TIME FOR STATE

By Brandon Petersen

Forced to pivot from its originally scheduled stop in Santa Cruz due to heavy rain, Westcliff Surf didn't miss a beat, grinding through challenging conditions to secure a runner-up finish at NSSA Collegiate Surf Event No. 5 at Ninth Street in Huntington Beach last weekend.

The Warriors' Gold squad totaled 146 points to place second out of 22 teams, trailing only Point Loma (177), while UC San Diego finished third (105). Westcliff's Blue squad added depth with a 13th-place finish, highlighting the program's continued growth across multiple entries.

Competing in small, demanding 1–3-foot beach break peaks (thanks, HB), the Warriors relied on discipline and positivity – and a few hops – to navigate a weekend defined more by patience and execution than power surfing.

"It was really tough conditions – pretty much as small as it gets," head coach Lucas Taub said. "But the team stuck together, stayed positive throughout the whole week and weekend, and they really grinded it out. I'm super proud of them."

Westcliff opened strong through the early rounds before absorbing a few narrow losses in both the men's and women's brackets.

Despite the setbacks, the Warriors maintained consistency throughout the event — a hallmark of a regular season in which they did not finish outside the top two in any competition, a first in program history.

Among the standout performances was Jordy Collins, who continued his dominant run by reaching yet another final – his fourth in five events this season – to finish second overall.

"He's a machine," Taub said. "Making another final like that just shows the level he's surfing at right now."

Poakalani Rangel, Westcliff's first Hawaiian surfer, also delivered a breakthrough performance in the women's shortboard division, advancing deep into the bracket in just her second event with the program.

"She's been an awesome addition to this team," Taub said. "That was really cool to see."

Taylor Stacy stood on yet another podium made of sand on Sunday, after finishing off a second-place day, and Jacob Hardy also showed up huge for the Dubs once again, this time taking fourth overall in the longboard.

While Point Loma edged Westcliff in the regular-season standings, the Warriors' focus now shifts to the postseason, where previous results carry little weight.

"Nothing matters now," Taub said. "It's all dependent on state this week. We're going to have a few practices, tune up, and everyone's super fired up. We're coming for that state title."

Westcliff finished fourth at last year's state championship, after winning it a year prior, and enters this week's competition looking to convert a historic regular season into yet another championship run.

The NSSA California State Championships will go down this Saturday and Sunday in Cardiff by the Sea.

If you want to join us, Seaside Reef is located at 2504 S Coast Hwy 101, Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007. Just pop that in Maps and show up with a few bucks for parking.

Bring your lawn chairs, your Dubs gear, and be loud.

We'll see you there, groms!