Top quarterback Rising: Newbury Park star stays cool when heat is on

Somebody may to need to place a blood pressure monitor on the wrist of Newbury Park High quarterback Cameron Rising during a football game this fall.

Could he possibly be as calm and cool during pressure situations as everyone claims?

Keith Smith, Newbury Park’s co-offensive coordinator, tells a story on himself, recalling a game when he went into a frenzy on the sideline, screaming and yelling after a Simi Valley Royal touchdown while trying to plot a response.

“Hold on, coach,” he said Rising advised in a soothing voice. “Let’s pause for a moment. Take a look at that full moon. It’s a beautiful sight, a perfect picture.”

There is also the time when a giant June bug landed on the field during a game. Again, Smith and Rising were on the sideline figuring out what play to call.

“Coach, check out that bug,” Rising said. “It’s huge.”

“I go, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Smith said. “This kid is wired differently.”

Rising, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound junior, passed for 3,213 yards and 40 touchdowns with one interception as a sophomore. He enters this season having thrown 293 consecutive passes without an interception.

“A little judgment and a lot of luck,” Rising said.

He’s a 17-year-old with the temperament and talent to make quick decisions based on instincts and experience. And then there’s that ability to perform under pressure.

“I call it having ice in your veins,” Smith said. “He’s able to relax in the moment even in a tight game. Quarterbacks are a different breed. You’ve got dudes trying to knock your head off and you have to deliver.”

Rising became a quarterback in seventh grade when his father, Nicko, suggested he play the position. His athleticism (he also plays basketball) and physicality (he loves the weight room) add to his makeup. By July, more than 20 colleges had offered him a scholarship. He committed to Oklahoma this month.

He smiles a lot, likes having fun and enjoys a little laughter with his friends. But don’t mistake that for a lack of focus.

“Quarterback is a position you can’t get too hot or you’ll start overthrowing guys,” Rising said. “And you can’t be yelling because you don’t want to get your guys against you. If they see you calm and relaxed under pressure, they’ll be calm and relaxed.”

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Newbury Park junior Cameron Rising is a rising prospect.

There’s going to be a heated debate this season on whether the juniors or the seniors project as the best quarterbacks in Southern California.

Among the top seniors are Jack Sears of San Clemente, Tristan Gebbia of Calabasas, Chase Garbers of Newport Beach Corona del Mar and Kaymen Cureton of Lawndale Leuzinger.

The juniors include Matt Corral from Westlake Village Oaks Christian, Brevin White of West Hills Chaminade, Steve Comstock of Covina Northview, Re-al Mitchell of Bellflower St. John Bosco and Tanner McKee of Corona Centennial.

Rising is rising fast and sticking with what has gotten him this far.

“I feel I’m still the same person I was before all the attention,” he said. “It’s just that people see me as a good football player.”

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