PV High Surf Team Defeats El Segundo High [VIDEO]

All photos by Saul Zaragoza

On Thursday, February 12, Palos Verdes High defeated El Segundo High in offshore conditions at a surf meet off 38th St. in El Porto. The waves were in the three to five foot range with a perfect tide running on a very pronounced sand bar.

“This is by far the most rippable contest we’ve had so far,” said the South Bay Surfing Association League Director Dickie O’Reilly. “This is the best shape we’ve had in my two years with the league.”

Before the sun was up, there was a small crowd of surf hungry groms in the line-up taking advantage of the right hander before the first heat horn was blown.

“It looked like a day at the ranch,” said Head Judge Chris Wells. “With amazing surf comes amazing surfing.”

Heat one in the men’s shortboard division reflected Wells’ sentiment. PV’s Jack Rowan placed second by gouging off the top and taking his top wave all the way to the inside with multiple wacks. Micam Zask of El Segundo won the heat with a set wave. He demolished a perfect head high wave with wrapping turns.

El Segundo’s Zac Montrose is a multiple division warrior, as his coach, Daniel Truax utilizes him as the swiss army knife of the team. He placed second in the second heat of shortboard men’s with a solid lip bounce. PV’s Peter Healy won the heat by scoring the highest wave of the contest on one of the biggest waves of the day.

“You couldn’t surf a wave better,” said Surf Judge Codee Stamis (who couldn’t sit still waiting in torture to surf after the contest).

When the women’s shortboard heat began, throughout the Porto parking lot word got out about the quality of the sandbar. A few local surfers started drifting into contest area. Coach Truax came to the rescue and used his skills on the megaphone from his job as a full time LA County Lifeguard to clear the right hander. PV’s girls swept the field, taking the top three spots. Paula Knickrehm won with a long right and a few carves as Cassidy Cushman placed second with a set wave right after her.

The perfect nature of the surf opened up the canvas to both progressive and traditional longboarding.

“This is one of the best longboard heats seen all season,” Stamis said.

PV’s Peter Healy placed second with a right the he rode smoothly on the nose. His teammate Jack Rowan was drawing very critical lines right out the school of involvement surfing for the win.

Healy and Rowan continued into the next heat, the Bodyboard Division with the same results. Rowan won with a big spinning barrel roll.

The women’s longboard division was dominated by the contestant in white, PV’s Alicia Stephans. She took off on the bomb sets scoring the highest in all women’s divisions. Her teammate Paula Knickrehm placed second with calculated cross steps.

In the third men’s shortboard division, El Segundo’s Noah Hall stuck back by winning the heat with solid top to bottom surfing. PV’s Nick Ferrara placed second with a good rollercoaster.

PV sealed the deal with Chad Brown winning the last heat and his teammate, Jon Schuler placing second.

Final Score: PV 96 El Segundo 71

Results:

Men’s Shortboard heat 1

Micah Zask ES Jack Rowan PV Chris Thoman ES

Men’s Shortboard heat 2

Peter Healy PV Zac Montrose ES Drake Vasquez ES

Men’s Shortboard heat 3

Noah Hale ES Nick Ferrara PV Chase Woods ES

Men’s Shortboard heat 4

Chad Brown PV Jon Schuler PV Jack Daley ES

Men’s Longboard

Jack Rowan PV Peter Healy PV Shay Falkenstein ES

Women’s Shortboard

Paula Knickrehm PV Cassidy Cushman PV Alicia Stephan PV

Women’s Longboard

Alicia Stephan PV Paula Knickrehm PV Taylor Stone ES

Bodyboard

Jack Rowan PV Peter Healy PV Zac Montrose ES