2007 High School Cup Florida

By NSL • April 26, 2007

The Right Game

2007 Red Bull High School Cup Kicks off in Florida

The Red Bull High School Cup returned with vigor this year at Paradise Beach Park on Florida’s Space Coast during the second week of March. This was the Sunshine State’s inaugural high school event using innovative Game format.

Day one saw Melbourne High coached by John Holeman going head to head with the favored Satellite High coached by Jeremy Saukel. From the first period it was clear that both teams were nearly equal in surfing ability with the score being in a virtual tie for the entire Game. Ultimately, strategy proved to be the critical factor for victory. In the bottom of the second period Melbourne substituted in surfer Dylan Bisset on a critical left-hander. In the bottom of the 3rd and final quarter, Bisset went on to score well and with 2 minutes left in the game, a clutch Blake Viesen wave scored high enough for Melbourne to come from behind to take the win. Satellite’s John Leaf, Won the day’s Most Radical Maneuver award winner and Melbourne’s Blake Viesen was the game MVP. Final score: Melbourne: 48.39, Satellite: 46.59.

Day two saw Matt Kechele’s Cocoa Beach High School vs Bruce Walker’s Sebastian River team. Despite tenacious surfing from the Sebastian surfers like team captain Austen Baulby, it was obvious that that Sebastian was simply getting out-classed by Cocoa Beach. CBHS surfer Domonic Keenan scored 8.5 out 10 to grab the day’s Game single highest scoring wave. Other CBHS standout surfers included Andrew Broughton, and the sturdy Paul Alderman. Final score: Cocoa Beach: 63.0, Sebastian River: 43.95

On day three, the Florida Championship Game between Melbourne and Cocoa Beach was the best game of the series with choppy and ultra-consistent shoulder high swell. Referee Rich Rudolf definitely had his hands full with the first and second periods being a virtual tie with MHS in a slight lead. But the third and final period is where games are won and lost. MHS started the top of the third with Kelsey Strickland scoring an 8.75 - The highest single wave score of the entire 3 days. Unfortunately for MHS they weren’t able to back that up which opened the door for CBHS to take the win in the bottom of the final quarter. All four starters from CBHS put on an impressive show and with 6 minutes remaining, a final blow was delivered by Paul Alderman with a 7.25 on a well-surfed left, giving Cocoa Beach High School the win. Kelsey Strikland won the Most Radical Maneuver Award and Cocoa Beach’s Tyler Thornsley won the Game’s MVP trophy.

Final Score, Florida Championship: Cocoa Beach: 65.3, Melbourne: 61.3 Cocoa Beach will now continue to the RBHSC National Championship in California this June.