple sky gave way to daybreak in a blaze. The sky was on fire in bright oranges, reds and yellows when the first short board heat hit the water. Costa veteran, Kelly Zaun led his guys north up the beach for some hollow rights while the PV team seemed a little lost trying to find a good spot in front of the judges. Kelly was up and ripping the first minute of the heat smacking the lip and cutting back for a good scoring ride. It becomes the high point wave of the heat.
Teammate Max Roseman followed up landing a coaster on the next wave.
The PV team came to life in the last half of the heat with Justin Jones and Michael Willgrad shooting through some hollow bowls, snapping big coasters on the way. Kelly ran up to me, happy to be back in the water after a ski trip in Mammoth, to say, “The waves were perfect for my heat.” Actually, only two of Kelly’s three waves were perfect.
The tide came in for the second heat making the good waves scarce. PV’s Luca Luhrsen only got one good wave, flying off the top and finishing on the inside. “It was awful out there. I only caught two waves in the heat,” he said afterwards. Ryan Fairchild tried to pick up the slack with a nice coaster outside but Mira Costa again took over the heat. Wyatt Boyd carved some nasty cutbacks through the inside and Kyle Khatchy slid across the lip outside, landing a big floater. The first two heats usually set the tone for the contest and already Mira Costa was way out in front.
Despite the cold, the girls were just as eager as the boys to get out there. Costa freshman Jordan Wible pulled into a nice section and Maddi Hawkes sped across an outside wave. PV blond freshman Jessie Rowan, the spark plug of the girls’ team flew down the face of the next set wave. Jessie told me afterwards, “The waves were fast but still really fun.” She smiled and said, “I just love these contests.” PV’s Jessica Duston also looked good spanking the lip on the inside.
The offshore winds picked up speed for the long board heat, making the sections very hollow. Zaun took full advantage of the fast rights riding the nose from the outside through the inside shore break. Teammates Peter Venardos always looked smooth with his old style long board coasters down the line and Josh Perch was perched on the tip through most of the heat. PV’s Justin Jones had some beautiful tip rides of his own right next to Josh on the set left of the heat. It was like synchronized surfing.
The much improved body boarders jumped in and went to work with Costa’s Jackson and Braden Casady taking over. Braden pulled off a standing 360 with a roll on the end while Braden shot the tube, and finished with rolls and 360s. PV’s Kyle Shrader got an outstanding tube ride with a big barrel roll in the shore break.
It was high tide for the last two short board heats making it hard to find an outside wave. PV’s Angelo Luhrsen was on fire with two great outside rights smacking the lip and carving deep cutbacks through the inside. Angelo told me afterwards “The waves were mushy and the good waves were scarce but I made them work for me.” Will Borzi landed a big floater coaster off the outside and Costa’s Payne English sliced a deep cutback into the tube while Connor Bennett pulled into a nice tube of his own.
In the final heat of the day Mira Costa’s David Slay, Michael Cassen and Drew Riley got lots of cheers from the beach with their high octane explosive backside blasts. Palos Verdes tried to come back with Joe Marian, Justin Rose and Derek Daigneault, who all got great rides from outside, spanking the lips and cutting back through the inside sections. They ripped but it was too late.
Mira Costa won the match, 86 to 77, and with it, the South Bay Surf League Title.
El Segundo, led by Kent Nishiya and Josh Gilberts won the South Bay Surf League Division II title.
The South Bay Surf League Hennessey Cup will be held Saturday, February 12 at the Hermosa Beach pier. The league finals will be held Saturday, April 9 at the Hermosa Beach pier, followed by the Hermosa Beach Pier Surfers Walk of Fame inductions. ER