Whiteside aims for title

While sitting in a car that was driving toward Clovis Thursday, Cecil Whiteside summed up his mentality for football using two words.

“Controlled anger,” said the Newport Harbor High junior star linebacker who has verbally committed to UC Berkeley.

Whiteside uses the same mentality competing in the throws for the track and field team. He plans to use it today to accomplish his goal of winning a state title in the discus at the CIF State Championships at Buchanan High. Athletes are vying to reach Saturday’s finals.

Last week, he won a Masters title after a throw of 182 feet, 5 inches. His personal best is 187-5, which ranks third in the state, according to dyestatcal.com. Daniel Swarbuck of Saugus has the second-best throw in the state this year, at 188-4 and Frontier’s Matt Darr of the Central Section has the best at 188-5.

Whiteside is No. 2 all-time at Newport, where Bo Taylor is at the top at 213-7, which ranks second in state history. Scott Moser of Huntington Beach is No. 1 at 213-11.

Newport Harbor throws coach Tony Ciarelli has instructed those three. Ciarelli, also the Sailors’ football team’s defensive coordinator, notices a similarity Whiteside has with Taylor and Moser.

Whiteside works hard, Ciarelli said. Whiteside has been working on the throws since November, shortly after the football season ended for Newport Harbor.

Whiteside, who had played basketball his first two years for the Sailors, did not compete for the squad in the winter this year.

“It’s going to be tough to catch Bo,” Ciarelli said. “I think [Whiteside] has a shot, if he can make some technical adjustments ... It really helped him not having basketball. Having another year of full work, I think he has a good shot of throwing 190, maybe more.”