Surf’s way up for members of the Malibu High School (MHS) surf team.
Surfers SJ Murphy and Sean Woods finished in the top three of the men’s shortboard division at Scholastic Surf Series State Championships last week at Oceanside Harbor in San Diego. Two days earlier, the Sharks boys shortboard team finished top 10 in the men’s shortboard bracket.
MHS surf coach Scott Lewis said all the Malibu surfers turned in strong performances during the April 16-18 event, which featured high school-age surfers from along the California coast.
Seventeen-year-old Woods finished second in the shortboard division and Murphy, 16, finished one spot behind his teammate in third.
Brett Naudin of San Dieguito claimed top-place in the event.
Lewis said Woods, a home-schooled student in the Century Academy High School program, was amazing in the water.
“He may be a pro for all we know,” said Lewis, a former pro surfer himself.
Lewis said Murphy, a MHS sophomore, was equally impressive surfing. The coach said Murphy’s third-place finish was a huge accomplishment.
“He just grinded it out,” Lewis said. “He did great.”
Both the weather and surf cooperated, providing excellent conditions for the three-day event. The offshore wind each morning brought three- to five-foot surf for the majority of the event.
Murphy and Woods outlasted a highly competitive field of surfers from 40 California teams, hailing from Santa Cruz/Half Moon Bay to San Diego, during six draining rounds of surfing in order to grasp their high-ranking finishes.
Lewis said he believes this season was the first time in at least seven or eight years Malibu surfers made it to the finals of the individual championships. The lifelong surfer said the sky is the limit for both Murphy and Woods.
“They had a great sense or feel for the ocean,” Lewis said. “They listen to the coaching. They were at the right place at the right time and didn’t try to over-surf the wave, which is really important because if you try to over-surf it, you aren’t going to make it. They connected their turns. They had all the criteria for a pro surfing.”
Lewis explained that both surfers had a move for every situation.
“They contest surf like they free surf,” Lewis continued.
The Sharks men’s shortboard group finished seventh in their category. The team fell behind squads from further down the coast, including San Clemente, which finished first. The team finished ahead of squads from the Los Angeles area and further north.
“That makes them the top-rated boys shortboard group from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara,” said Lewis. “This is monumental.”
The coach said Ryder Sturges lead the Malibu shortboard group.
“He was unbelievable,” Lewis said of the 11th-grade surfer. “I’m sure he would have made it to the individual finals as well if he competed in that group. He is that good.”