Byrne takes Open Mens title

Huntington Beach High’s Micah Byrne began his National Scholastic

Surfing Association Southwest Conference season opener with a big win as

he turned back a large and competitive field to capture the Open Mens

Division (16 and up) Wednesday at Salt Creek in Dana Point.

Battling 2-4 foot waves with heavy rights off point and a Open

Mens field that contained 72 contestants, Byrne won the third of 18 Round

One heats on the day, finished second to Che Stang in the fifth of nine

Round Two heats, then came back to win his Round 3 heat, where he edged

Edison senior Tim Reyes, who finished in second place.

Byrne won his three-man quarterfinal heat, and again beat Reyes

and Dylan Slater to win the first of two semifinal heats.

John Robertson of San Clemente finished second overall to Byrne,

while Ventura’s Slater placed third, and Anthony Petruso of Malibu was

fourth.

Reyes won both his Round One and Two heats before finishing second

to Byrne in Round Three, then bounced back to win his quarterfinal heat,

finishing a spot ahead of Robertson.

Another local to win his division was Seal Beach’s Chas Chidester,

who took the Open Mini Groms (10 and under).

Chidester won all three of his heats while his brother, Peyton

Chidester, also of Seal Beach, won one of his three heats and finished

third overall.

Seal Beach was also well represented in the Open Boys Division (12

and under) as Chris Waring won both his Round One and quarterfinal heats,

before placing second in the first of two semifinal heats.

Waring went on to a third-place finish in the division, which was

won by San Clemente’s Tanner Gudauskas.

San Clemente’s Andrew Gahan won the Open Juniors Division (13-15)

and Aaron Ekinaka of San Diego took the Open Bodyboard Division (all

ages).