Margaret River Senior High School surf squad chasing epic 18th consecutive State title this weekend

Margaret River Senior High School surf squad will be seeing if they can do it again — snatch the State school surf titles for the 18th year in a row. While 26 high school teams will compete at Trigg starting Friday, August 25, the truth is there’s only one team to watch. MRSHS’ dominance at the annual titles was already well-known several years back. The surfing extravaganza comes after 10 regional and metropolitan qualifying rounds, including heads at Gracetown and Yallingup. The MRSHS squad boasts sisters Olive and Willow Hardy, Kaleisha Launders and Ruby Berry, boys Ace and Macklin Flynn, Reef Lange, Sid Englert and bodyboarders Max Ghiretti and Flynn Howarth, among others. The top-placed surfing teams from the State final will represent WA and their school at the Australian Junior Surfing Titles on Phillip Island, Victoria later this year where they’ll face off against the best surfing schools from across the country, Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks said. “Over 50 regional and metropolitan high schools have nominated a total of 388 teams this year and we’ve seen some new schools’ taking part and unearthed some exciting new talent in the process,” he said. “Most events have enjoyed some great winter conditions, with fun waves and good vibes on offer for the students.” Majeks described MRSHS as a team “dripping in talent and hungry for success”. “MRSHS will be out for a record 18th consecutive champion school title when competition gets under way at Trigg Beach,” he said. “Despite Margaret River’s dominance, there are plenty of regional and metro schools tipped to challenge them this year, as schools throughout WA have developed strong surf programs through their physical and outdoor education departments.” As well as the national titles, the State school finals were considered a stepping stone for many up-and-coming juniors.