Special to The Maui News

The Maui Preparatory Academy surf team took advantage of its home waters and dominated the boys division at the first completed Maui Interscholastic League meet of the season Saturday at D.T. Fleming Beach Park.

The first contest was a no-go at Kahului Harbor two weeks ago due to inconsistent surf conditions, and officials substituted longboard paddling races. On Saturday, conditions at Fleming were marginal, but most competitors were able to catch their four-wave maximum in the 20-minute heats. Officials counted their two best waves.

Maui Prep won four of the five boys divisions while the other boys division went to Lahainaluna, which tied with Baldwin for second. Maui High claimed the girls title while Na Pueo girls won two divisions and tied for second with the Lunas.

“So grateful we did the contest today,” Maui Prep coach Lucho Banto said. “I know it was a tough call and small, but it was awesome. The surf was not that great but the contest was great.”

The Maui Prep campus is located two miles up the road from D.T. Fleming Beach Park.

“I’m super excited, we have a strong team. This is our home spot, there is where we train most of the time,” Banto said. “We know every single rock, and you needed to know that today.”

Banto’s son, Niko, won at boys No. 1 for his first surf contest victory ever since he began competing six years ago. The Na Pueo senior caught a wave with less than two minutes left in the final that moved him from third into the lead.

“I was just waiting out the back and was hoping the water would provide and it did,” Niko Banto said. “I got on the wave and actually my leash was wrapped around my foot so I was scared that I wouldn’t get the score. But I did a little floater and I came around and hit it and I was like, ‘That’s the score,’ so I was pretty psyched.”

“This is definitely my home break, this where we practice all the time. It was good to be able to use the home-field advantage.”

Also using the home-break advantage was Ezra Offergeld, a Maui Prep sophomore. His win in boys No. 2 was also his first-ever victory after seven years of competing.

“Definitely nice to win on our home break,” Offergeld said. “We’ve been practicing here a lot.”

The other Maui Prep winners were Pierce Armstrong (boys No. 3), Noah Richard (boys No. 4), Alyssa Condrey (girls No.4), and Rebekah Ankney (girls No. 5).

Maui High clinched its first team win when Peyton Hendrickson won girls No. 3, the last girls heat of the day. The Sabers had been trailing the Pueo and Lunas.

“This is actually her first contest,” Maui coach Jeff Balinbin said of Hendrickson. “She was worried about competing, we made her feel comfortable and she did a great job.”

“I’m really stoked, it was kind of surprising,” Hendrickson said. “I just thought I’d catch some waves and have some fun, but I also got a win.”

One girl who is used to winning is King Kekaulike’s Chrislyn Simpson-Kane, who came away with her latest victory in girls No. 1 Saturday. Last year’s MIL Surfer of the Year won her first MIL contest at Fleming last year as a freshman.

“Today was a little bit smaller than last year which made it a little bit difficult,” Simpson said. “But I still had a lot of fun, got my two waves and had fun with everyone in the water.”

The other division winners were Lahainaluna’s Jake McGill (boys No. 5) and Kamehameha Maui’s Mia Matsumoto (girls No. 2).

The next MIL surf meet will be at Koki Beach in Hana on April 1.

MIL Surf Meet No. 2

Saturday’s Results

At D.T. Fleming Beach Park

Girls

Team–1. Maui High 32, t2. Lahainaluna 30, t2. Maui Prep 30, t4. Baldwin 25, t4. Kamehameha Maui 25, 6. Haleakala Waldorf 21, 7. Kihei Charter 16, 8. Seabury Hall 15, 9. King Kekaulike 11.

No. 1–1. Chrislyn Simpson-Kane, King Kekaulike; 2. Lou Bouvet, Haleakala Waldorf; 3. Tamryn Taoka, Maui High; 4. Kaya McCord, Kihei Charter; 5. Mya Pililaau, Kamehameha Maui.

No. 2–1. Mia Matsumoto, Kamehameha Maui; 2. Helena Colletta, Seabury Hall; 3. Maile Kaaihue, Baldwin; 4. Malia Wall, Lahainaluna; 5. Talei Laury-Schaefer, Haleakala Waldorf.

No. 3–1. Peyton Hendrickson, Maui High; 2. Zenara Dattola, Kihei Charter; 3. Leni Mullen, Maui Prep; 4. Mia Kosianowski, Lahainaluna; 5. Bailee Hughes, Haleakala Waldorf.

No. 4–1. Alyssa Condrey, Maui Prep; 2. Quinnly Dan, Baldwin; 3. Cali Davenport, Kamehameha Maui; 4. Loreen Ramirez, Lahainaluna; 5. Aika Swanson, Maui High.

No. 5–1. Rebekah Ankney, Maui Prep; 2. Ka’imi Kaleleiki, Lahainaluna; 3. Marley Shea Apollo, Baldwin; 4. Ginger Hill, Maui High; 5. Sydney Brown, Seabury Hall.

Boys

Team–1. Maui Prep 52, t2. Lahainaluna 39, t2. Baldwin 39, 4. Kihei Charter 35, 5. Seabury Hall 30, 6. Kamehameha Maui 14, 7. Maui High 11, 8. King Kekaulike 9, 9. Haleakala Waldorf 7.

No. 1–1. Niko Banto, Maui Prep; 2. Rex Ang, Baldwin; 3. Blake Gebb, Seabury Hall; 4. Avery Baybayan, Lahainaluna; 5. Byron Ellis, Kihei Charter.

No. 2–1. Ezra Offergeld, Maui Prep; 2. Noah Haas, Kihei Charter; 3. Noah Dvorak, Seabury Hall; 4. Preston Armstrong, Lahainaluna; 5. Niji Wada, Maui High.

No. 3–1. Pierce Armstrong, Maui Prep; 2. Duke Stanton, Baldwin; 3. Makana Kanekoa, Lahainaluna; 4. Ozzi Reyes, Kihei Charter; 5. Max Moquin, Seabury Hall.

No. 4–1. Noah Richard, Maui Prep; 2. Jaiyah Jardin, Baldwin; 3. Sage Ryden, Seabury Hall; 4. Lavakua Haia, Lahainaluna.

No. 5–1. Jack McGill, Lahainaluna; 2. Jake Hunter, King Kekaulike; 3. Cameron Burns, Maui Prep; 4. Ayden Truong, Baldwin; 5. Brody Craig, Kihei Charter.