Pipeline: Silva scores Trifecta in Surf League Finals

If Dayton Silva is ever given a plaque on the Hermosa Beach Surfer’s Walk of Fame, the first line will almost certainly read, “Only surfer ever to win the short board, long board and body board divisions in one South Bay High School Surf Championships.”

The Mira Costa High surfer accomplished that feat Saturday morning, just hours before former Mira Costa surf star James “Tiger” Makin was inducted into Hermosa’s Surfer’s Walk of Fame.

After the individual championship was twice canceled because of poor conditions, Saturday morning was sunny and off shore with clean, 3- to 4-foot peaks, ideal for in-and-out barrels and quick airs.

The girls long board final started with Mira Costa’s Maddy Hawks looking smooth smacking the lip on her backside while teammate Isabel Lochtenberg pulled into a tasty, right tube off the pier. South Torrance’s Savannah Wesnik pulled up high and tight into a nice bowl. Judges John Grannis, Natalie Anzivino and Lisa Tuttle let out a scream as Palos Verdes’ Cassidy Beukema almost made a huge, suicide backside drop on the wave of the day.

Bishop Montgomery’s Carly Goins had some nice coasters on the inside waves and South’s Audrey Butler pulled into a fast set tube heading toward the pier.

In the boys long board final San Pedro’s Dylan Schongan started things off with a soulful tip ride and Redondo’s Ben Fontun pulled up into an inside barrel. Mira Costa’s Connor Morey arched his way down the line standing on the nose before finishing with a big coaster and Devin Nathan rode the following set left right into the pier. Then South’s Scott Hayward got some long impressive rights sliding along the top.

But Silva nailed the lead with a set wave, going fast, breaking through the lip and establishing lift off to get air on his long board.

By mid morning, when the short board finals began, the wind had shifted on shore. But the waves were still fun for the girls short board final. Palos Verdes’ Kalin Bohl dropped into the pit of a gnarly outside wave, while teammate Filipa Ferrera spanked the lip down the line. Torrance’s Audrey Butler smacked the top of a big wave and Mira Costa’s Isabel Lochtenberg got a long right, teasing the curl all the way to the beach. Palos Verdes’ Jessica Dustin flew off the top on the outside right of the heat then carved some nasty cutbacks on two long outside lefts into the pier.

The wind picked up and it looked like it was going to blow out for the boys short board final. But the surfing was so great, no one noticed the deteriorating conditions.

Mira Costa’s Kyle Katachadoeian raced off the lip of an outside left heading into the pier. I was surprised that nobody was surfing the rights coming off the pier. Everyone was sitting about a 100  yards south of the pier fighting over a few rights and hoping for a long outside left. South’s Adam Angora and Palos Verdes’ Ford Timberlake worked together sharing every wave with Adam going left and Ford going right, getting long rides and slapping the lip all the way. Ford got a big air on an outsider while Adam Flew off the top toward the pier.

Redondo’s Rick Cramer made some big floaters but couldn’t get the long rides. Teammate Connor Beatty looked smooth slicing some nice cutbacks and finishing the ride with big coasters but couldn’t get the outside wave he needed.

Silva is the consummate contest surfer with the perfect strategy. He catches a medium wave right away, riding down the face and smacking the lip down the line, not doing anything too hard, but making sure he has one good long ride in the first five minutes of the heat. His next wave is a set wave where he will do at least one big maneuver that will get screams from the beach. Then he waits for the perfect wave, which he rides all the way to the beach. Finally, in the last 30 seconds of the heat, he catches a wave and goes for the impossible, and usually makes it.

In this contest with just 10 seconds to go he stroked into a shoulder high right, turned hard off the bottom and picked up speed, going faster and faster across the face until the wave sectioned in front him. The he flew 10 feet into the air, still on his board, spun a 360 and landed it smiling ear to ear into the beach. What a way to end a contest. What a way to end the South Bay High School Surf League season.

SBSL Individual Finals results:

Boys short board: Dayton Silva MC, Ford Timberlake PV, Conner Beatty R, Ric Cramer R, Adam Angorga ST, Kyle Katachadoeian MC. Boys long board: Dayton Silva MC, Connor Morey MC, Dylan Schongan SP, Scott Hayward ST, Ben Fortun R. Boys body board: Dayton Silva MC, Jeremy Gross R, Spencer Winter P, Josh Williams R, bobby Voss R, Dylan Schongan SP.

Girls short board: Jessica Dustin PV, Filipa Ferrera PV, Maddy Hawks MC, Kalin Bohl PV, Isabel Lochtenberg MC, Audrey Butler ST. Girls long board: Maddy Hawks MC, Cassidy Beukema PV, Savannah Wernick ST, Audrey Butler ST, Isabel Lochtenberg MC, Carly Goins BM. ER

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