Sailor is third in the state

CLOVIS — A berth in the boys’ discus final of the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High, denied Newport Harbor High junior Cecil Whiteside the chance to attend the school’s Prom Saturday night.

His date with destiny didn’t exactly work out the way he had hoped either.

Whiteside finished third, three spots better than his sophomore season, posting a mark of 183 feet, 11 inches, the second-best throw of his season.

Whiteside, a three-year varsity football letterman who has committed to play collegiately at UC Berkeley, recorded his third-place mark on the third of six attempts. He fouled on his fourth and sixth throws, and threw 179-8 on his fifth attempt.

“It was our plan to win this thing,” Newport Harbor throwing coach Tony Ciarelli said. “But you know third place at the California state meet is a pretty good thing. [Whiteside] had a good series and competed well. The two guys who finished ahead of him had [personal records].”

Matt Darr of Frontier High in Bakersfield won the event with a mark of 192-0.

Willy Irwin of Clovis East High was second with a mark of 188-8.

“It’s going to be a big fight next year, because they are all juniors,” Cirarelli said of the top three finishers.

Daniel Swarbrick, a senior from Saugus High, was fourth (181-2).

Darr’s winning mark came on his third throw, while Irwin’s best came on his fifth throw.

“[Irwin] PRed by eight feet in the prelims to throw 181-1, then PRed again by more than seven feet today,” Ciarelli said.

“[Whiteside] had a great couple of warmups, but he did not transfer that energy into the meet. But I’m happy with his performance, even if he is not.”

Whiteside’s personal best is 187-5, achieved earlier this season at the Surf City Invitational. He won the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet with a throw of 182-5 last week.