White-hot receiver

Mike Sciacca

Matt White is a quiet, humble young man.

But in the athletic arena, opponents shouldn’t be fooled by his

reserved facade and unassuming demeanor or White, a senior starter on

the Edison High football team, will get the best of them.

At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, it might be easy to overlook the wide

receiver who also starts at defensive back and returns kicks. Yet

White doesn’t command attention by trash-talking -- he lets his play

on the field speak for itself.

“He certainly gets the most out of his athletic ability,” said

Rick Meyers, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Edison

the past 15 years. “He might not be the best receiver on the field,

or the fastest, but he’s very smart and just makes things happen.

“He’s an overachiever and near the top of the receivers who have

played at this school.”

The 17-year-old is the latest addition to a long line of

outstanding wide receivers at Edison, a list that includes the likes

of Denny Flanagan and Rick Justice, two school record holders.

Two years ago, as a sophomore, White earned his first varsity

letter. He never caught a pass that year but instead, was used as a

decoy on the field and played on the scout team during team

practices.

But last year, in his first full-fledged season at receiver,

White’s numbers included 61 receptions for 1,058 yards, six touchdowns and first-team All-Sunset League honors.

In four games this season, he has 25 receptions and two

touchdowns. In a Sept. 19 victory over Capistrano Valley, he tied one

school record, his 13 receptions matching the same number Andy Linnen

posted as a single-game record in 1994.

He’s one of the county’s top receivers with a 14.6 per reception

average.

White’s ability to make things happen after he makes the catch,

has become his forte.

“Matt reads defenses well and has a great knack for getting open,”

Meyers said. “He’s quite good at what he does once he makes a catch.”

White has a chance to close in on school single season and career

records for receptions this season.

Justice, who played for Edison between 1983-85, is the career

leader in receptions at 120. Flanagan, who graduate in 2002, is the

single-season record holder with 65.

“He was such an inspirational player, to me,” White said of

Flanagan, who he said he patterns his game after.

“I was a sophomore when he was a senior, and he knew what it was

like to be a sophomore trying to find your way. He gave me some great

tips and was a really great help. I still talk to him every once in a

while.”

What also has helped White along the way is that he has been able

to closely follow the exploits of many Edison players. He’s been

privy to the ins and outs of Charger football, having been around the

Green and Gold his entire life.

He knows what it takes to succeed in the program.

He’s the son of Chargers’ Head Coach Dave White, himself a former

quarterback at Edison

Matt White has worked his way up from varsity ball boy to a young

man who now is the school’s top receiver.

“We’ve always been pretty close and he’s a lot like I was in high

school -- kind of quite and a bit reserved,” Dave White said. “For

me, what’s been great about the experience of having Matt on the team

is watching him grow as a player.

“He may not be the fastest -- he runs about a 4.8 in the 40 -- or

the best in terms of ability, but he has a real strong work ethic.

He’s worked hard for this chance and he’s worked hard to become a

good high school football player.”

Matt White said he gets his greatest pleasure out of a work ethic

that has allowed him to succeed both on and off the playing field.

“To me, it’s about having pride in everything you do,” he said.

“Being a good person, overall, is more important than being a good

football player.

“Records are great, and all, but, being able to do whatever I can

to contribute to the success of our team, that’s what’s important to

me.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].