Something New, Including Blue

The dog days of summer finally have arrived for the Cal State Northridge football team.

Ron Ponciano, hired in January as the Matadors’ 10th head coach and fourth in five years, donned a clipboard and whistle Saturday as practice began for incoming players. Returning players are scheduled to join the squad today with full-contact workouts set for Thursday.

There were no significant no-shows Saturday, Ponciano said.

“The pups are here,” Ponciano said. “It’s good to finally get to do something, structure-wise.”

Ponciano expects several newcomers to immediately become top dogs for the Matadors, 6-6 last season under Jim Fenwick after a 7-4 season under Dave Baldwin, now coach at San Jose State.

“There’s no question, several of them are going to start,” Ponciano said. “There are really no surprises there.”

Northridge opens Sept. 5 at Boise State. After a bye, the Matadors open Big Sky Conference play Sept. 19 at Northern Arizona, then play their first home game Sept. 26 against Eastern Washington.

Northridge, expected to contend for a Division I-AA playoff berth last season, is projected to finish near the bottom of the nine-team conference.

Ponciano, defensive coordinator at Northridge from 1995-96 and in the same position last season at San Jose State, is faced with rebuilding a porous defense and pumping life into an anemic running attack. That means shoring up both lines.

Freshmen Rick Farino (6 feet 6, 310 pounds) from Mission Viejo High, Keith Kincaid (6-4, 285) from J.W. North and tight end Nate Davenport (6-6, 225) of Cathedral City will run interference for senior Melvin Blue, selected top newcomer in the Big Sky.

Blue (6 feet, 238), a transfer from Utah State, is a power runner Ponciano likens to Christian Okoye, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s a big guy who’s going to change the personality of our running game,” Ponciano said.

Two-way tackle Tim Sholfeitt (6-1, 290) from Yucaipa High, the team’s strongest newcomer, will add to the mix.

Ponciano also greeted freshman Cameron Moultrie (5-8, 175), a running back at Nogales High who likely will start in the secondary, and senior wide receiver James Maldonado (6-4, 215), a transfer from Kent State.

“I’m definitely, definitely here to get a starting job and I know I can make an impact,” said Maldonado, from La Mirada High and Orange Coast College. “All the years I’ve been playing, the physical conditioning has been no problem. It’s the mental preparation that sets you apart.”