James Nix - Sports Beat

Thirteen football players have signed National Letters of Intent to play football for Appalachian State University next season.

Of the 13 signees, five are expected to play for Appalachian’s offense and eight on defense.

“We’re really excited about them,” said head coach Jerry Moore.
“Guys here normally get bigger by going through the program. These guys are already big.”

On the offensive side of the ball, Appalachian signed two tight ends and three linemen.

Chase Pritchett and Daniel Bettis are the two tight ends. Pritchett, at 6-feet-4 inches and 245 pounds, played for Murray County High School in Chatsworth, Ga. The Chattanooga Times named him the North Georgia player of the year.

Bettis is 6-feet-3 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds. He played for Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga. That team finished 10-2 last season.

As offensive linemen, Appalachian signed Mike Portante, Jeremy Robertson and Grant Oliver.

Portante, at 6-feet-4 inches and 280 pounds, was a three-year starter for Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. Robertson, at 6-feet-4 inches and 315 pounds, is from Hardaway High School in Columbus, Ga.

Oliver earned all-conference, all-area and all-district selections his junior and senior years at Lexington High School in Lexington, S.C.
On defense, the Mountaineers signed four linemen.

Chris Arrowood, from Wilmington, was a two-year starter and an all-region selection for Hoggard High School.

Omarr Byrom was named to the Winston-Salem Journal’s All-Northwest Team. He had 90 tackles in his 2001 season.

Quency Darley appeared in the Shrine Bowl after finishing his career at Manning High School in Manning, S.C. He had 323 tackles, 71 of which were for loss, including 39 sacks.

Kyle Knox made 64 tackles, forced six fumbles and had 15 sacks last season for Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla.

Also coming to play defense are Kedrick Carpenter, Mike King, William Mayfield and Monte Smith.

Carpenter was an all-Northwest selection as a safety for Mount Tabor High School.

King had 90 tackles and four interceptions for Garner High School, a team that finished 12-1 last season.

Mayfield played for Southern Durham High School and was named the defensive player of the year in the Five-County 3-A Conference.

Smith racked by 65 tackles, including 12 sacks, from his linebacker position for Crest High School in Shelby. He was named Most Valuable Player in the AAA state championship.

“I think we have some really top-notch players coming in,” said Moore. “Some of them could help us out from the beginning.”

The Mountaineers are expected to sign more players in the coming weeks.