Wet and Wild with Rockin’ Fig

You couldn’t tell it was winter here last week with the heat wave

pushing up the air temps into the upper 70s. The beaches had some people

taking advantage of a pre-spring break free-tanning spree. There was even

a fun combo of west and southwest swells to peak it up, making it pretty

rippable out in the lineup. And even the water temperature has gone up a

couple degrees.

With weather and waves like this, it was just the right time for the

California Interscholastic Surfing Federation State Championships, or CIF

to happen down at Oceanside’s South Jetty last weekend.

Twenty-six schools and hundreds of surfers in different divisions

battled it out for high school bragging rights. In the 4-A division, it

was coastal schools and in the 3-A division, it was inland schools.

The Huntington Beach High School surfers, the Oilers, had a pretty

good run down there. Coach Andy Verdone said it was happening, with good

4- to 6-foot surf, and the team was liking it.

Verdone’s plan was to try to grab an early lead and hold onto it.

Assistant coach Barry Deffenbaugh, a ripper himself and shaper too, was

the water strategist, and together they planned each heat out. In fact a

few of the boys were riding B.D.’s shapes.

The Oilers, in the big-time boys’ shortboard division, scored a close

decision over their arch rival San Clemente High, 44 to 40. Coming out on

top in the boys’ division final, was Huntington High shredder Brett

Simpson, who pulled a 360 air in crunch time. Senior Captain Brad

Ettinger won his heat. Willie Safreed and Jordan Brock helped the cause.

Other rippers included seniors Erik Trapschuh, Cody Wehrer and Mike

Ferragamo just off an ankle injury, who did well in the last team heat

that kept the ball rolling. It’s been a couple years since the surf squad

has taken the title.

In the gal’s, ripping too, Huntington’s Eva Lewington, Erin and Laura

Roberts finished equal third.

In bodyboarding, Darren Moody was equal fifth.

Honorable mention to Marina’s Dodger Kremel, who placed second in

longboarding.

In the overall contest, though, San Clemente won the girls’ division,

the longboard division, the bodyboard division and finished second in the

boys’ shortboard division, for the overall state title. San Clemente has

a host of hotties, too, with the lineup of Travis Mellem, Pat and Dane

Gadauskas, Michael Taras, Andrew Gahan and the new up and coming Wardo.

The next showdown between these two great surfing powers will be at

the National Scholastic Surfing Assn.’s high school state meet at

Church’s on March 16 and 17. The format includes six boys, one gal, one

bodyboarder and one longboarder on each team.

The Middle Schools also will be there, including Dwyer, which should

be a contender with mini-shredders Ian Ekberg and Tommy Steury on their

team and coached by P.T., Peter Townend, former world surf champ.

Some NSSA college action too, the last regular season event at 9th

Street, saw UC Santa Barbara winning it. Second place was Mira Costa,

which finished first for the overall season, and third was Cal State Long

Beach.

In the final it was Mike Losness of Saddleback making it two in a row

with another win. Seal Beach’s Mikey Riley was fifth for Cal State Long

Beach.

That’s it for now, see ya.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a six-time West Coast champion, has announced the

U.S. Open of Surfing the last eight years and has been the KROQ-FM

(106.7) surfologist for the last 15 years where he’s done morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714)

536-1058.