2011 NSSA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS PRESENTED BY NIKE 6.0

SAN DIEGO STATE, SAN CLEMENTE AND SHORECLIFFS DOMINATE FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR!

HUNTINGTON BEACH DELIVERS WITH GOOD 3-5 FOOT WAVES PUMPING THROUGH THE LINEUP ON THE SOUTHSIDE OF THE PIER FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT.

THE 2011 NSSA STATE CHAMPIONS!

(Huntington Beach, Ca – March 15, 2011) – The 2011 Interscholastic State Championships presented by Nike 6.0 went off in terrific conditions on the southside of Huntington Beach Pier March 12-13. A solid northwest swell delivered fun and consistent waves in the head high zone for the March Madness of Surfing, providing plenty of scoring potential and dynamic performances and heat showdowns. Brimming with confidence, the three reigning champions San Diego State, San Clemente High School and Shorecliffs Middle School showed up to play and continued making their statement in State competition. And to no one’s surprise, the three spirited power players locked in their third consecutive State titles. The 2011 Interscholastic State Championships serves as the Regional qualifier for College, High School and Middle School teams to earn a bid to the 2011 National Interscholastic Championships June 16-18 at Salt Creek in Dana Point, California. San Diego State, San Clemente and Shorecliffs will be the number one ranked schools going into the 2011 National Championships.

SAN DIEGO STATE TRIUMPHS FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR!

In College Championship competition, San Diego State continued its reign as State Champions. For the third consecutive year, SDSU brought a spirited and talented squad to compete and it showed as they walked away with a comfortable 131-116 victory of the National Champion UC Santa Barbara team. In individual competition, Point Loma’s Hunter Lysaught brought it on in his semi-final posting a huge 9.43 wave score-the highest of the College Championships. In the College Men’s final Lysaught faced off with defending State Champion Doug Van Mierlo from SDSU, Theo Lewitt from UCSB, Conference Men’s Champion Dayton Silva from Mira Costa, Kokoro Tomatsuri from UCSD and Josh Morse from SDSU. But Lysaught was surfing at the highest level taking the victory and clinching the College Men’s State title. Reigning National College Women’s Champion Lipoa Kahaleuahi sealed the College State title in the Womens. SDSU’s Jon Hoover who was State Longboard runner-up in 2010, took command of the Longboard final with two excellent scores of 8.67 and 7.67 to handily nail the State Longboard title.

SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL 10-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS!

In High School Championship competition, San Clemente was sitting on top of the mountain from the get-go as their Men’s team took five first places in round one. After the quarterfinals they jumped out to an uncatchable lead holding a 21 point advantage over Edison whose team was rising to the challenge and holding down second. San Clemente went on to clinch its tenth State title and fourth under head coach John Dowell with a 125-106 victory over runner-up Edison who celebrated their best ever result at the State Championships. The victory was the third consecutive for San Clemente as their championship supremacy continues thrive. In the individual divisions, six San Clemente surfers earned finals berths including outstanding performances by team members Trevor Thornton, Jonah Carter and Jeremy Carter who placed third, fifth and sixth in the final respectively.

The High School Varsity Men’s final turned out to be one of the hardest fought and most entertaining and exciting finals in NSSA State Championship history. Facing off in the heat were San Clemente’s Trevor Thornton, Jonah Carter and Jeremy Carter, Huntington Beach’s Derek Peters, Edison’s Clay Crandal and Malibu’s Andrew Jacobson. Trevor Thornton jumped out to an early lead opening up with a 5.17 and then exploded on a good right posting up a big 7.67 score. Both Peters and Clay Crandal answered back quickly, Peters with a 7.17 and Crandal with a 6.43. Jacobson fought his way back into contention with a couple of 5-point rides while both Carter brothers struggled to find good waves and get into a rhythm. With Thornton holding down first place in the final minute and a good size set approaching it would be a race to the finish with the State title still on the line. Crandal grabbed a good wave throwing up some solid, crisp turns which scored a 6.60 putting him temporarily into the number one position. As the clock ticked down with five seconds remaining, Peters and Thornton paddle battled for what turned out to be the money wave. In a serious clutch display, Peters dropped in at the buzzer and attacked the head high right wall pulling off three huge frontside hacks to the tune of an excellent 7.93 score and electrifying roars from the local crowd. The wave put Peters on top to seal his first NSSA Championship title in one of the most thrilling final showdowns witnessed in NSSA comp. Crandal clinched second on the strength of his last ride while Thornton dropped to third. Andrew Jacobson took fourth which moved team Malibu into fourth place in their first appearance at the NSSA State Championships! Jonah and Jeremy Carter came in fifth and sixth respectively. A happy and relieved Peters reflected on the intense Men’s final after the championship results were announced. "I knew Trevor was in first the entire heat and that I needed a good solid score to win,” Peters said. "In that paddle battle with him for that last wave, I paddled the hardest I’ve ever paddled, about thirty yards of kicking and scratching. I got the wave surfed it well and didn’t fall.” Peters who is in his last year of high school, is putting up big numbers during the 2010-11 NSSA competition season. He has been blowing up in Southwest Conference competition leading the Open Men’s ratings and in solid contention for the conference title with one event remaining during the regular season. The State title is his first NSSA title. "My boards are working well and I have been working a lot harder and training so it’s paying off. I got a late start into the contest game but things are finally coming together.” Even with the home court advantage at Huntington Pier for the NSSA Championship Series, Derek says there is pressure that comes with being a top local contender. "Everyone tells me that they’re putting their money on me to win titles. The Nationals is already on my mind!”

Taylor Pitz from Laguna Beach ruled the lineup in the High School Women’s final claiming her second consecutive State title. Shaun Thompson from Edison took the High School State Longboard title in a close decision over Aaron Cervantes from Newport Harbor. Both Pitz and Thompson are ranked number one in their divisions in 2010-11 Southwest Conference Open Season competition. Pitz was determined to come back strong to HB to defend her State title. "It’s definitely a big motivator to try and defend a championship title,” Pitz said. "You never want to lose your title and because I’m a senior and this is my last year at the High School level so it was really important to me to win this. I had a really good heat in my final. The waves were so good and I caught so many fun waves. It feels so great to have a heat like that.” Pitz who also rules in the classroom as noted by her recent acceptance to Stanford, is excited by the fact that all of the championships are in Huntington Beach. "I have really been looking forward to the NSSA Championships Series because all of the events are in HB,” Pitz said. "This is a great way to start off the series. I’ve been surfing Laguna where it’s inconsistent a lot so it’s so refreshing to surf HB because of the fun and consistent surf. I know this wave really well and it really helps to have that knowledge and understand this wave in the variety of conditions. It’s a great advantage going into the West Coast Championships and the Nationals.” Asking Taylor how hungry she is to finish her amateur career with a National title she exclaims, "I’ve been surfing in the NSSA since the seventh grade. I want a National title!!!”

TWO STATE TITLES IN A ROW FOR SAN CLEMENTE’S JUNIOR VARSITY!

San Clemente’s Junior Varsity team clinched its second straight State title with a 92-67 victory over runner-up Huntington Beach. San Clemente team members Josh Giddings, Leilani Harrison and Casey Powell took command winning their individual divisions.

In Middle School competition, Shorecliffs continues to enjoy an impressive and dominating run of championship competition capturing their sixth straight State title. Kanoa Igarashi from Dwyer won the Middle School Boys State title, Tio Blanco from Shorecliffs won the Middle School Girls State title and Dylan Cox from Shorecliffs won the Middle School Longboard State title.

CBS COLLEGE SPORTS COVERAGE AND BIG NEWS FOR COLLEGE SURFING FANS: The NSSA National College Surfing Championships will for the first time air as part of CBS Sports Network’s "Alt Games: College Action Sports Championships” coverage, now in its sixth year. Alt Games programming debuts with a one-hour show on CBS on Saturday, June 25 (2:00 PM, ET), with complete programming following on CBS Sports Network. For more information, go to www.cbscollegesports.com. The CBS crew was on site at the State Championships to shoot highlights of college competition for Alt Game programming leading into the Nationals.

The NSSA Interscholastic State Championships is proud to have support from Nike 6.0, Huntington Surf and Sport, Java Point, Surfing Magazine, Sex Wax and the Sugar Shack.  The NSSA is a member of Surfing America, the ISA-recognized National Governing Body for Surfing in the United States.  

The NSSA Interscholastic State Championships is the first of six events in the 2011 NSSA Championship Series.  The 2010 Championship Series events include the Interscholastic State Championships at Huntington Beach Pier, the Hawaii Championships at Kewalo Basin, Oahu, HI March 15-20; the East Coast Championships at New Smyrna Beach Inlet, FL April 7-10; the NSSA Jr. Championships at Huntington Beach Pier, CA April 9; the West Coast Championships at Huntington Beach Pier, CA May 18-22; the NSSA National Championships at Salt Creek and Huntington Beach Pier, CA June 16-July 3.

THE SCOREBOARD

RESULTS

2011 NSSA INTERSCHOLASTIC STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

HUNTINGTON BEACH PIER

 

COLLEGE TEAM

1. SDSU 131

2. UCSB-Gold 116

3. Point Loma 97

4. Mira Costa 95

5. UCSD 89

6. CSUSM-A 72

7. USC 61

8. CSULB-A 59

9. USD 37

10. Saddleback 32

11. CSULB-B 29

12. UCLA 25

13. CSUSM-B 20

14. UCSB-Blue 17

15. UCSB-Yellow 11

16. Pepperdine 0

 

COLLEGE MENS

1. Hunter Lysaught-Point Loma 15.10

2. Theo Lewitt-UCSB 13.26

3. Doug Van Mierlo-SDSU 11.23

4. Dayton Silva-Mira Costa 9.77

5. Kokoro Tomatsuri-UCSD 8.77

6. Josh Morse-SDSU 8.17

 

COLLEGE WOMENS

1. Lipoa Kahaleuahi-UCSB 13.00

2. Marissa Shaw-SDSU 10.56

3. Heather Jordan-Mira Costa 7.44

4. Kaitlin Maguire-CSUSM 6.07

5. Annie Howe-CSUSM 6.03

6. Chelsea Rauhut-UCSD 4.27

 

COLLEGE LONGBOARD

1. Jon Hoover-SDSU 16.34

2. Mick Rodgers-CSUSM 11.33

3. Blaine Lewis-CSULB 9.07

4. Cody Watten-CSULB 8.37

5. Joey Wangness-Point Loma 6.53

6. Lars Rathje-UCSB 0.00

 

HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY TEAM

1. San Clemente 125

2. Edison 106

3. Huntington Beach 79

4. Malibu 65

5. San Dieguito 64

6. Newport Harbor 58

7. Laguna Beach 43

8. Carlsbad 38

9. Mira Costa 35

10. Palos Verdes 29

11. Half Moon Bay 23

12. Marina 0

 

HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY MENS

1. Derek Peters-Huntington Beach 15.10

2. Clay Crandal-Edison 13.03

3. Trevor Thornton-San Clemente 12.84

4. Andrew Jacobson-Malibu 10.13

5. Jonah Carter-San Clemente 8.06

6. Jeremy Carter-San Clemente 8.04

 

HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY WOMENS

1. Taylor Pitz-Laguna Beach 12.67

2. Kulia Doherty-San Clemente 8.37

3. Anise Guzman-Edison 6.50

4. Shelby Detmers-Newport Harbor 6.33

5. Sarah Locke-Carlsbad 5.50

6. Emmy Lombard-San Clemente 2.60

 

HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY LONGBOARD

1. Shaun Thompson-Edison 12.84

2. Aaron Cervantes-Newport Harbor 12.50

3. Kelly Zaun-Mira Costa 10.83

4. Tony Bartovich-Huntington Beach 8.90

5. Kris Williams-Laguna Beach 8.20

6. Eli Gillis-San Clemente 6.67

 

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR VARSITY TEAM

1. San Clemente 92

2. Huntington Beach 67

3. Edison 61

4. Half Moon Bay 21

5. Marina 3

 

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR VARSITY MENS

1. Josh Giddings-San Clemente 11.43

2. Ian Simmons-San Clemente 9.76

3. Cameron Faris-Huntington Beach 7.96

4. Colton Overin-San Clemente 7.60

5. Luke Barrett-Huntington Beach 7.37

6. Wyatt Brady-San Clemente 6.93

 

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR VARSITY WOMENS

1. Leilani Harrison-San Clemente 5.19

2. Sasha Takata-Half Moon Bay 4.40

3. Brittney Gingrich-Edison 4.07

4. Jillian Olsen-Edison 3.16

5. Jessica Hurteau-Huntington Beach 2.73

6. Haley Handy-Huntington Beach 2.33

 

HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR VARSITY LONGBOARD

1. Casey Powell-San Clemente 13.67

2. Nathan Thompson-Edison 10.17

3. Taylor McDole-Huntington Beach 8.90

4. Dean Kopchok-Marina 3.03

5. Helen Fisher-Half Moon Bay 2.60

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAM

1. Shorecliffs-A 144

2. Dwyer 93

3. Aviara Oaks 70

4. Shorecliffs-B 61

5. Marco Forster 57

6. Sowers 56

7. Thurston 52

8. Bernice Ayer 48

9. Half Moon Bay 39

10. Oak Crest-A 17

11. Oak Crest-B 10

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS

1. Kanoa Igarashi-Dwyer 15.60

2. Colin Deveze-Shorecliffs 10.83

3. Colt Ward-Shorecliffs 9.10

4. Kei Kobayashi-Shorecliffs 7.20

5. Kellar Moore-Aviara Oaks 6.97

6. Thomas Lundgard-Half Moon Bay 6.50

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS

1. Tia Blanco-Shorecliffs 16.00

2. Kylie Loveland-Aviara Oaks 12.00

3. Laine Ortiz-Dwyer 8.47

4. Kirra Connolly-Shorecliffs 6.66

5. Juli Hernandez-Sowers 5.60

6. Sawyer Gilley-Aviara Oaks 5.47

 

MIDDLE SCHOOL LONGBOARD

1. Dylan Cox-Shorecliffs 10.00

2. Mason Shaw-Shorecliffs 9.57

3. Kyle Perez-Marco Forster 8.73

4. Christen Willerth-Sowers 5.53

5. Rio Donaldson-Bernice Ayer 4.43

6. Hunter Murison-Half Moon Bay 3.80