The Malibu High surf team will look to build on a promising year and ride a higher wave of success next season.
Malibu surf coach Scott Lewis said if everything falls in line, the Sharks should be one of the best surf teams around during the 2015-16 season.
“I think our boys are going to be the best,” he said. “If not, we will be right there. San Clemente has won something like 30 years in a row. The team is going to be right there with San Clemente.”
The surf team finished the regular season in third place in the Los Angeles/Santa Barbara High School Division 1, which includes teams from schools including Dos Pueblos, Oak Park, Palisades, San Marcos, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica and Ventura.
Lewis said the boys shortboard group compiled a 5-0 record in the regular season to lead the team. He said what hindered the Sharks was not having consistency with the boys longboard team, the girls team and not having a boogie board team until late in the season.
The Sharks finished the season with the boys team in ninth place in shortboard and tied for fifth place with four other teams in longboard at the May 16-18 Scholastic Surf Series High School State Surfing Championships at San Onofre State Beach. The girls team was one of four teams tied for fifth place in shortboard. The girls finished ninth in longboard. Malibu was one of four teams to tie for fifth in coed bodyboard.
Frankie Seely led the way for Malibu. She finished third in girls
shortboard and fifth in women’s longboard.
Scott said Seely, who was member of Malibu’s 2015 graduating class, was the only girl that had to surf back-to-back in shortboard and longboard events twice.
“If she wasn’t completely exhausted, she would have won shortboard,” Lewis said. “She is a trooper for what she did.”
Lewis said another recently minted high school graduate stood out during the championships as well — Amour Armory.
Lewis said Armory stood out in the individual shortboard event at the season finale championship surfing completion, but made a critical mistake when it came time to make it to the finals.
“He had the highest individual score of whatever heat he was in,” Lewis said. “But when it came to the heat to make the finals, he made a mistake and went out of the judges’ view and they missed one of his waves. He would have been in the finals and, in my opinion, won.
Lewis said Armory displayed the best surfing skills at the event.
“His surfing elevated this year,” he said. “To tell the truth, I didn’t know he was that good. He was hitting two maneuvers where everyone else would do one with power and grace.”
Lewis said he expects the boys shortboard team to be strong next year with the return of surfers Ryder Sturges, SJ Murphy and Henry Jenkinson.
“They are three really strong surfers,” he said.
Lewis said Sky Petrepti, Carson Dohan, Shaun Saldamando, Cajun Holland and Jacob Leonard are good surfers.
Lewis said if the team is more consistent next year, they will be a force to be reckoned with on the waves.
“We have to develop a girls team and a boys longboard team,” he said. “The boys shortboard team will be great.
