Sports
JCHS swimming teams take first
The Jackson County High School swimming program earned a sweep Saturday (Jan. 4) at the Cherokee Bluff “Brave the Bear” Invitational at Gainesville’s Frances Meadows Aquatic Center. The girls team tallied 258 points to beat Loganville (247), North Hall (226) and Flowery Branch (203). 4


Sports
High school beach volleyball: Southern Section girls’ playoff results and updated pairings
SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS TUESDAY’S RESULTS QUARTERFINALS DIVISION 1 Mira Costa 4, Edison 1 Los Alamitos 4, Santa Margarita 1 Redondo Union 4, San Marcos 1 JSerra 5, San Juan Hills 0 DIVISION 2 South Torrance 3, Crean Lutheran 2 Millikan 3, San Clemente 2 Capistrano Valley Christian 3, El Segundo 2 Santa […]

SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL PLAYOFFS
TUESDAY’S RESULTS
QUARTERFINALS
DIVISION 1
Mira Costa 4, Edison 1
Los Alamitos 4, Santa Margarita 1
Redondo Union 4, San Marcos 1
JSerra 5, San Juan Hills 0
DIVISION 2
South Torrance 3, Crean Lutheran 2
Millikan 3, San Clemente 2
Capistrano Valley Christian 3, El Segundo 2
Santa Barbara vs. Long Beach Wilson, today at 3 p.m. at Santa Barbara East Beach
DIVISION 3
Campbell Hall 3, Warren 2
Anaheim Canyon 4, Capistrano Valley 1
Long Beach Poly 3, Laguna Blanca 2
Linfield Christian 4, Laguna Hills 1
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
(All matches at 2 p.m. unless noted)
SEMIFINALS
DIVISION 1
Los Alamitos at Mira Costa
Redondo Union at JSerra
DIVISION 2
South Torrance at Millikan
Capistrano Valley Christian vs. Santa Barbara/LB Wilson
DIVISION 3
Campbell Hall at Anaheim Canyon
Long Beach Poly at Linfield Christian
Note: Finals in all divisions Saturday at Long Beach City College.
Sports
WT Track & Field Set to Defend Their LSC Crowns in Portales
Story Links CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M makes the short trip to Portales, New Mexico this weekend as they look to defend their titles at the 2025 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Al Whitehead Field at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium. The Buffs are ranked […]

CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M makes the short trip to Portales, New Mexico this weekend as they look to defend their titles at the 2025 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships being held at Al Whitehead Field at Steve Loy Family Foundation Stadium.
The Buffs are ranked second in this week’s USTFCCCA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Rating Index while the Lady Buffs enter the weekend ranked third.
West Texas A&M enters the LSC Championships as the reigning title holders, the Buffs have won four-straight outdoor crowns (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) while the Lady Buffs have claimed the last four LSC Titles as well (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).
Participating Men’s Teams (11): Angelo State, Cameron, DBU, Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward’s, Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Tyler, West Texas A&M, Western New Mexico.
Participating Women’s Teams (12): Angelo State, Cameron, DBU, Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, Midwestern State, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward’s, Texas A&M-Kingsville, UT Tyler, West Texas A&M and Western New Mexico.
Scoring: In the championships meet regardless of the number of teams, official team scores shall be kept and recorded as follows: (8 scoring) Individual Events: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, Relay Events: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.
LSC Record Book: To see the LSC Outdoor Track and Field all-time records, click here.
Medals: Individual medals will be awarded in first, second and third places for each event conducted at the LSC Championships Meet, including medals to each member of teams placing in the Distance Medley and 1,600-meter relays.
All-Conference Team: The all-conference first team shall consist of event winners, including all members of the winning relay teams, and athletes scoring 14 or more points at the Conference Championships Meet. The all-conference second team shall consist of all members of second-place relay teams and athletes scoring 8-13.9 points. The all-conference third team shall consist of all members of third-place relay teams athletes scoring 6-7.9 points. Individual awards shall include Outstanding Male and Female Track Athlete, Outstanding Male and Female Field Athlete and Coach of the Year for both men and women.
ADMISSION
Tickets can be purchased online here.
Single Day (Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3):
Adult: $10 / Youth: $8
Weekend Pass:
Adult: $25 / Youth: $15
Sports
Final Seeding Data for the Boys Volleyball Postseason (2025)
Story Links The final seeding data used to seed the 2025 CHSAA Boys Volleyball Regional Tournaments is below. This data reflects the final output of the CHSAA Seeding Index of the regular season. The regional tournament brackets are due to be released on Wednesday, May 7. 2025 CHSAA Boys Volleyball Seeding Data […]
The final seeding data used to seed the 2025 CHSAA Boys Volleyball Regional Tournaments is below. This data reflects the final output of the CHSAA Seeding Index of the regular season.
The regional tournament brackets are due to be released on Wednesday, May 7.
2025 CHSAA Boys Volleyball Seeding Data
Rank | School | Wins | Losses | Ties | MP Rating | RPI Rating | Normalized MP | Normalized RPI | Normalized Avg. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Littleton Public Schools | 22 | 1 | 0 | 27.391600 | 0.710616 | 1.000000 | 1.000000 | 1.000000 |
2 | Mountain Vista | 21 | 2 | 0 | 24.388600 | 0.680486 | 0.920758 | 0.908195 | 0.914476 |
3 | Eaglecrest | 19 | 4 | 0 | 23.740900 | 0.679160 | 0.903667 | 0.904155 | 0.903911 |
4 | Legacy | 19 | 3 | 0 | 22.685100 | 0.672218 | 0.875807 | 0.883002 | 0.879405 |
5 | Poudre | 19 | 4 | 0 | 19.946300 | 0.648352 | 0.803536 | 0.810284 | 0.806910 |
6 | Castle View | 17 | 6 | 0 | 17.859000 | 0.623217 | 0.748458 | 0.733698 | 0.741078 |
7 | Fossil Ridge | 18 | 5 | 0 | 17.046100 | 0.628373 | 0.727007 | 0.749408 | 0.738208 |
8 | Grandview | 17 | 6 | 0 | 17.464000 | 0.622610 | 0.738035 | 0.731848 | 0.734941 |
9 | Douglas County | 17 | 5 | 0 | 17.060400 | 0.618736 | 0.727385 | 0.720044 | 0.723715 |
10 | Discovery Canyon | 18 | 4 | 0 | 15.019000 | 0.608292 | 0.673517 | 0.688222 | 0.680869 |
11 | Valor Christian | 14 | 8 | 0 | 14.686100 | 0.607415 | 0.664732 | 0.685550 | 0.675141 |
12 | Niwot | 14 | 9 | 0 | 15.481400 | 0.599265 | 0.685719 | 0.660717 | 0.673218 |
13 | Arvada West | 15 | 8 | 0 | 14.685000 | 0.595443 | 0.664703 | 0.649071 | 0.656887 |
14 | Coronado | 19 | 4 | 0 | 13.996600 | 0.593317 | 0.646538 | 0.642594 | 0.644566 |
15 | Cheyenne Mountain | 17 | 6 | 0 | 13.098300 | 0.589915 | 0.622834 | 0.632228 | 0.627531 |
16 | Chaparral | 12 | 11 | 0 | 9.811300 | 0.557886 | 0.536098 | 0.534636 | 0.535367 |
17 | Denver East | 12 | 10 | 0 | 8.591200 | 0.562538 | 0.503903 | 0.548811 | 0.526357 |
18 | Cherokee Trail | 10 | 13 | 0 | 9.117800 | 0.548379 | 0.517798 | 0.505669 | 0.511734 |
19 | Rampart | 12 | 11 | 0 | 8.967900 | 0.548613 | 0.513843 | 0.506382 | 0.510112 |
20 | Cherry Creek | 11 | 12 | 0 | 8.825800 | 0.546543 | 0.510093 | 0.500075 | 0.505084 |
21 | Overland | 15 | 8 | 0 | 7.895900 | 0.551838 | 0.485555 | 0.516208 | 0.500882 |
22 | Thomas Jefferson | 14 | 9 | 0 | 7.751200 | 0.549193 | 0.481737 | 0.508149 | 0.494943 |
23 | Legend | 11 | 11 | 0 | 7.766500 | 0.536229 | 0.482141 | 0.468648 | 0.475395 |
24 | Regis Jesuit | 11 | 12 | 0 | 7.692600 | 0.529195 | 0.480191 | 0.447216 | 0.463703 |
25 | Bear Creek | 9 | 13 | 0 | 6.785400 | 0.530234 | 0.456252 | 0.450382 | 0.453317 |
26 | Vista PEAK Prep | 12 | 11 | 0 | 5.662700 | 0.538434 | 0.426627 | 0.475367 | 0.450997 |
27 | Riverdale Ridge | 13 | 10 | 0 | 6.207900 | 0.530258 | 0.441013 | 0.450455 | 0.445734 |
28 | ThunderRidge | 10 | 12 | 0 | 6.947800 | 0.515852 | 0.460537 | 0.406560 | 0.433549 |
29 | Centaurus | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5.861600 | 0.520770 | 0.431875 | 0.421545 | 0.426710 |
30 | Denver South | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3.677100 | 0.512376 | 0.374231 | 0.395969 | 0.385100 |
31 | Rangeview | 11 | 12 | 0 | 2.145900 | 0.512608 | 0.333827 | 0.396676 | 0.365251 |
32 | Fountain-Fort Carson | 9 | 14 | 0 | 1.402900 | 0.490009 | 0.314221 | 0.327817 | 0.321019 |
33 | Sand Creek | 10 | 13 | 0 | 1.290000 | 0.484625 | 0.311242 | 0.311412 | 0.311327 |
34 | Ponderosa | 6 | 16 | 0 | 0.568300 | 0.473325 | 0.292198 | 0.276982 | 0.284590 |
35 | Rock Canyon | 6 | 15 | 0 | -0.421600 | 0.466057 | 0.266077 | 0.254836 | 0.260456 |
36 | Boulder | 8 | 14 | 0 | -1.393500 | 0.466079 | 0.240431 | 0.254903 | 0.247667 |
37 | George Washington | 6 | 14 | 0 | -4.353900 | 0.457993 | 0.162313 | 0.230266 | 0.196289 |
38 | Greeley Central | 4 | 18 | 0 | -4.683900 | 0.439518 | 0.153605 | 0.173973 | 0.163789 |
39 | Westminster | 8 | 14 | 0 | -5.256200 | 0.431809 | 0.138503 | 0.150484 | 0.144493 |
40 | Highlands Ranch | 2 | 18 | 0 | -7.720600 | 0.399568 | 0.073474 | 0.052246 | 0.062860 |
41 | Doherty | 4 | 19 | 0 | -8.529200 | 0.390668 | 0.052137 | 0.025128 | 0.038632 |
42 | Mesa Ridge | 4 | 19 | 0 | -9.052200 | 0.389057 | 0.038336 | 0.020220 | 0.029278 |
43 | Pomona | 1 | 20 | 0 | -10.505000 | 0.382421 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Rank | School | Wins | Losses | Ties | MP Rating | RPI Rating | Normalized MP | Normalized RPI | Normalized Avg. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Regis Groff | 20 | 3 | 0 | 18.198800 | 0.631951 | 1.000000 | 1.000000 | 1.000000 |
2 | D’Evelyn | 20 | 3 | 0 | 12.603900 | 0.623085 | 0.868355 | 0.975165 | 0.921760 |
3 | Pueblo South | 18 | 5 | 0 | 11.327200 | 0.580625 | 0.838315 | 0.856231 | 0.847273 |
4 | DSST: College View | 17 | 6 | 0 | 8.536900 | 0.579465 | 0.772660 | 0.852982 | 0.812821 |
5 | Severance | 17 | 6 | 0 | 6.952200 | 0.559783 | 0.735373 | 0.797850 | 0.766612 |
6 | Denver Waldorf | 13 | 4 | 0 | 4.850700 | 0.573167 | 0.685926 | 0.835340 | 0.760633 |
7 | Stargate School | 16 | 5 | 0 | 5.677700 | 0.548350 | 0.705384 | 0.765825 | 0.735605 |
8 | Colorado Springs Christian | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2.557400 | 0.514261 | 0.631965 | 0.670339 | 0.651152 |
9 | Lutheran | 10 | 11 | 0 | 2.647200 | 0.500897 | 0.634078 | 0.632905 | 0.633492 |
10 | Vail Christian | 9 | 9 | 0 | -0.442200 | 0.505093 | 0.561386 | 0.644658 | 0.603022 |
11 | Mountain View | 13 | 10 | 0 | -1.434600 | 0.478294 | 0.538035 | 0.569592 | 0.553814 |
12 | Mullen | 6 | 17 | 0 | -0.796000 | 0.472524 | 0.553061 | 0.553430 | 0.553245 |
13 | Aurora West College Prep Academy | 12 | 8 | 0 | -3.984500 | 0.476851 | 0.478038 | 0.565550 | 0.521794 |
14 | DSST: Cedar | 13 | 8 | 0 | -4.433600 | 0.479843 | 0.467470 | 0.573931 | 0.520701 |
15 | KIPP Denver Collegiate | 13 | 5 | 0 | -4.488200 | 0.473330 | 0.466186 | 0.555687 | 0.510936 |
16 | Eagle Ridge Academy | 10 | 12 | 0 | -4.750800 | 0.459980 | 0.460007 | 0.518293 | 0.489150 |
17 | Campion Academy | 5 | 3 | 0 | -6.701200 | 0.475117 | 0.414115 | 0.560693 | 0.487404 |
18 | The Vanguard School | 10 | 13 | 0 | -3.894000 | 0.451498 | 0.480167 | 0.494534 | 0.487350 |
19 | Canon City | 11 | 11 | 0 | -4.435200 | 0.449105 | 0.467433 | 0.487831 | 0.477632 |
20 | Hinkley | 9 | 14 | 0 | -6.163700 | 0.442482 | 0.426762 | 0.469279 | 0.448020 |
21 | Alameda | 8 | 11 | 0 | -8.746500 | 0.443303 | 0.365990 | 0.471579 | 0.418784 |
22 | Windsor Charter Academy | 8 | 10 | 0 | -8.108300 | 0.426313 | 0.381006 | 0.423988 | 0.402497 |
23 | Gateway | 10 | 13 | 0 | -8.289400 | 0.426345 | 0.376745 | 0.424078 | 0.400411 |
24 | DSST: Conservatory Green | 11 | 12 | 0 | -9.467400 | 0.435270 | 0.349028 | 0.449077 | 0.399052 |
25 | Thomas MacLaren School | 10 | 9 | 0 | -8.129700 | 0.422404 | 0.380503 | 0.413039 | 0.396771 |
26 | Forge Christian | 7 | 16 | 0 | -9.391700 | 0.410051 | 0.350809 | 0.378437 | 0.364623 |
27 | Kennedy | 9 | 12 | 0 | -12.121200 | 0.413226 | 0.286585 | 0.387330 | 0.336957 |
28 | Manual | 7 | 11 | 0 | -12.248600 | 0.406344 | 0.283587 | 0.368053 | 0.325820 |
29 | Fort Lupton | 4 | 18 | 0 | -12.185100 | 0.385951 | 0.285081 | 0.310930 | 0.298006 |
30 | James Irwin | 6 | 14 | 0 | -12.432200 | 0.385300 | 0.279267 | 0.309107 | 0.294187 |
31 | Addenbrooke Classical Academy | 4 | 19 | 0 | -16.160000 | 0.375432 | 0.191554 | 0.281465 | 0.236510 |
32 | DMLK | 5 | 11 | 0 | -16.981500 | 0.358157 | 0.172224 | 0.233076 | 0.202650 |
33 | STEM School Highlands Ranch | 2 | 17 | 0 | -19.114300 | 0.336943 | 0.122041 | 0.173654 | 0.147847 |
34 | Arrupe Jesuit | 3 | 20 | 0 | -19.499100 | 0.340074 | 0.112986 | 0.182424 | 0.147705 |
35 | Denver West | 3 | 20 | 0 | -22.080200 | 0.325366 | 0.052254 | 0.141226 | 0.096740 |
36 | Fountain Valley | 1 | 10 | 0 | -20.274400 | 0.308051 | 0.094744 | 0.092725 | 0.093734 |
37 | Lincoln | 1 | 17 | 0 | -21.955900 | 0.313156 | 0.055179 | 0.107024 | 0.081102 |
38 | Rocky Mountain Prep SMART | 2 | 16 | 0 | -24.301000 | 0.305884 | 0.000000 | 0.086655 | 0.043327 |
39 | Atlas Preparatory School | 1 | 12 | 0 | -23.020500 | 0.274951 | 0.030130 | 0.000008 | 0.015069 |
40 | Lotus School For Excellence | 0 | 8 | 0 | -23.421400 | 0.274948 | 0.020697 | 0.000000 | 0.010348 |
Sports
USA Beach Volleyball Appoints Olympic Gold Medalist April Ross to Head of Coaching
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O’Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women’s sports headlines. This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew makes some room on the couch for JWS’s own social […]

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!
Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O’Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women’s sports headlines.
This week, the Sports Are Fun! crew makes some room on the couch for JWS’s own social media guru, Gab Basinski. Together, the hosts then tackle a range of women’s sports subjects, including how NIL deals and the NCAA transfer portal are reshaping the college basketball landscape.
“The NCAA transfer portal closed last Wednesday, which had over 1,500 players enter,” opens O’Hara. “So many moves here, but just to highlight a few: Olivia Miles to TCU, Ta’Niya Latson to South Carolina, UCLA lost their entire freshman class, and Londynn Jones to USC, and finally, MiLaysia Fulwiley to LSU.”
“Of all DI players, almost 30% of players were in the portal,” says Basinski. “That’s insane.”
“I have so many questions and thoughts,” O’Hara says.
In addition to all those NCAA basketball thoughts, Sports Are Fun! also dives into NWSL rivalries, the crew’s growing beef with the KC Current, PWHL expansion, Caitlin Clark jersey sales, and so much more!
‘Sports Are Fun!’ asks if NIL is taking the fun out of NCAA basketball
Then, Sports Are Fun turned to coaching. The headline? Angel City bringing on new manager Alexander Straus from Germany’s Bayern Munich.
“First of all, I think it’s a cardinal sin — and that is pun intended — to transfer to a rival,” O’Hara says. “Is that not a thing anymore? I could never, as a Stanford player, go to a UCLA or a USC. Absolutely not.”
“When there’s money involved, it’s not it’s not personal. It’s business, baby,” reasons Diaz. “We’re seeing a Londynn Jones go from UCLA literally across the street to USC — that’s insane to me. I feel like that’s one of the craziest moves. So I guess it doesn’t matter anymore?”
“To me, the thing that makes college sports so fun are the rivalries, your school pride,” says O’Hara. “You are ride-or-die for your school, and it just doesn’t seem like it exists anymore.
“I’d be ride or die for whatever school’s paying me, to be honest,” quips Basinski. “Get a bag. Because also, it’s like, ‘Oh they value me enough to pay this much for me to switch schools. So the school is kind of behind me, and if they’re behind me this much, alright, I’ll take your check and I’ll go play.'”

About ‘Sports Are Fun!’ with Kelley O’Hara
‘Sports Are Fun!’ is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women’s sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O’Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they’re talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams “Sports Are Fun!”
Subscribe to Just Women’s Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
Sports
Volleyball to Start 2025 Season at Showcase Against Top Teams
Story Links PITTSBURGH, Pa. – To kick off the 2025 season over Labor Day weekend, Sun Devil Volleyball will take part in the second annual State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase, facing Pitt and Penn State in nationally televised matchups on FOX and FS1. Arizona State will take on defending national […]

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – To kick off the 2025 season over Labor Day weekend, Sun Devil Volleyball will take part in the second annual State Farm Women’s College Volleyball Showcase, facing Pitt and Penn State in nationally televised matchups on FOX and FS1.
Arizona State will take on defending national champion Penn State and the host team Pitt to begin the season at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. TCU will also be at the four-match event, put on by Intersport and FOX Sports, that helps kick off the 2025 college volleyball campaign on August 31 and September 1. Match times and television designations will be announced at a later date, but confirmed matchups include:
- Arizona State vs. Pitt
- Arizona State vs. Penn State
- Penn State vs. TCU
- Pitt vs. TCU
Fans interested in learning more about the event and gaining early access to a 24-hour ticket presale opportunity, which will take place on May 20, can access the general event page on the PPG Paints Arena website or by clicking here. The general public ticket sale will begin May 21.
Last season, Arizona State put together a 30-3 overall record and 17-1 conference showing, winning them the 2024 Big 12 Championship title. This was the first Big 12 title for the program and for all of Sun Devil Athletics. ASU earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted the first two rounds.
The full Big 12 schedule has been announced. The remaining three non-conference tournaments have yet to be released.
Sports
'The Surfer' Review
Nicolas Cage goes to the beach to surf, and it goes about as you would expect in a Cage film. This is a ringing endorsement, by the way, for Cage’s latest movie, The Surfer. It is a psychological, semi-revenge story that unfolds crashingly, delivering surprises and an engrossing character story. Recently, Cage has been selecting roles […]

Nicolas Cage goes to the beach to surf, and it goes about as you would expect in a Cage film. This is a ringing endorsement, by the way, for Cage’s latest movie, The Surfer. It is a psychological, semi-revenge story that unfolds crashingly, delivering surprises and an engrossing character story. Recently, Cage has been selecting roles that capture his on-screen presence but push him into new creative outlets. In yet another case, Cage shows he multitasks; better said, he can walk on the beaches and ride the waves. The Surfer is a darkly funny, at times poignant, and deftly topical film that allows Cage to deliver one of his best performances.
Set in a surfer’s paradise, on a magnificent strip of beach, a man (Nicolas Cage) returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son (Finn Little). But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is “Don’t live here, don’t surf here.” Humiliation turns into anger as the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the summer’s punishing heat and pushes him to his breaking point. Writer Thomas Martin draws on personal anecdotes, crafting a story that is as much about male violence as it is a commentary on surfing communities around the globe.

Owning one’s domain is prevalent in the film. From the start, establishing these locals and laying claim to the local beach are sources of much of the film’s conflict. The early confrontation Cage’s character has with the local surfers, including the ring leader Scally (Julian McMahon), who is a working advertisement for toxic masculinity, sets the stage for the film’s story. On one level, this film is a simple revenge tale. Cage is desperate to gain beach access to recapture the nostalgia of his youth.
However, the film is wise to avoid falling down the rabbit hole of familiarity. It would have been easy to let Cage rift as a man losing his tenuous grasp on reality. They could have it spiral into a full-on brawl on the beach. Fortunately, the film does not waste Cage’s time or ours; instead, it uses this conflict to tell a deeper story. It avoids becoming a mere revenge fantasy. The story develops as a strategic commentary on toxic masculinity, fatherhood, and what it means to be a man. Cage gives a calm, but twitching performance until it is time to dial it up, and when he does, he is Cage at his Cage-est.
For the film’s first two acts, the locals torment Cage. First, they steal his surfboard, then Scally and his gang harass him. The tit-for-tat escalation continues to a fever pitch. At various points, we expect Cage to reach his breaking point and snap. There is an undercurrent that this film could become carnage candy, but it plays it smart again. We get the exploitation of male violence, but the film subverts our expectations. It forces us to reconcile our preconceived notions, putting the entire construct of male violence under the microscope.

The surfer characters are like bulls in a china shop. Jugheads and characters in an inferior movie would become cannon fodder, yet there is a purpose here. Blatant toxicity is a point that contrasts with Cage. His character, cleverly referred to as ‘the surfer,’ is tempted to indulge in his basic instincts on more than one occasion. Throughout the film, the antics of the locals are chalked up to ‘boys being boys’ or, as one character refers to the matter, men are like an engine; they have to let a little steam out. We know little outside of some essential details about Cage’s characters, allowing him to exist as an insert for the film’s commentary. In addition, the deliberate attempts to construct surrealism with reality help enhance the idea of a man or (perhaps in general) men in crisis.
The movie is unafraid to deconstruct the male ego and offers an answer to what it means to be a man in the 21st century. This question is further enhanced by the presence of a character known as the bum (Nic Cassim). Throughout the film, he appears as both a disruptor and a mirror image of Cage as he confronts his internal crisis. His jaded wisdom comes to a head at the film’s climax. His presence reinforces the commentary on this twisted and toxic brotherhood while instilling principles and basic humanity.

The Surfer packs a lot of resonance in a short runtime, leaving much for the final act. Here, the ideas of nostalgia and manhood come into clarity. As much as the film uses surfing for its plotline and story beats, the idea serves as a metaphor. There is no perfect wave, let alone even one from memory. The ocean is forever changing; we, in this man, must react and change with the times. Perhaps on the nose, but the film never shies from driving home its point. All this is thanks to the many layers of Cage’s performance.
In the end, for all of the thematic resonance and subtext, this is Cage’s show, and he rides this particular wave from start to finish. His character is the audience’s viewpoint into his world, and he brings us on this journey of humility and self-discovery. Another act might have overdone the humorous beats at the expense of the dramatics. Cage deftly straddles the line between campy and cool. All of this results in a complex yet poignant performance that leaves us breaking out in applause.
The Surfer will debut in theaters nationwide on May 2, 2025, courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.
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