They spent six full days out of the water during this week of no waves at the Reef Hawaiian Pro, but the Round of 32 finally got underway Saturday. In the first jewel of the annual Vans Triple Crown of
They spent six full days out of the water during this week of no waves at the Reef Hawaiian Pro, but the Round of 32 finally got underway Saturday. In the first jewel of the annual Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, event organizers extended the official waiting period by a day to line up with an incoming Haleiwa swell and plan to finish the competition today.
Surfers got the call Saturday morning and the Round of 32 had a noon start time, just as the bumps began rippling in on the North Shore of Oahu. While waves were just waist high at about two to three feet, there were consistent opportunities to score and advance. The first heat of the day featured Kilauea’s Dylan Goodale, who had reached that point with a pair of heat wins and one runner-up finish last week. Saturday did not provide Goodale with the necessary result to move into the Round of 16, as he ended up in third place.
Haleiwa local Freddy Patacchia was the winner in that opening heat, totaling 10 waves, which included an 8.00 and a 7.43 for a 15.43 total. Spain’s Aritz Aranburu advanced in second place with a 13.60. Goodale came up short with a 12.00 total and World Championship Tour Rookie of the Year Nat Young was also out in fourth place (11.50).
France’s Jeremy Flores won the day’s second heat on a 14.03 total, advancing through with one Gudauskas brother, but not two. Both Tanner and Patrick Gudauskas competed in that heat, though it was Patrick (12.93) who made it through in second ahead of Tanner (12.50) in third. Ramzi Boukhiam was also eliminated in fourth.
Hanalei’s Evan Valiere and WCT competitor Sebastian Zietz, of Kilauea, were both set to paddle out in the Round of 32. Their Saturday results were unavailable as of press time.
Zietz is the defending Triple Crown champion, which began with a win at Haleiwa last year. Valiere came into this event on the heels of a third-place finish at the Hawaiian Island Creations Pro at Sunset Beach.
The final day of action will be today, with the Surfline.com forecast showing big waves to showcase these surfers’ abilities.
Familiar finish
for UH in thriller
For the second straight week, the University of Hawaii football team went to overtime with a fellow Mountain West opponent. And for the second straight week, the Warriors walked away still looking for their first victory of the season.
UH lost a thriller in Laramie, falling 59-56 to the Wyoming Cowboys (5-6, 3-4 Mountain West) as Stuart Williams kicked the game-winning field goal on the Cowboys’ first possession of overtime. Hawaii had the first possession of the extra period, but failed to put points on the board.
The loss drops UH to 0-11 on the season and 0-8 in conference play. The team’s final chance at a victory will be in the season finale, Saturday at home against Army (6 p.m. HT, Aloha Stadium).
Quarterback Sean Schroeder certainly did all he could, finishing with 499 passing yards and six touchdowns with just one interception. His favorite target all season was again the team’s biggest weapon, with receiver Chris Gant catching eight passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Joey Iosefa rushed 24 times for 91 yards and a pair of scores.
Wyoming quarterback Brett Smith lit up the UH secondary for 498 pass yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Robert Herron hauled in 11 receptions for 141 yards and four touchdowns.
Down 56-48, the Warriors had gotten the game into overtime with a 75-yard drive that netted a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion with just 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the momentum was not enough to net a result, with UH failing to convert a 4th and 1 from the 4-yard line in its first OT possession.
• ‘My Thoughts Exactly’ appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in The Garden Island. Email David Simon your comments or questions to dsimon@thegardenisland.com. Follow David on Twitter @SimonTGI
