After the victory, drenched in beer and with a toothy smile etched across his face, you could see that the realization had begun to set in for Joel Centeio. He'd just concluded, as he put it, "the biggest win of his career" at the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa in his own backyard. It seemed that the wave that nurtured him from gromdom to stardom had once again blessed Centeio today in the final when a solid swell filled the event with over head surf, letting decades of know-how pave the way for his win. And with that in mind, soaked in beer and with his his old stomping grounds set out before him, Joel Centeio could not stop smiling.

Surfing against the likes of Jay Thompson, Alain Riou, and CJ Hobgood in the final, Centeio remained patient throughout the lulled-out heat, finding a decent score early on. And then the ocean went flat. But in the waning minutes a flurry of sets migrated to the reef and Centeio took full advantage with a marathon barrel to the tune of 9.33 that would seal the deal.

The local boy had won. The crowd whistled and screamed on the beach. Bud Light flowed. And Joel smiled. And smiled. And smiled.

"My family, friends and everybody is here and it's a dream come true to win right here at my homebreak," he said on the winner's podium after accepting his check for $20,000.

True, he's been crowned before at Sunset and other events, but you could tell that Centeio's win at his homebreak truly meant something to the Haleiwa local. Known for exposing any chink's in a surfer's armor, Haleiwa's may not be the most flashy wave in Hawaii, but it's one of the most respected.

Furthermore, the win came at a pivotal time for Centeio, who has slightly altered his career paths (a result of the economic downturn) and taken on a team manager-type role for Hurley in Hawaii.

"The new position that Hurley gave me is amazing. I'm helping out the little amature kids here in Hawaii. It definitey gave me a lot of job securiy to be exact. I wanted to keep surfing, but they gave me the opportunity. I've been surfing a lot this year and the kids push me. They go surfing about 10 times a day and I used to only go surfing two times, but now I'm surfing three to four times a day. They're getting me super surf psyched."

Final Results:
1. Joel Centeio
2. CJ Hobgood
3. Jay Thompson
4. Alain Riou

To see how Joel and others fare at the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach next week, stay locked to GrindTV.com.