Mira Costa Surf Team Beats Peninsula

In lackluster clean-but-small surf and chilly water on the south side of the Hermosa Beach Pier, Mira Costa High School's surf team shined bright, taking out Peninsula in a match-up that ended 94-73 in Mira Costa's favor Thursday morning.

The scoring was calculated based on a combined total where first place in the heat earns six points and last place earns one.

"[We were] getting all of the best waves out there," said Noah Collins of Manhattan Beach, after winning his first and only heat. "Yeah, I'm stoked."

"Get the best waves—the biggest ones and be patient," Collins said of his heat strategy.

"Noah Collins was ripping, just making it look super fun," out in the waves despite the very small-sized surf, said Mira Costa surf coach Tracy Geller.

"There's not a lot of swell," Geller said of the trying conditions. "The tide is kind of making things change. People were sitting by the Pier, and had to abandon [that positioning strategy]."

Peninsula coach Kirk Lantz was gracious in defeat, though he said that the conditions weren't ideal for his team.

"I was hoping today the conditions would be a little bit bigger," he said. "I think our team definitely excels in bigger surf. But you've got to hand it to Mira Costa. They are always a solid team, and today definitely favored them."

Heats were run for girls longboard, girls shortboard, boys shortboard, boys longboard, and a bodyboard division.