Watch Mira Costa High School and San Dieguito Academy go toe to toe from opening period through overtime in the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship Finals at Upper Trestles.

Video from the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship Semi-Final and Final Games held at Upper Trestles.

Semi #1 – Mira Costa High School defeats Newport Harbor High School.

Semi #2 – San San Dieguito Academy defeats Malibu High School.

The nail-biting final was decided in overtime with Mira Costa High edging out San Dieguito to take the national title.

Epic showdown between Mira Costa High School and San Dieguito Academy in the final game at Upper Trestles. The game ended in overtime with Mira Costa High taking the 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National title.

By: Jake Howard, ESPN

High school was an awkward time. I hoped I'd outgrown it, but then I went to the beach this weekend and realized that I'm more of an insecure, self-conscious kook than ever. With the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships descending upon Trestles this weekend—my regular haunt—high school surf teams from around the country poured onto the sand, set up their little cliques, paddled out, and sadly, most every kid surfed better than me—with the exception of the one girl who pearled after every top turn, I reckon I'd barely beat her out.

Why the self-loathing you ask? Well, for one, it's that the level of a lot of high school-aged surfers never ceases to amaze me.  READ MORE…

Wow! what a great weekend for High School competitive surfing!! We witnessed some of the most intense games of the year.

Here are some of my highlights:

Newport versus Satellite High with Chase Wilson looking like a WCT pro and getting the first 10 point ride in NSL High School surfing history!! With judges Damien Hobgood, Micah Byrne, Jason Bennett, and Head Judge Willy Smith, that is legit!!

Dane Zaun's clutch 9.5 in the bottom of the 3rd period of the semi's against Newport Harbor to put his team in the final showed that deep determination it takes to be a winner in "The Game" format. And then the final game that went to overtime.

Cooper Jones clutch 8.5 in the bottom of the 3rd period and J.D Lewis' super clutch last wave with 10 seconds left in the game to tie it up and take it to overtime had the whole beach buzzing.  But it was Mira Costa led by Senior and future pro surfing star Dane Zaun in O.T. that sealed the deal.

Congratulations to Mira Costa High School! They are the Red Bull Riders Cup 09 Champions and the best surfing high school in continental United States.

Next year we hope to include more high schools including Hawaii.

This season was a great success!! Thanks to all the pro surfers that helped out in every region, thanks to all the coaches, teachers, and helpers, thanks to Red Bull and all their people, Red Bull Girls for handing out trophies and hugging the groms, Thanks to Allisports.com for everything and thanks to my staff at the NSL, you guys are the best!!

Extra special thanks to Shaun Burrell for being the man!

peace and see  you all next year!!!

commissioner of NSL

Brad Gerlach

PS. Check out this video of Mira Costa pre-claiming the title after winning the South Bay regional:

The top high school surfers in the country gathered this weekend in San Clemente to compete in the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championship, bringing with them ideal weather and near-perfect waves.  With a powerful swell pouring through Upper Trestles at San Onofre Beach all weekend long, the teams were given the chance to test their mettle and show their skills in the premiere high school surfing competition. 

The eight teams – all of whom had earned their National Championship spots by dominating local rivals in Regional Championships – came from Florida, New Jersey and all up and down the Southern California coast.  The competition was fierce from the get-go, but in the end it came down to a grudge match between Mira Costa High and San Dieguito Academy that could only be settled in overtime.  When all was said and done, Mira Costa High School took the win and with it the bragging rights as 2009 Red Bull Riders Cup National Champions. 

“This was simply an amazing Championship, and exactly what the Red bull Riders Cup is all about," said Brad Gerlach, National Surf League Founder. “In the Finals we had two well-matched teams and a format that really allows the kids to show off and highlight their skills.  It had it all – drama, suspense, disappointment, exhilaration and a nail-biting finale.  This is why we do it.”

The two days of competition saw some amazing surfing, but it was the Finals and their “down to the wire” finish that really had everyone talking.  In the first period of the Finals Mira Costa won the coin toss and decided to surf first, taking to the water in clean conditions with 4-6 foot waves.  Mira Costa got off to a solid start, led by a period high score of 7.5 by Dayton Silva.  But San Dieguito responded in kind, with an overall strong team showing, taking the lead and leaving Mira Costa trailing at the end of the first period, 24.5 to 25 points.

In the second period, Mira Costa dominated with great rides that put up high scores across the board.  Due to some missed opportunities, San Dieguito was unable to hold their lead, and ended up trailing by 2 points.  As the third period began, Mira Costa made their intentions known from the get go, with Dane Zaun posting an amazing 8.5 ride.  Unfortunately, the rest of the team was unable to score higher than a 6.5, leaving the door just slightly open for San Dieguito to make a comeback.  The pressure was on, as San Dieguito was faced with the daunting task of needing 27 points to win – an average of 6.5 -7.0 rides for each surfer.  With only 4 minutes left, it looked like it was over as San Dieguito hadn’t scored nearly enough points and needed a miracle to win.  But the miracle came – in the form of a four wave set – and with every rider scoring strong points, the team was able to earn a tie, taking them to overtime.

Overtime saw Mira Costa supply excellent performances from all surfers, but it was an 8.5 score from Dane Zaun that really delivered, pushing their total to 24 points – 98 overall.  San Dieguito was once again faced with a hard task, needing 25 points. They got off to a rough start, with multiple surfers going down in early waves.  With little time remaining, the set they needed once again came rolling in and the crowd waited anxiously to see if they could pull off another miracle.  Unfortunately, this time it was not to be, as the miracle fell short, with the final score:  Mira Costa -98, San Dieguito – 96.

“This was definitely the best surfing event I’ve ever participated in,” said Mira Costa High MVP Dane Zaun. "The waves were near perfect, and we worked really hard for this win, surfing two games today plus the overtime.  This was a team effort, and I’m so proud we were all able to hold it together to snatch victory”

“This was our year,” says Mira Costa coach Joe Lederer.  “I just had a gut feeling going into it.  These are an amazing group of kids who really came together and gave an amazing performance out there.  I may have coached the games, but they are definitely the ones that deserve all the credit.”

FINAL SCORES

Mira Costa High was the first to book a spot in the regional finals with a win over Redondo Union High during an early morning matchup on Wednesday.  But as the day progressed, so did bad weather, and the high winds caused the afternoon qualifier, the game between Palisades Charter High and Palos Verdes High, to be postponed.  Mira Costa High was left eagerly awaiting word on who they would face in Thursday’s regional finals.

With the weather finally cooperating, Palos Verdes High put in a strong performance and beat Palisades Charter High in their delayed qualifier on Thursday.  But fresh off their victory, the team has forced to head right back into the water for the regional final against the powerful Mira Costa High.  The difference between the two finalist teams was clear from the team introductions, with the more mature Mira Costa High team towering over Palos Verdes High and showcasing a clear advantage in both height and strength.  Mira Costa High won the coin toss and elected to surf first in choppy, waist to chest high waves.

Mira Costa High declared their intentions from the outset of the first period, making the most of tough conditions and posting a very high total of 28 points, the strong team performance highlighted by a solid 8.0 ride from Brent Bowen.

In contrast, Palos Verdes High struggled to back up their solid qualifier form, and with no team members scoring higher than 2.5 points, could only manage a first period total of 8.5 points.  This set the stage for one of the biggest defeats in Red Bull Riders Cup history.  With Mira Costa High going into the top of the second period with such a large lead, their confidence only grew, and the team let loose, continuing to post solid scores despite the deteriorating conditions.  Palos Verdes High found themselves clearly outgunned, and could not catch a break in the second period, only managing to equal their first period total of 8.5 points. 

With the game all but over at the start of the third and final period, Mira Costa High again upped their game, posting good scores and putting on a show with some crowd pleasing aerials.  By the time they were done they had shut the door on Palos Verdes, leading by an astonishing 50 points and making it mathematically impossible for Palos Verdes to win.  Even in the face of certain defeat, the brave Palos Verdes team still paddled out for their third period and put together their best period of the finals, earning a score of 18 points.   

After such a convincing win, Mira Costa coach Joe Lederer had this to say, “I’m really proud of these guys, they came out today and did well in these conditions, they made it look great out there and we’re really looking forward to going to Upper Trestles and being a serious competitor this year.”

With such a solid team performance and all surfers contributing greatly, it was tough to pick an MVP.  Kelly Zaun just slightly beat out older brother Dane for the honor. “I’m really stoked, I didn’t expect to get such high scores today.  Everyone surfed so well, we were much more of a team than last year,” said the MVP.  He added that a team lead by the Zaun brothers was going to be tough to beat in the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships on June 6-7. 

Scores (click to enlarge)