Sports

Seniors prepare for final game as Mountaineers
Kathy Beam
Staff Writer

Senior punter Allen Guinn, shown in The Citadel game earlier this year, is just one of 22 seniors who will graduate this year. (photo by Robert Parriott)

Coming off a close win in Cullowhee against the Western Carolina Catamounts, Appalachian will be looking forward to this week’s season finale against Virginia Military Institute at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

For 22 seniors, this game will mark their last as Appalachian State Mountaineers. "This has been a tremendous group of young men," said Coach Jerry Moore. "We will miss each and every one (of) them."

Damon Scott, the team’s leading rusher with 1333 yards, will be one of the key pieces of this year’s squad leaving the team. Split end Otis Smith will also be departing. He led the team in receiving yards with 458. Other gaps will be left in the offense with the departure of wide receiver Kevin Burton, tight end Jeff Vollmer, tackle Chad Groover, center Scott Kadlub, guard Kenny Barbee, and tackle Dave Pastusic. Only three starters on the offense will be returning next year.

Defensive losses aren’t as bad. They will be losing just four starters, the most notable being All-American linebacker Dexter Coakley. In 10 games, Coakley has 148 total tackles, including 77 unassisted tackles, to lead the team. Linemen Jeff Greene and Jason Hatcher, and linebacker Joe DiBernado will be leaving as well.

On special teams, Jay Sutton and Allen Guinn will be sorely missed. Sutton has made 12 out of 13 field goal attempts this season, missing none inside the 39 yard line. Allen Guinn has had 60 punts for 2469 yards, for an average of 41.2 yards per punt. Also leaving on special teams is long snapper Lance Ware.

The whole team will be wary against the Virginia Military Institute. "We haven’t forgotten what happened here two seasons ago when VMI was 0-10 and beat us in overtime to deny us a conference championship," said Moore. "We fully expect a dogfight this week."

All-time, the Mountaineers are 13-4-2 against the Keydets, and won last year’s contest 26-24.

In the thick of the fight, look for Thomas Haskins, tailback for VMI, to be important. Moore said, "We haven’t been very successful stopping him in the past three years." He has gained 546 yards in the past three years against Appalachian.

This year, VMI has posted a 3-7 overall record. They are 2-5 in the Southern Conference, with their only wins coming against the Citadel and UTC.

Appalachian is averaging 210.4 yards rushing per game to VMI’s 154.6 yards per game. ASU has also produced 183 more yards in total offense than VMI.

However, still look for this game to be close. Last year, Appalachian stopped a two-point conversion in the last minutes of the game to win 26-24. Two years ago, the undefeated Mountaineers were routed by the winless Keydets by a field goal in overtime.

We have to be ready for anything and everything," said Moore. "We have to take care of business...we just have to do what we can on the field Saturday, and then see what happens."

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A steller bunch bids farewell this Saturday
Nick Berry
Reporter

sports feature

Shawn Clark and the rest of the offensive line celebrate a touchdown against The Citadel. (photo by Robert Parriott)

They are the ones whose names are never in any Appalachian State football article. They never get any recognition, and they do the most thankless job in football. We call them the offensive linemen. As the football season comes to a close, it is time to thank those who make ASU one of the best running teams in the Conference.

Four senior starters - Chad Groover, Scott Kadlub, Kenny Barbee, and Dave Paustic - have worked hard since coming to ASU as freshmen in 1993, and have been the cornerstone behind ASU’s potent running attack.

Coach Jerry Moore described them as, "steady players who have consistently gotten better" and stated, "after struggling in 1993 as redshirt freshmen, their work ethic set the trend for a successful 1994 season."

Scott Kadlub, a senior from Palm Harbor, Fla., has given up just 1.5 sacks in his 2,820 plays under center. The 2,820 plays ranks him first on the all-time offensive line charts. He is an All-American who holds the school record for consecutive games (32) and plays without a sack (2,237). Scott has started 41 games on the line, and with 35 of those being winning performances, holds a school record. Unfortunately for Kadlub, a knee injury he suffered in the Eastern Kentucky game caused him to miss starts this season. Even with his impressive statistics, he still lacks deserved recognition for his accomplishments.

Not to be outdone is Chad Groover, who also has posted impressive statistics in his career at Appalachian. Groover, also an All-American at tackle, hails from Winston-Salem. He is second to Scott Kadlub in plays with 2,617 and in 1994 he became the first offensive lineman in Mountaineer history to record over 900 plays in a single season. Like Kadlub, he has allowed a minimal amount of sacks in a four year career with four, and is also second on the win list for starters, just behind Kadlub. What is even more impressive about Groover is that during the entire undefeated 1995 season he did not give up a sack.

Dave Paustic, the Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. turned Banner Elk resident has not put up the flashy numbers as Groover or Kadlub, but they are not too shabby. He has appeared in 37 games and has compiled 2,008 snaps, which is eighth all-time in Mountaineer football. He has 30 winning performances in his four year career, and has started in 22 consecutive games. In 1996 he leads the line with 25 pancake blocks. Pastusic doesn’t measure success by consecutive games or pancake blocks, but on how the running back and quarterback do, as he states, "A good game is when a running back gets 150-200 yard and the quarterback doesn’t get sacked or pressured." When asked how he felt about not getting as much recognition as the quarterbacks and running backs he adds, "It comes with the role as a lineman - you learn to accept it."

Finally, the last remaining senior on the offensive line is Kenny Barbee. Barbee, a Concord resident, has started 23 games at right guard and has amassed 1,320 career plays in his four year career. He has allowed just three sacks, and at Tennessee-Chattanooga, he compiled a career high six pancake blocks.

These four seniors have worked hard since their freshman years, and do it without any recognition. Coach Moore called them, "solid players who have set an example for the freshmen and sophomores and juniors who will fill their shoes next year."

When we see stories and highlights of ASU football, it is always of Damon Scott running over the competition or Bake Baker making a miraculous comeback against Georgia Southern. Without the great job of the offensive line, Baker would not have the time to throw two second half touchdown passes and Scott would have had trouble running for over 100 yards in eight games this season.

As four offensive line starters leave Appalachian State University, we should commend them on their exceptional careers and thank them for their diligent work ethic that has helped make the Mountaineers a football powerhouse during the past four years. They deserve it.

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Buzzball will win you over
Mike Daniels
Sports Editor

sports commentary

This Friday, the Appalachian State University men’s basketball team will open its regular season, and a new era in Appalachian basketball, in Varsity Gymnasium against Wingate College.

For those of you who have been attending this university for a while, I’m sure you’ve read previews every year about what exciting year its going to be for the basketball team and how you should come out and support your Mountaineers. Well, in the past these were just the obligatory words of support that we as student journalists are sort of required to say about our own team.

However, that dosen’t always mean that we mean it. As anybody who saw a men’s basketball game here last year knows, there was definitely nothing exciting going on down at the gym. I should know since I covered just about every game we played last year and the only thing exciting I ever saw was Stephon Marbury, Drew Barry and Matt Harpring of Georgia Tech making us look like an opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters on television before a packed house.

This, however, will be the year that things change. And believe me I’m not just saying it because I have to. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this column.

After watching both of the Mountaineers pre-season exhibitions I am now convinced that things are going to change for the better with this program. If you went to either of those games I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

Going down to the gym to watch a game this year has been a totally different experience from what is was in the past. From the moment you walk in the door there is a feeling of excitement and anticipation. When the team is introduced the lights dim, the music comes on and you get the feeling you’re not in a multi-purpose college gym but an NBA arena.

Even more impressive, and important, is what happens once the Mountaineers get on the court. This team no longer looks like the bunch of lackluster losers who seemed as into their games as their lifeless fans last year.

This year’s team, which features basically the same cast with a few new exciting additions, plays with an enthusiasm and energy that have not been seen in Boone for quite a few years.

The source of this energy? Their coach.

Buzz Peterson is the architect of this new team which, in many ways, is a reflection of his personality. Unlike his predescesor, Peterson makes his presence known at the games, pacing up and down the bench barking orders to his players and giving them a kick in the butt when they need it.

This sign of life from the bench reflects to the players on the court, who now play with a passion and confidence that they lacked in the past. In the past two games I have witnessed more slam dunks than I saw all of last season. While slams don’t win basketball games or even signify winners, they do show that the players are confident.

Another thing that I have noticed is the tenacious defense that has been implanted by Peterson, another sign of the team’s confidence. Against the Yugoslavia Select team Monday night, defense was the key to the game for both teams. Despite being severly under-sized and out-muscled, the Mountaineers were able to hang with the semi-pro team because of their swarming defense.

When it was over, Appalachian had lost 63-62, but proved that they were a darn good team, having lost by only only one point and leading most of the way, against a team that had just come off big wins over SEC powers Tennessee and Vanderbilt. As Peterson said afterward, "I’m glad this happened to our team... I saw some good signs coming down the stretch."

Last Monday’s game against the Charlotte Royals was a different story. The Mountaineers piled up the offense on slam dunks, no-look passes, and other moves that made them look as though they were a bunch of NBA players dressed up as Mountaineers in their 92-83 win that was not nearly as close as the score indicates.

As for their opener against Wingate this Friday, Peterson said Monday that "I’m glad things didn’t work out for us tonight so it’ll let our guys know ‘Hey, things just don’t work out easy, you’ve got to earn them.’ Maybe this will make us come back on practice Wednesday hungry."

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Lady Apps drop opener to N.C. State
Danny Sink
Staff Writer

The Lady Mountaineers dropped the opening game of their season this past Friday by a 29 point margin to the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the pre-season National Invitation Tournament

The ladies came out with a hot hand, scoring the first four points of the game to take the early advantage. The lead did not hold up long, however, as the do-it-all freshman, Katie Smrcka-Duffy, got hot with her first basket two minutes into the first half and a three-pointer a minute later to put the Wolfpack up by a point.

The ‘Pack would never again trail the Mountaineers in the game. Smrcka-Duffy would go on to rack up 28 points and 13 rebounds beside her name with a strong performance. She would be the only player on either squaad to record the rare double-double on the night.

Erica Mathies and Meredeth Thompson would lead the Mountaineers effort. Mathies scored a team high 12 points and pulled down a pair of rebounds. Thompson placed 11 on the board and pulled down three boards. Also playing a solid game for the Mountaineers was Andreia Hinton with seven points and eight rebounds, six of those defensive.

The 41-21 half-time deficit proved to be more than Appalachian could climb out of as they never cut the State lead to more than 18 in the second half. The Wolfpack scored 23 points off of Appalachian turnovers to the Mountaineers. 12, to post a 79-50 final score.

The Apps will try to pick up their first win of the season against East Carolina this Saturday. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. in Varsity Gymnasium.

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Tyson vs. Holyfield: Holy war or metaphor
Jason Sommerville
Staff Writer

sports commentary

"Evander Holyfield TKO’s Mike Tyson in 11th Round!!!!!"

This was the headline on the front of the sports section of almost every newspaper in the country last Sunday, and I’m sure just about all of you here on the ASU campus knew the outcome of the fight before the early edition even came out. Well, despite what many anti-boxing critics may say, this fight mirrored life in many ways and for many reasons.

First of all, ever since Mike Tyson’s rape conviction, he has been seen as an agent for evil, a destructive boxing machine that is as mean and vile in the ring as he is outside of it. Just about everyone who follows sports in any way has an opinion about Tyson, and I’d bet that the majority of those opinions would be negative. Across the spectrum is Holyfield, a talented and underrated boxer who may not destroy opponents with the fury of a Tyson, but who’s record (33-3) definitely speaks for itself. Holyfield is also a deeply religous Christian who says he owes all of his success in life and boxing to Jesus Christ.

Who could have asked for a better metaphor for life than a matchup between these two, one portrayed as evil and the other as good? No one could have, and in the classic tradition that began with the first writings of the Bible, good triumphed over evil. It was evident that the crowd was on Holyfield’s side from the beginning, most likely because of his mild modesty and religous beliefs, and when he did beat his own Goliath, the people couldn’t have been happier.

Another way the Tyson/Holyfield fight became representative of life itself was the religous undertones that seemed to be present, though invisible. In an interview on ESPN after the fight, Holyfield said he won "because Jesus Christ was in his corner, and because he was in his corner, he could rise above pressure to overcome."

Well, in case you are unaware, ever since Tyson was in prison, he has become deeply religous himself, but in the Islamic faith. Because of this, the battle between the two fighters represented the clashes of the Crusades, only on a much smaller scale. Without saying it in exact words, Evander Holyfield implied throughout his interview that he had won the fight because he believed in Jesus Christ and Christianity, and Mike Tyson believed in something else.

Whether you agree or disagree with the comments that I’ve made, or think I’m just reading way too much into boxing itself, that is not the point. The point is that no matter how barbaric the politically correct world may think boxing is, it is still fun to watch two guys beat the ever-living daylights out of each other!!!

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