Sports

Appalachian retains Old Mountain Jug, 24-17
Mike Daniels
Sports Editor

Running back Kareem Young celebrates a Mountaineer touchdown in Appalachian’s 24-17 win over Western Carolina. With the win, Appalachian retained possession of the Old Mountain Jug for the twelfth year in a row. (photo by Dana Gardner)

Coach Jerry Moore has said before that "stats and records don’t have much bearing on Appalachian/Western Carolina games."

This quote proved to be accurate this past weekend in Cullowhee. The undermatched Catamounts of Western Carolina came into Saturday’s game ready to play, taking the Mountaineers down to the wire before losing 24-17.

For Appalachian the game marked their 12th straight win over Western Carolina and their 44th all-time, once again keeping the prized Old Mountain Jug in Boone.

For Damon Scott, it was the second game in a row in which he led the Mountaineers to victory despite playing with injury. The senior running back picked up 194 yards and three touchdowns (two on the ground) on 39 carries while still fighting the pain of a shoulder injury he suffered three weeks ago against Marshall.

Scott said afterward that his shoulder was "pretty banged up, but the joy I get out here playing football... just seems to overcome the pain."

After going three-and-out on their first drive of the game, and then allowing the Catamounts to get a touchdown, Appalachian began to rely on the legs of Scott to carry them to the end-zone. Scott carried the ball on the Apps’ first five plays of their second drive, running for 19 yards altogether before the Apps were forced to punt the ball away.

On the Mountaineers next drive Scott did even better, rushing for 31 yards on four carries and taking the Apps into the end-zone on an 11-yard scamper that tied the score at 7-7.

This pattern continued all day as the Catamount defense was unable to stop Scott and the Mountaineers "smash-mouth offense" that the senior running back said was the Apps game-plan from the beginning.

As a team, Appalachian collected 247 yards on the ground on 54 carries. This helps explain why Appalachian had possession of the ball for over 10 minutes longer than the Catamount offense. Moore said afterward that a big reason for the Mountaineers’ win was that they "were able to control the clock in the second half to our advantage."

The Apps had three drives of over five minutes in the game, two of which resulted in Scott touchdowns. Western Carolina, however, could only manage one drive of over five minutes, which only resulted in a Ken Hinsley punt. Subsequently, the Catamount defense grew tired by the second half and allowed the Appalachian offense to drive down the field at will.

Besides the Apps ground dominance, another big part of the Mountaineers formula for success was ball control. The Apps did not turn the ball over all day.

Western Carolina could not say the same however. As Coach Steve Hodgin said afterward, "We made two critical mistakes and they killed us," referring to two fumbled kicks in the second half that resulted in seven points for the Mountaineers.

The key play of the game for the Mountaineers occurred at the start of the second half when backup linebacker Earl Hunter came up with a great play for the Apps on special teams.

The junior out of Columbia, S.C. came in on Catamount returner Tracy Biggs on the opening kick-off and knocked the ball out of Biggs’ grasp. Hunter then threw himself on the ball, giving Appalachian possession at the Western Carolina nine-yard line to start the half. Needless to say, Appalachian was able to take advantage their good fortune on a nine-yard touchdown run by Scott on the very next play which put the Apps up 17-10 and silenced the Western crowd.

Altogether the Catamounts fumbled the ball four times, three of which occurred in the second half.

Despite these mistakes and their inability to stop the Appalachian ground game, Western Carolina was able to hang tough with the Mountaineers, posing a threat right down to the final minute of the game, when on fourth down on the Appalachian 30-yard line, quarterback Josh Brooks’ pass attempt to Mardell Miller was broken up by Dexter Coakley, sealing the victory for Appalachian.

Moore credited the Catamounts afterward saying that, "they played such a hard, tough game... both teams really battled out there." Moore went on to say that, "I really hurt for Coach Hodgin, and I hurt for the Western Carolina players," who finished their season at 4-7 with the loss.

For Hodgin, the game may have been his last at the helm of the Catamounts. Hodgin said afterward that, "My expectations are that I’ll be right back here at Western Carolina" next season.

For the Mountaineers, the win improved their record to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Southern Conference. The unranked Mountaineers will finish up their season this weekend at home against VMI as they try to finish on a winning note.

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Overtime in college football proves value this weekend
sports commentary
Danny Sink
Staff Writer

With only seconds left on the clock the player breaks open down the middle. The quarterback sees him. He is wide open - Touchdown! The game is tied.

So then what, does the game end in a tie? That leaves players and fans feeling ripped-off, which the NCAA evidently agrees with. That is why this year there have been some really exciting barn burners that have gone to overtime.

In the past, if the regulation clock expired, the game was over-end of story. But not anymore. College football finally took a chapter out of the NFL’s book, modified of course.

The NCAA came up with a fair system of overtime that makes for one heck of a game. Unlike the NFL, in college football both teams must achieve an opportunity to handle the ball in overtime.

Team captains are called to the middle of the field before each overtime segment. A coin is tossed, and the team who wins the coin toss can either take the ball first or defer to their opponent.

The team with the ball starts on the 35-yard line, no kick-off. If the receiving team manages to put some points on the board then the other team must answer back with the same points for a second overtime, or, of course, score more points for the win.

This sequence can carry on until a winner is established. This past weekend there was, in particular, one game that put this form to the test. The Georgia vs. Auburn match-up proved to be a terrific ball game. Auburn tore out to take the early lead, carrying a 28-7 advantage into the second half.

Then Georgia’s starting quarterback was injured and sat on the sideline during the second half. Far from beaten, the Bulldogs’ second stringer came in and mounted an air attack that pulled the two teams neck and neck at the end of regulation, 28-28.

Going into overtime, both defenses were tired, and it showed as the scoring began. It took not one, two, or even three overtimes to be settled. It was not until the middle of the fourth overtime that Georgia was finally able to put the nail in Auburn’s coffin. The boys from Auburn began to sputter on the offensive side of the ball, and on fourth down, their QB fell just short of the first down on a leaping try that was held back by the Bulldog defensive front.

This is football as it should be. Two teams giving all they have to win a game, swimming in their own sweat, beat into the field, but still fighting for the victory. And when the game is over and the crowds have long since left the stadium, one team will walk from the stadium in glory and one team will hang their heads. That is the nature of the beast - only one team can be the victor, one must lose. The coaches and players know this when they walk on the field. That is why both teams practice and play so hard, because no one wants to be the loser.

The overtime rule allows for more exciting and competitive football. There is always a clear cut winner, which helps when the time comes to pick bowl game participants. Fans no longer walk out of the stadium feeling cheated out of a win, unless their team loses (but hey, what else is new?).

Overtime has long been needed in the college setting. It is good to see a rule finally passed that helps the game instead of stupid rules that hinder it - like no celebrating after a touchdown-STUPID. But that is another article!

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App volleyball finishes up regular season
Kathy Beam
Staff Writer

The Appalachian State Volleyball team finished up their regular season this weekend with home matches against Georgia Southern and Furman after traveling to Georgia State and Tennessee-Chattanooga last week.

The Mountaineers dropped their last non-conference match of the season last weekend at Georgia State, losing a close one in five games. Appalachian won the first two games, 15-12 and 15-10. Paula Levay led the attack with 18 total kills for the night. Miriam Sealey also had a good night with 13 kills total.

However, the Mountaineers could not sustain their momentum and lost the next three games, 15-5, 15-6 and 15-13. Georgia State’s Beth Van Fleet had seven kills on the night to shut Appalachian down. Appalachian State had seven blocks as a team for the match, compared to Georgia State’s 12.

Last weekend, after upsetting Tennessee-Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Appalachian State came home to take on Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers shut down Georgia Southern in three games, 16-14, 15-9, and 17-15. Miriam Sealey had 15 kills and Paula Levay had 14. Lori Schott had a great afternoon with 18 digs.

On Sunday, the Mountaineers played host to Furman University. Unfortunately, the Apps were unable to carry any momentum from their Georgia Southern win, losing in four games to the Paladins 15-8, 12-15, 13-15, and 10-15.

Miriam Sealey led the way in this one, racking up 22 digs and 16 kills. Paula Levay also did well with 14 kills. Furman’s Tammy Kerr led the Paladins with 21 kills.

Appalachian finished the regular season with a 15-13 record overall and 9-5 in the conference. The Mountaineers will take this week off to prepare for the Southern Conference tournament hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga. this weekend.

The Apps have been given the fourth seed in the bracket and will face fifth seeded East Tennessee State University at 10 a.m. on Friday.

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