The top high school surfers in the country gathered this weekend in San Clemente to compete in the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship, bringing with them ideal weather and near-perfect waves.  With a powerful swell pouring through Upper Trestles at San Onofre Beach all weekend long, the teams were given the chance to test their mettle and show their skills in the premiere high school surfing competition.   The eight teams – all of whom had earned their National Championship spots by dominating local rivals in Regional Championships – came from Florida, New Jersey and all up and down the Southern California coast.  The competition was fierce from the get-go, but in the end it came down to a grudge match between Mira Costa High and San Dieguito Academy that could only be settled in overtime.  When all was said and done, Mira Costa High School took the win and with it the bragging rights as 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National Champions. 

“This was simply an amazing Championship, and exactly what the Red bull Riders Cup is all about," said Brad Gerlach, National Surf League Founder. “In the Finals we had two well-matched teams and a format that really allows the kids to show off and highlight their skills.  It had it all – drama, suspense, disappointment, exhilaration and a nail-biting finale.  This is why we do it.”

The two days of competition saw some amazing surfing, but it was the Finals and their “down to the wire” finish that really had everyone talking.  In the first period of the Finals Mira Costa won the coin toss and decided to surf first, taking to the water in clean conditions with 4-6 foot waves.  Mira Costa got off to a solid start, led by a period high score of 7.5 by Dayton Silva.  But San Dieguito responded in kind, with an overall strong team showing, taking the lead and leaving Mira Costa trailing at the end of the first period, 24.5 to 25 points.

In the second period, Mira Costa dominated with great rides that put up high scores across the board.  Due to some missed opportunities, San Dieguito was unable to hold their lead, and ended up trailing by 2 points.  As the third period began, Mira Costa made their intentions known from the get go, with Dane Zaun posting an amazing 8.5 ride.  Unfortunately, the rest of the team was unable to score higher than a 6.5, leaving the door just slightly open for San Dieguito to make a comeback.  The pressure was on, as San Dieguito was faced with the daunting task of needing 27 points to win – an average of 6.5 -7.0 rides for each surfer.  With only 4 minutes left, it looked like it was over as San Dieguito hadn’t scored nearly enough points and needed a miracle to win.  But the miracle came – in the form of a four wave set – and with every rider scoring strong points, the team was able to earn a tie, taking them to overtime.

Overtime saw Mira Costa supply excellent performances from all surfers, but it was an 8.5 score from Dane Zaun that really delivered, pushing their total to 24 points – 98 overall.  San Dieguito was once again faced with a hard task, needing 25 points. They got off to a rough start, with multiple surfers going down in early waves.  With little time remaining, the set they needed once again came rolling in and the crowd waited anxiously to see if they could pull off another miracle.  Unfortunately, this time it was not to be, as the miracle fell short, with the final score:  Mira Costa -98, San Dieguito – 96.

“This was definitely the best surfing event I’ve ever participated in,” said Mira Costa High MVP Dane Zaun. "The waves were near perfect, and we worked really hard for this win, surfing two games today plus the overtime.  This was a team effort, and I’m so proud we were all able to hold it together to snatch victory”

“This was our year,” says Mira Costa coach Joe Lederer.  “I just had a gut feeling going into it.  These are an amazing group of kids who really came together and gave an amazing performance out there.  I may have coached the games, but they are definitely the ones that deserve all the credit.”

FINAL SCORES (click to enlarge)

The San Diego Regional Championships, the eighth and final regional stop of the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup season, took place this week.  Participating high schools included Carlsbad High School, Point Loma High, Torrey Pines High, and San Dieguito Academy.  This stop of the Red Bull Riders Cup, the nation’s premier high school surfing competition, saw a classic rivalry continue as the 2007 and 2008 national champions battled it out against each other.  This year it was to be San Dieguito Academy earning the bragging rights as they defeated last years champs Carlsbad. 

The eight team field that will battle it out in the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship at Trestles on June 6-7 is now set. 

In cold, windy conditions and two to three foot waves, today’s games was going to come down to who got the ocean to cooperate and scored good waves.  It what was probably one of the biggest decisions of the game Carlsbad won the toss and sent San Dieguito into surf first.

San Dieguito started strong with their first big exchange of waves netting them a solid 20.5 points. When they made the decision to sub in Austin Rowe who nailed a 6 point ride and Derrick Disney closed the period out with a 7, they finished the period with a very strong 23 points.

In contrast Carlsbad got off to a slow start as the ocean was just not producing the waves they needed.  After some time outs and hard work, they managed to scratch their way to a competitive 20.5 to close out the period and keep it close.

San Dieguito managed to keep their nose in front with solid scores to JD Lewis and Derrick Disney, but with their other two riders only scoring 3.5’s they left the door open for a Carlsbad comeback.
Carlsbad tried everything in the bottom of the second period including using the rest of their timeouts to try and claw back the deficit.  They could only manage 18.5 points and were in a deep hole going into the last period.

San Dieguito only compounded the pressure in the final period by posting another high score and making the task for Carlsbad a very tough one.

Carlsbad needed nothing short of 7 point rides by all their surfers to win the game so coach instructions were to sit out the back on the reef and wait for big set waves.  Unfortunately the ocean did not cooperate and last years national champions were knocked out as San Dieguito Academy claimed victory.

Looking forward to next weeks final coach Oli said “Feeling really excited about the win today, I think we have a lot of positive momentum we can take forward with us into the final and hopefully regain our national title.”   

With two 7 point rides MVP honors went to JD Lewis “Psyched on how the team did… We have so much depth it’s ridiculous, the guys on the bench would have done the same thing”

With the eight teams now set, it’s on to the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships on June 6-7 to see who will be crown 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National Champion.

FINAL SCORES (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The Orange County Regional Championships, the seventh stop of the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup season, took place this week in sunny, albeit “small” conditions. This stop of the Red Bull Riders Cup, the nation’s premier high school surfing competition, saw Orange County’s best high school surfers battle it out in a series of close games. Participating high schools included Huntington Beach High School, Newport Harbor High, Edison High, and San Clemente High. In a surprising upset, last year’s champion San Clemente High was knocked out in their qualifying game by Huntington Beach High, setting the stage for a new regional champion to be crowned. 

With Huntington Beach High looking to secure its first trip to the national championships in two years and Newport Harbor High reaching the finals for the first time in four attempts, the pressure was on. In the strategic battle that ensued, Newport Harbor High out-played the home team and booked their first trip to the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship, which will be held on June 6-7 at Upper Trestles in San Clemente. The series now moves south to San Diego’s Seaside Reef on May 26 – 28 for the eighth and final regional stop.

In the finals, with only one to two foot waves to work with, it was apparent that it would be a battle of the coaches’ strategy. Huntington Beach High won the coin toss and sent Newport Harbor High into the water to surf first. Newport Harbor posted a solid score of 19 points lead by Chase Wilson, who put 6.5 points on the board.

Huntington Beach High’s choice to surf second looked like a good one early on, as their first period produced a very strong score of 15 points with eight minutes still remaining. Even with plenty of time on the clock to overtake Newport Harbor, the waves wouldn’t cooperate, and Huntington Beach could only manage to put another 3.5 point on the scoreboard – leaving them trailing by 0.5 points.

Newport Harbor hit the water with authority in the second period, with Chase Wilson posting a game high 8.5 ride and Victor Done not far behind with a 7.5. This gave Newport Harbor 19 points before their fourth surfer had even posted a score. The scoring streak stalled until Erik Heimstaeedt was substituted in with one minute remaining and boosted the period two total to 25.5, leaving Huntington Beach High a massive task in quickly declining waves.

In what turned out to be one of the strangest periods in Red Bull Riders Cup history, Huntington High tried everything to claw away at their 26 point deficit. With six minutes to go and still 6 points behind, they took an unprecedented three timeouts in a row waiting for any hope of a rideable wave. With just two and a half minutes left, they finally caught a wave and managed to improve their score to 22.5. In last ditch effort to catch up, Huntington Beach took their fourth timeout for the period with one second remaining. As the time out ended, two surfers managed to get on waves but weren’t able to improve the score, and Huntington Beach’s valiant effort in very tough conditions still left them trailing by 3.5 points.

In the final period, Newport Harbor played a strategic game and posted 19.5 points, for a final overall score of 64 points. This left Huntington Beach hoping for decent waves and solid scores to try and post the 23.5 points needed to win the game. With only one timeout remaining, they got off to the start they needed when Derek Peters and Shane Nelson split an early peak to kick off the chase. When Christian Saenz posted a 6.5 with 45 seconds remaining to bridge the gap to 2.5 points, Huntington Beach took their last timeout with 40 seconds to go. When the timeout ended, both teams were waiting anxiously to see if the home team would be able to snatch the win in the dying seconds, but it wasn’t to be. Newport Harbor High celebrated their first ever regional win as the buzzer sounded to end the game.

A very happy coach Ryan Simmons had commented, “We had a tough opponent in Huntington Beach but we’ve trained really hard this year, really improving every student’s surfing. The combination of our training and the deep talent pool of twelve great really helped us win today.”

MVP honors went to a deserving Chase Wilson, who said, “We’re stoked! We haven’t really done well before – we lost first round every year, so it was a good thing to come out and win both of our games this week. We’re so stoked for the finals.”

Newport Harbor High will now move on to The Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships on June 6-7 to see if they can continue their dream run into a national title.

FINAL SCORES (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The New Jersey Regional Championships, the sixth stop of the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup season, took place this week in a cold tail end of the East Coast winter in Ocean City, New Jersey.  This stop of the Red Bull Riders Cup, the nation’s premier high school surfing competition, saw New Jerseys best high school surfers paddle out in mostly cold and difficult conditions.    Participating high schools included Ocean City High School, Southern Regional High, Manasquan High, Point Pleasant High and Middle Township High. 

With Ocean City and Middle Township having comfortable wins during the week in their qualifying games, the stage was set for one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season.

Both teams really wanted that trip out west for the finals and emotions ran high.  Last years champions Ocean City managed to clinch it in the final period to get the win and will be back at the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship, which will be held on June 6-7 at Upper Trestles in San Clemente.

With senior Chris Eaves back in the team and sophomore surprise Mikey Ciaramella posting high scores with an MVP performance, Middle Township posted the highest semifinal game score of 57.5 against Manasquan High.  This put the pressure on defending champions Ocean City and had the whole boardwalk expecting the closest match-up the New Jersey region had ever seen.

From the start of the first period expectations were delivered on, even the weather cleared just as Middle Township won the toss and decided to surf first.  As the fog cleared to show sunny, clean waist high conditions, it was Mikey Ciaramella who drew first blood posting a 6.2 to start off the game.  By the time the top of the first period was over, it was Mikey and Chris Eaves helping Middle Township to a respectable total of 18.5

Ocean City’s first exchange of waves was comparable to their rivals, but their second exchange lead by Chris Kelly with an 8.2 was to prove the difference.  With the whole team posting good scores Ocean City left the water and the first period up by 4 points.

Middle Township paddled out into their second period knowing they had to play catch-up and get the whole team on solid waves.  Unfortunately for them the pressure was getting to them and only Ciaramella managed to get anything over a 5 posting a 6.5 late in the period.

Ocean City however failed to close the door in the second period also only managing to get one surfer on a wave scoring over 5.  It would be Chris Kelly carrying the load for Ocean City posting a 6.3. 

This bought the game down to the third and final period with Middle Township needing something special and Mikey Ciaramella delivered.  With 5:30min left in the period he posted a week high wave score of 9.0 and with Chris Eaves posting a 6.9, this shot up their total and put the pressure firmly back onto to Ocean City.

The game was now in the home teams’ hands, they needed solid scores from all their surfers and with three time outs remaining, the game was theirs to loose.  With experience and depth on their side, it would be those two things that proved the difference as Ocean City managed to answer the challenge and get what they needed with 4mins to spare.

As the final wave was ridden in, the big home town crowd cheered their boys in from the water amid a shower of Red Bull and praise.

A very relieved coach Matt Keenan had this to say. “I’m really proud of the guys, this was a full blue collar team effort.  They made it a real emotional win for the town.”

With last years MVP and now graduate Rob Kelly taking on water coach duties for Ocean City, MVP honors went to his brother Chris, who took on the role as team leader exceptionally well posting high scores all week.  “The pressure was on from the very beginning, this was one team that had an even chance of taking it.  Senior year, last contest, we all really wanted it”  It’s now onto California again for New Jersey’s best, to see if they can bring the Red Bull Riders Cup to the east coast for the first time at the National Championships on June 6-7. 

FINAL SCORES (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

New Smyrna High School, won the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup North Florida Regional this past week at New Smyrna Inlet in fun waist-high surf.

Coached by Local professional surfer Aaron Cormican and Geoff Armstrong, the NSB team was the odds on favorite to win the regional title.  Most Radical Maneuver award winner Evan Gielsman put on an impressive display of tail-free surfing in the small surf had this to say, 

"I really just love the format for The Game – it’s more like the organized comps of the NFL and Soccer. I like the team format – the rivalries – and not the individual focus where you just do your own thing. I think it could be the future of surfing for sure"

New Smyrna High will now advance to the National Championships to be held June 6-7 at Upper Trestles in California.

A special thanks goes out to the coaches and volunteers from all schools, your support makes all this possible!

Most Valuable Player – JJ Hatton, St. Augustine High (Top scorer for team)

Most Radical Maneuver – Evan Gieselman, New Smyrna High (Frontside blow-tail-off-the-top)

Mira Costa High was the first to book a spot in the regional finals with a win over Redondo Union High during an early morning matchup on Wednesday.  But as the day progressed, so did bad weather, and the high winds caused the afternoon qualifier, the game between Palisades Charter High and Palos Verdes High, to be postponed.  Mira Costa High was left eagerly awaiting word on who they would face in Thursday’s regional finals.

With the weather finally cooperating, Palos Verdes High put in a strong performance and beat Palisades Charter High in their delayed qualifier on Thursday.  But fresh off their victory, the team has forced to head right back into the water for the regional final against the powerful Mira Costa High.  The difference between the two finalist teams was clear from the team introductions, with the more mature Mira Costa High team towering over Palos Verdes High and showcasing a clear advantage in both height and strength.  Mira Costa High won the coin toss and elected to surf first in choppy, waist to chest high waves.

Mira Costa High declared their intentions from the outset of the first period, making the most of tough conditions and posting a very high total of 28 points, the strong team performance highlighted by a solid 8.0 ride from Brent Bowen.

In contrast, Palos Verdes High struggled to back up their solid qualifier form, and with no team members scoring higher than 2.5 points, could only manage a first period total of 8.5 points.  This set the stage for one of the biggest defeats in Red Bull Riders Cup history.  With Mira Costa High going into the top of the second period with such a large lead, their confidence only grew, and the team let loose, continuing to post solid scores despite the deteriorating conditions.  Palos Verdes High found themselves clearly outgunned, and could not catch a break in the second period, only managing to equal their first period total of 8.5 points. 

With the game all but over at the start of the third and final period, Mira Costa High again upped their game, posting good scores and putting on a show with some crowd pleasing aerials.  By the time they were done they had shut the door on Palos Verdes, leading by an astonishing 50 points and making it mathematically impossible for Palos Verdes to win.  Even in the face of certain defeat, the brave Palos Verdes team still paddled out for their third period and put together their best period of the finals, earning a score of 18 points.   

After such a convincing win, Mira Costa coach Joe Lederer had this to say, “I’m really proud of these guys, they came out today and did well in these conditions, they made it look great out there and we’re really looking forward to going to Upper Trestles and being a serious competitor this year.”

With such a solid team performance and all surfers contributing greatly, it was tough to pick an MVP.  Kelly Zaun just slightly beat out older brother Dane for the honor. “I’m really stoked, I didn’t expect to get such high scores today.  Everyone surfed so well, we were much more of a team than last year,” said the MVP.  He added that a team lead by the Zaun brothers was going to be tough to beat in the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships on June 6-7. 

Scores (click to enlarge)

Satellite High’s depth, experience and use of modern technology contributed to their win over Cocoa Beach High in the final.  Head coach George Seguna debuted their new radio helmets that allows the head coach to communicate directly with each player from the beach, similar to the quarter-back in football receiving plays from the coach on the sideline.

A triple-header was held after the NSL extended the waiting period an extra day in anticipation of an incoming, but short-lived swell.  The move paid off with fun waist to chest high surf for the duration of the day.

Satellite High will now advance to the National Championships at Upper Trestles June 6-7. 

Photo Gallery

After a very close call in Wednesday’s game where Malibu squeaked by local favorites Ventura by only 0.5 points, Malibu was lucky to even make the regional championship finals.  Carpinteria, on the other hand, breezed by Santa Barbra in their first game on Tuesday but even as defending champions, went into the final as underdogs with multiple time MVP and national rising star Conner Coffin being sidelined with a fever after Tuesdays qualifier.

Sunny conditions and waist-to-chest high sets greeted the finalists in the much anticipated match-up.  Malibu won the toss and chose to get into the water and surf first.  After a low scoring opening exchange of waves, Malibu picked up the pace and put through solid scores as the period progressed.  With only two minutes remaining in the first period and already a solid 20.5 on the board, Malibu decided to take their second time-out.  After time resumed, and with only 30 seconds remaining, a genius decision was made to sub in sophomore Skyler Lawson, who scratched into a wave and squeezed everything out of it, posting a period high score of 7.0 to bring Malibu’s first period total to 24 points.   

This set the stage for a very tough battle for Carpinteria.   With Conner Coffin out, they had no substitution players and had to rely heavily on all their team members to catch high scoring waves.  Kokoro Tomatsuri opened the first period on the right track, posting a 7.0, but with Dustin Letinsky the only other Carpinteria surfer able to manage a score over 5 points, the team fell drastically short of Malibu’s first period total and trailed by 6.5 points.

In the second period however, with only Conrad Car posting a score higher than 5 for Malibu with a 7.5, and a heat total of only 19 points, Carpinteria was given a slight chance to make a comeback.  Carpinteria rose to the challenge and improved on their first period performance, equaling Malibu’s second period total by posting 19 points.  Still trailing, they needed a miracle in the final period if they were to have a chance to win.

This time Malibu was taking no chances and in their final period Conrad Car, Skyler Lawson and lone female team member and Wednesday’s MVP Chandler Parr all posted high scores to shut the door with a game high 25 points.  This bought their total to 68 points, leaving Carpinteria the daunting task of scoring 32 points to win the game.

Carpinteria’s Kokoro Tomatsuri and Dustin Letinsky put up a good fight with solid final period waves, but in the end, team depth and the loss of Conner Coffin showed through and proved the difference, with Malibu taking the win by 13.5 points.

In a show of great sportsmanship during the presentation ceremony, Malibu High gave a victorious chant in their rival’s name, yelling “CARP!” with all hands in.  While MVP Skyler Lawson celebrated in the parking lot with a joyous “We won!” it was Malibu coach Rich Lawson who had the last word, reminding his team “we still have some more to win,” referring to their shot at the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships on June 6-7 at Trestles.   
 

Most Valuable Player – Skylar Lawson, Malibu High

Most Radical Maneuver – Conrad Carr, Malibu High (Backside tail-out blast)

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Photo Gallery

VIDEO

The first three days of the four-day competition were held at The Hook, and it was local favorites Santa Cruz High and Aptos High that came through the early rounds to advance to Thursday’s regional finals at Pleasure Point.  In the final game Aptos High won the toss and sent Santa Cruz into the water first.  Santa Cruz got off to a good early start, posting a respectable 21.1 in the top of the first period.  Aptos High’s decision to surf second proved a great one when they hit the water and were greeted with very solid set waves to take the lead with a score of 23.8.

But the tables turned dramatically in the second period with Santa Cruz surfers posting some huge scores, led by a massive 9.1 by Shaun Burns.  Aptos High really struggled to find waves in the bottom of the second period, even having to use two timeouts while waiting for some set waves to roll through.  Yet the waves never came, and with a low score of 18.4 for the period, their early lead turned in to a 4.1 point deficit going into the final period.

The game was now Santa Cruz’s to win, but when they didn’t post a score higher that a 7 in their final period they left the door slightly open for Aptos High, who could take the win if they could do better than a 23.7.  The ocean was not particularly kind early in the bottom of the final period and after the opening set of waves, Aptos had solid scores but were still trailing.  With 6min 55sec remaining in the final, Aptos High Coach Miske called a timeout and the wait for a good set of waves was on.  The timeout proved a great decision when Sophomore Noah Wegrich caught the wave of the day and posted a near perfect 9.6 ride to slam the door shut and take the Santa Cruz Regional Championships with 1min 59sec to go.

“I was really very proud of the team today, not just for winning but how they did it,” said Aptos High Coach Kevin Miske. “They showed real character to come from behind after a tough second period, and they worked really hard to fight their way back into the game when the pressure was on and win.”

“The coach just said he wanted at least sixes from all of us, so I just wanted to at least get that, then this wave just held up nice for me and gave me chance to put up a good score,” said MVP and game winner Noah Wegrich.  “It felt really good, but I didn’t expect a 9.6 though!”

Most Valuable Player – Noah Wegrich, Aptos High

Most Radical Maneuver – Shaun Burns, Santa Cruz High

Photo Gallery

VIDEO

Red Bull and the National Surf League are kicking off the 4th annual Red Bull Riders Cup at the Hook and Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz, Ca. March 16-19, 2009. 

The schools are fired up with Harbor High looking to avenge their close loss to Soquel High School in last years regional final.  With previous experience under their belt, Aptos and Scotts Valley High will be ready with fresh Game strategies. 

"We’re fired up," said Santa Cruz High head coach Joe Hudson who is looking to regain respect after a shocking overtime loss in the first round last year.  "The team has been practicing hard and we’re gunning for the title."  

The winner of the Santa Cruz Regional will advance to the National Championships June 6-7 at Upper Trestles.

Daily Schedule and Match-Ups

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2009 Red Bull Riders Cup Tournament Bracket