×

Neer, Johnston each sweep league titles

PAIA – Klyde Neer of Hana High School and Sophia Johnston of Maui Prep swept the boys and girls shortboard and bodyboard titles at the Maui Interscholastic League surfing championships Saturday at Hookipa Beach Park.

Johnston also led Na Pueo to the girls team title, giving the school its first MIL team championship in any sport. Lahainaluna won the boys team crown.

“Winning MIL has been our plan the whole season,” Johnston said. “I tried to rally up some of my buddies by telling them, ‘This could be our first-ever MIL championship.’ “

Jessica Kingwell, Alexa Narayan, Layla Nabavi and Emma Scott formed the rest of Maui Prep’s team.

“It’s really exciting to see surfing take off with Sophia Johnston’s leadership,” said Na Pueo coach Andrew O’Riordan. “She’s the key. She calls her girls ‘the grasshoppers.’ She talks heat strategy and makes sure they come to practice.”

Johnston won the shortboard title in all four MIL events this year, and finished first in bodyboard three times. Saturday’s shortboard win may have been the most surprising – King Kekaulike’s Ginger Prados was the defending champion, and Hookipa is her home break.

“I would never have imagined beating them (Ginger and her sister Amber Prados) at all,” Johnston said. “They’re really nice competitors, never aggro.

“I really felt tired because I had six heats, a new record for me,” Johnston said. “I did catch one of my best waves ever laying down, I did an ‘el rollo’ and then a 360.”

Neer competed in eight heats. In back-to-back heats in the shortboard and bodyboard finals, teammate Zac Newton exchanged boards with Neer in the water.

“It was fun, getting more time in the water,” said Neer, who also finished an unbeaten bodyboard season, and won his second shortboard title. “I feel good, but kind of tired. I was tired before my semifinals, I was already yawning.”

The Lahainaluna boys were led by Kala Willard’s runner-up finish in shortboard and Abraham Olea placing fourth in bodyboard. Cyan Clark made the semifinals in shortboard and Justice Jacinto did the same in bodyboard.

Lahainaluna coach Luke Adolfson said the team title was a surprise.

“It was shocking,” he said. “It was a lot of hard work and it paid off.”

_______________

MIL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saturday’s Results

At Hookipa Beach Park

Boys

Team scores-1. Lahainaluna 3,915, 2. Baldwin 3,476, 3. Hana 3,365, 4. Seabury Hall 2,776, 5. Maui Prep 2,631, 6. Maui High 1,858, 7. Haleakala Waldorf 1,128, 8. King Kekaulike 810.

Shortboard-1. Klyde Neer, Hana; 2. Kala Willard, Lahainaluna; 3. Kainoa Shannon, Baldwin; 4. Dante Silva, Maui Prep; 5t. Ridge Lenny, Seabury Hall; 5t. Conan Gentil, Seabury Hall; 7t. Zac Newton, Hana; 7t. Cyan Clark, Lahainaluna.

Bodyboard-1. Klyde Neer, Hana; 2. Maverick Donahue, Baldwin; 3. Analu Amadeo, King Kekaulike; 4. Abraham Olea, Lahainaluna; 5t. Justice Jacinto, Lahainaluna; 5t. Ernesto Sanchez, Baldwin; 7t. Dante Silva, Maui Prep; 7t. Per Guiterrez, Baldwin.

* * *

Girls

Team scores-1. Maui Prep 4,894, 2. Seabury Hall 4,484, 3. King Kekaulike 2,439, 4. Baldwin 1,574, 5. Hana 1,312.

Shortboard-1. Sophia Johnston, Maui Prep; 2. Skyler Lickle, Seabury Hall; 3. Isabella Pickering, Seabury Hall; 4. Morgan Armitage, King Kekaulike; 5t. Leyla Anderson, Baldwin; 5t. Quoya Vasquez, Hana; 7t. Jessica Kingwell, Maui Prep; 7t. Paulina Tremble, Seabury Hall.

Bodyboard-1. Sophia Johnston, Maui Prep; 2. Ginger Prados, King Kekaulike; 3. Amber Prados, King Kekaulike; 4. Jessica Kingwell, Maui Prep; 5t. Quoya Vasquez, Hana; 5t. Storm Markham, Seabury Hall; 7t. Leyla Anderson, Baldwin; 7t. Skyler Lickle, Maui Prep.

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today