Putting a Charge in Northridge Coaches

If it’s July and Beano Cook is out of hibernation, it’s time to start talking football. . . .

Cal State Northridge assistants Rob Phenicie, Jeff Kearin and Kevin Singleton recently spent a day at the San Diego Chargers’ training camp in La Jolla.

Somebody had to handle that tough assignment.

“They really take care of you,” said Phenicie, Northridge’s offensive coordinator. “June Jones is down there and he’s one of the big-time run-and-shoot guys, so it was good to see him teach it.”

Jones, former coach of the Atlanta Falcons, is San Diego’s new quarterbacks coach.

The run and shoot is the offense of choice at Northridge.

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Former Northridge wide receiver Jerome Henry hopes to turn pro with the San Jose Scorpions of the Regional Football League, which is tentatively scheduled to start in the spring.

Henry said he will attend a mini-camp on Aug. 9-10.

Henry worked out for a few pro teams in recent months, including the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, but he wasn’t signed.

Last season, Henry led the Big Sky Conference with 71 receptions, the second-highest single-season total in Northridge history behind David Romines’ 87 in 1996.

Henry ranks third in career receptions at Northridge with 118.

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Two former Valley College players, quarterback Jim Arellanes and tight end Pat Fitzgerald, are in NFL camps.

Arellanes, who passed for a junior college state record of 639 yards for Valley in a 51-37 loss to Bakersfield in 1994, is trying to stick with the Seattle Seahawks.

Last month, Arellanes was most valuable player of the NFL Europe’s World Bowl after passing for three touchdowns to lead the Dusseldorf Rhein Fire over the Frankfurt Galaxy, 34-10, in Frankfurt.

Fitzgerald, who played at Agoura High and was an All-American at Texas, is in his second season with the Buffalo Bills.

He was drafted last year by the Bills in the seventh round. Other teams reportedly passed on Fitzgerald, 6 feet 2 and 228 pounds, because they considered him too small.

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Trivia time: Arellanes played at Valley only one season. Who was the team’s quarterback in 1993?

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Several top-notch quarterbacks have played at Valley the last few seasons--Arellanes, Aaron Flowers, Dave Lins--and Coach Gary Barlow believes he has some more good ones.

“We have a good little battle heating up,” Barlow said.

The Monarchs have Mike Adams, Erik Holtfreter, Todd McLean and Travis Winn going after the starting job.

Adams is a redshirt freshman transfer from Boston University who worked out with the Monarchs for about two weeks before leaving for Florida on family business. Boston University, not to be confused with Boston College, dropped its football program after last season.

Holtfreter last season passed for 766 yards and four touchdowns at Quartz Hill High and has impressed Barlow.

“He looks real good,” Barlow said.

McLean threw only 16 passes last season as a backup to Tom Racius at Valley, and Winn attended Moorpark College last year but did not play.

He passed for 1,194 yards and 10 touchdowns at Chatsworth in 1995.

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Trivia answer: Sean Fitzgerald, Pat’s younger brother.