Fiske to Fill In for Flowers

Coach Jim Fenwick wasn’t quite sure Monday how long injured senior quarterback Aaron Flowers, also known as the Northridge franchise, will be sidelined.

But Fenwick is already in Plan B mode.

“We have to ask somebody else to start carrying the flag,” Fenwick said.

That someone will be strong-arm sophomore Josh Fiske, Flowers’ inexperienced but, Fenwick said, very capable understudy.

“We won’t change anything,” Fenwick said. “Josh just has to get comfortable [with directing the run-and-shoot offense].”

Fiske has huge cleats to fill.

In 15 games at Northridge, Flowers has passed for 5,079 yards and 44 touchdowns, both school career records. Fiske has completed eight of 12 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, all of it this season.

But Flowers’ record-breaking pace came to a sudden and, Fenwick hopes, temporary halt, when he suffered a hairline fracture in his lower right leg in the first half of a 63-21 victory over Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

Fenwick said the injury will be reevaluated Wednesday. But as of now, Flowers is out for the Big Sky Conference opener at Portland State on Oct. 4.

That gives Fiske, from Santa Ynez High, nearly two weeks to prepare for his first start because the Matadors have an open date Saturday.

“I’m not setting goals or anything,” Fiske said. “I just want to do the best I can.”

And stay healthy.

“Josh can’t get hurt,” Fenwick said. “I told him that.”

Fenwick said he hadn’t decided who would be Fiske’s backup, Ryan Smith or Marcus Brady. Both are freshmen.

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The Matadors improved 10 spots to No. 31 in The Sports Network’s Division I-AA poll.