Luke Shepardson won the HIC Pro Junior surf contest at Queen’s Beach in Waikiki on Monday.

Shepardson came into the event as somewhat of a dark horse. He has no sponsors and had never won a junior event.

"I am feeling psyched," the 17-year-old from Sunset Beach said. "It’s my first time doing good in a final. Every time I make a final, I usually get last or do good and get cut short somehow."

The final started out slow, with no waves ridden until the 8-minute mark. The stylish natural-footer got the first quality wave in the final, lit it up with two big snaps out the back and finished it off with a series of clean roundhouse cutbacks.

After his second good wave, Shepardson had everyone else playing catch-up for the rest of the heat.

"Going into the final, I was just thinking that I am not sponsored and I have nothing to lose, so my plan was to just sit and wait for two good ones," he said. "A set came at the end and I thought I was going to lose, but I kept everyone off of it by going left. I am looking forward to the next event at Sunset, and hopefully get some big barrels out there and show some real surfing."

Isaiah Moniz of Kuliouou took second place.

"I am still feeling pretty psyched," Moniz said. "My strategy was pretty much to catch a wave. I was just going to go for anything that broke. It was really small and tough to surf, but everyone has got to surf the same thing. I am already looking forward to having a good winter season."

The HIC Pro Junior is part of Duke’s Oceanfest, which is a weeklong event in honor of legendary waterman Duke Kahanumoku.

The girls pro junior, wahine longboard and men’s longboard divisions, which ran Monday, will wrap up today.

Some favorites who advanced to the final day were Bailey Nagy, Zoe Mcdougall and Honolua Bloomfield in the girls pro junior; Crystal Dzigas, Vanina Walsh and Natalia Smith in the wahine longboard; and Kai Salas, Keegan Edwards and Duane Desoto in the men’s longboard.