Reyes edges rival, friend, Byrne, for Open Mens title

In a hotly contested season-long race between long time rivals and

friends, Tim Reyes edged out Micah Byrne to win the National Scholastic

Surfing Association’s 1999-2000 Southwest Open Men’s overall title.

The NSSA office released the final ratings for the six Southwest

Conference divisions on Wednesday.

Reyes, a senior at Edison High, finished the 10-event season with 10,350

points in the Open Mens Division. Byrne, a senior at Huntington Beach

High, was in second place with 9,820 points, and just did beat out

third-place Anthony Petruso, who earned 9,733 points.

The race between the three surfers -- considered to be three of the

hottest teenage surfers in the nation, turned out to be one of the

division’s most thrilling ever, and the difference between first and

third place was minimal.

Reyes secured the division title by scoring 2,000 points in the 10th and

final event of the season held Wednesday morning. Petruso scored 1,340

points during the competition, but Byrne lost out on first place by

scoring just 760 points during the event.

The 2,000 points were the most Reyes, who won every preliminary round

heat during the weekend, had earned in a single event during the 10-week

competition.

Byrne’s title chances were dealt a severe blow when he was upset in the

first round of the 10th event of the season, held last Saturday and

Sunday at 9th Street in Huntington Beach, a surf spot best known as “Taco

Bell Reef.”

Reyes, 17, has joined an elite group of past Southwest Open Mens

champions including Rob Machado, Pat O’Connell, Tom Curren, Mike Parsons,

and Scott Farnsworth.

The win was the second major title for Reyes in the past month. In April,

he won the NSSA High School State title, and will attempt to make it a

three title sweep this weekend by winning the Explorer event at 54th

Street in Newport Beach.

Other ratings champions crowned Wednesday included Holly Beck (San Diego)

in Open Womens, Dane Reynolds (Ventura) in Open Juniors, Jensen Hassett

(Del Mar) in Open Boys, Chas Chidester (Seal Beach) in Open Mini-Grom,

and Rusty Friesen (Carlsbad) in Open Bodyboard.

Winning an Open Season title is considered the highest honor in the NSSA,

said Janice Aragon of the NSSA.