Sports

Scott leads Apps to victory in Chattanooga
Mike Daniels
Sports Editor

Tailback Damon Scott ran for 154 yards and both Mountaineer touchdowns Saturday against UTC (file photo)

For someone who wasn’t even supposed to play, Damon Scott sure had a big game in Chattanooga Saturday. The senior tailback ran for 154 yards and both Mountaineer touchdowns against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga this weekend to carry the Apps to a 20-6 victory.

For Scott, the game was a return of sorts. His 154 yards on the ground marked the first time that the senior has run for over 100 yards since the Furman game three weeks ago. The game was also a return to the field for Scott, who did not practice all week due to a sprained ankle he suffered in the Marshall game.

Appalachian Head Coach Jerry Moore said, "Damon really played well. He didn’t practice all week... we weren’t even prepared to play him." It was not until pre-game warm-ups that Scott was given the okay to play by Moore.

Besides leading the Apps to victory, Scott was able to write his name into the Appalachian record books once again. On the Mountaineers’ second drive of the game Scott was able to eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing mark on the season, making him only the second player in App history to run for 1,000 yards in a season twice. The other rusher to accomplish this feat was Appalachian’s all-time rushing leader and former Seattle Seahawk John Settle.

As a team, Appalachian was able to rack up 324 yards on the ground on 62 carries, 42 of those by Scott. That figure marked the most rushing yards the Apps have had as team since their second game of the season against Tennessee Tech.

Despite the fact that the Mountaineers were able to shut out the Mocs until late in the game, and that they were able to run the ball very effectively, they did not look like the team that came out and hung with Marshall for one half last week. Moore said that he thought the Mountaineers "...weren’t sharp at all" and that part of that might be attributed to "...a little bit of a letdown coming off last week."

Both teams managed to look sloppy when it came to committing penalties. Each squad was flagged eight times for a grand total of 133 yards. For the Mountaineers, false starts and two unsportsmanlike conduct flags that resulted in a loss of 30 yards were a hindrance. Moore said that, "Some really obvious penalties hurt us."

Another part of the game that looked ugly for both teams was the punting. Appalachian punter Allen Guinn, who usually averages about 45 yards a punt, averaged a lowly 38.1 yards per punt on seven tries Saturday. UTC punter Andy Smith looked even worse, averaging 35.7 yards per punt on seven kicks. The reason for the lousy punting was the stiff wind that blew straight up field all day.

However, the Apps "...did a lot of good things in the ball game," according to Coach Moore. One of those was the way the Apps were able to stop the Mocs’ running attack. The Mountaineer run defense held UTC to a mere 43 yards on the ground on 25 carries. The Moccasins leading rusher, Tyrone Coleman, who usually averages 60.9 yards per game on the ground, was limited to just 10 yards on four carries by the Appalachian defense.

With their ground game shut down, UTC was forced to turn to the air to try and get some offense. Although Moccasin quarterback Brian Hampton was able to throw for 260 yards and a touchdown, he was prevented from getting the Mocs into the game. The reason for this was the three interceptions that the Mountaineers secondary came up with inside Appalachian territory, two of which were thrown by Hampton.

In fact, UTC had two possible touchdown passes intercepted on the three yard line. One occurred late in the game after the Mountaineers already had the win in hand. The other occurred in the beginning of the third quarter on an option pass from running back Carlos Locklyn that did not fool Appalachian cornerback Elando Johnson, who came up with the pick at the three and returned the ball 21 yards.

The App defense was able to pressure Hampton all day, sacking him three times and causing him to throw the ball away several others. For the game, Hampton threw the ball 42 times, the same amount of passes as Damon Scott’s carries, but was only successful on 19 of those.

In comparison, Appalachian quarterback Bake Baker had a quiet day, going 10 of 19 for 72 yards but avoiding any sacks or interceptions. Moore said afterwards that Baker was "...not as sharp as he’s been" but that "All-in-all, he did pretty well."

Now 5-4 overall and 3-5 in the conference, Appalachian will have a week off before returning to action on Nov. 16 at Western Carolina. As for the playoffs, Moore said it is still "an outside shot" but that "It gives us something to hang onto."

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Sour ending for Men's Soccer Team
Seeded fourth going into tournament
David Jackson
Staff Writer

Appalachian squared off against Virginia Tech last week in their final home game of '96 (photot by Mike Jennings)

The regular season is in the books and the post-season has fallen upon the Appalachian State University Men's Soccer Team. The Mountaineers head into this weekend’s Southern Conference Tournament, in Greenville, S.C., seeded fourth, after compiling a 3-3 record in league play this season.

Appalachian closed out the regular season with back to back losses to Virginia Tech and Furman, 1-0 and 3-0 respectively.

Last Wednesday, in the final home game of the season, Virginia Tech mid fielder Mark Ludwig netted the game’s only score with less than 15 minutes remaining in the second half, as Virginia Tech held off the Mountaineers 1-0. The Mountaineers had a chance to tie the contest with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but a Naoshi Yamauchi corner kick sailed high, securing the Hokie victory.

Saturday afternoon, Appalachian concluded the regular season with a 3-0 defeat to the hands of the Furman Paladins. The Mountaineers were limited to just two shots on goal in the contest. Up until Saturday’s loss at Furman, the Apps’ had not lost back to back games by virtue of shutouts since October of 1994. The Mountaineers finished with an overall record of 5-13.

Head Coach Art Rex hopes his team can play the role of spoiler during this year’s edition of the Southern Conference Tournament. Appalachian battles Davidson in first round action Friday at noon. The Mountaineers downed the Wildcats earlier in the season on a last minute goal from Yamauchi.

The winner of the Appalachian-Davidson match will more than likely face top seeded Furman, Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. The tournament concludes with the championship game Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.

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It's time for real sports
Bruce Newland
Columnist

Roberto Alomar spit in the face of an umpire. Yankees Win, Yankees Win or Braves Win, Braves Win! Kirby Puckett had to retire. The Dodgers were swept in the playoffs. Eddie Murray hit his 500th career home run and blah, blah, blah. The question here is, who cares, baseball is about over and no one will be subjected to nine or more innings of boredom.

It is time for the real sports to take over. College football, professional football, professional basketball, and as of 12:00 a.m. Tuesday Oct. 15, college basketball, are all underway.

That’s right, the real sports are back. I know a lot of you are saying what about hockey. What about it? It’s played by grown men on skates on frozen water. Gimme a break. I will be the first to tell you, if hockey didn’t have any fights, it would be baseball on ice, which it basically is.

Now back to the real sports. College sports have names such as Manning, Johnson, Dunn, and a host of others, providing excitement minute by minute. These are just three names that could receive the Heisman at the end of the year. Why are thousands of fans, including myself, so excited by college football? Let me tell you why.

First of all, they are not "paid". Sure they get scholarships, but they bring in a lot more money than their scholarships cost. Second, they play with more emotion than professionals. They are a lot more exciting to watch because of these raw emotional outbursts.

Third, they actually get dirty. I mean they get chunks of dirt stuck in their face mask, dirt on their jersey’s, and basically dirt everywhere. A lot of teams, including ASU, are playing on the worst invention of all-time, artificial turf, needless to say, a majority of teams still play on good old natural grass. Anybody who has ever played a football game on grass that is wet or damp knows what it was like to play football in the full glory of the sport.

I COULDA BEEN A CONTENDER:

Your probably thinking I sound like Al Bundy reliving his famous four touchdown game in high school. Well, I am kind of a high school college hopeful who’s dreams were cut short by some injury. That’s besides the point. The point is I am still a big fan of college football. I mean there is nothing like being with a lot of your drunken friends, yelling your brains out for your team. Laughing at the other team’s stupid looking dog, frog, turkey, fish, or whatever their mascot is supposed to be. Plus, the fact that the other team’s cheerleaders always look dumber from across the field always supplies a good chuckle or two.

College football is nothing sort of a spectacle of college students, both new and old, letting out a week’s worth of stress, tension, and frustration. It’s almost like every time Dexter Coakley levels an opposing quarterback, he is actually leveling that teacher who’s exam you just failed. For teachers and former students, the quarterback is your boss or that pesky student who always has something to say. Yet, his answer has nothing to do with the question asked.

FORMAL BUT FUN:

Professional football is fun to watch. I have never been to a professional game, but it looks like a lot of fun. I can watch it on television and get into it, but sometimes it seems to formal. I mean you see every play a million times on instant replay. For goodness sakes, they have to keep their shirts tucked in during the entire game. Luckily, John Madden’s commentary makes it fun to watch. Especially when he draws all over the screen trying to show you how a particular play was ran.

The thing I like best about professional football is the personalities of the players. You have your gentlemen like Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino and others. Then you have my favorites, Brian Cox and Kevin Greene. Cox is not muscular, not fast, does not have a huge vertical leap nor does he have a bit of sympathy for opposing players. What he does have is a big outspoken mouth. That’s why I like Mr. Cox.

Greene is another outspoken player that struts like Ric Flair after sacking an opposing quarterback. Maybe one day he’ll slap Flair’s trademark figure-four leglock on an opposing quarterback. Hey, it could happen.

RETURN OF THE CRAZIES:

College basketball is back minus a few superstars. That’s OK, there are plenty more to take their places. College basketball is great for several reasons. Reason number one, the Cameroon Crazies. You have to love the fan support they give the Devils. Reason number two, my team (the Michigan Wolverines) have the next Charles Barkley in Robert Traylor. Reason number three, Temple Owls coach John Chaney does not have John Calipari to go after this year. Chaney actually looks like an owl when he gets excited and his eyes start popping out of his head. Reason number four, Tim Duncan is back to reign quiet terror on opposing teams.

NOTHING BUT ACTION:

Finally professional basketball is back. Charles Barkley is a Rocket. Allan Houston, Chris Childs, and Larry Johnson are New York Knicks. Kobe Bryant and Shaq are Lakers. Vlade Divac and Anthony Mason are Hornets. Juwan Howard and Chris Webber are back together again for the Washington Bullets or Wizards or whatever they are going to call themselves. Michael Jordan got 25 million to play one season. What does all this mean, nothing. The Bulls are going to win another championship ring.

That is OK though, Shaq is going to be a poor free throw shooter again. Dennis Rodman is going to average a million rebounds per game. Patrick Ewing still won’t win a championship. The Clippers will still be the Clippers. The second year expansion teams will look like, second year expansion teams. But, it will be sooo fun to watch. Dunks, three-point shots, hooks, fade-aways and the whole nine yards. Excitement is in the air. I see the real race for supreme glory happening between Sir Charles and Rodman for who will get the most ejection’s over the season.

With the baseball season ending, the college and professional big dogs, of football and basketball will more than make up for the long boring three plus hours grind that was pro baseball.

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Apps win big over Furman
Danny Sink
Staff Writer

This past Friday, the Appalachian State Women’s Volleyball Team went back in action against Davidson University. The Lady Mountaineers were able to improve their record to a 6-3 in the conference with an impressive 3-1 over the visiting Bobcats.

In the first game of the match, Appalachian swamped the ‘Cats with a 15-8 win. They then carried that momentum into the second game to rack up an easy win by the score of 15-5.

In the third game, the women from Davidson found some new life, taking a tight game 15-11.

The party did not last long, however, as the Mountaineers destroyed the hopes of a Bobcat comeback, sending them a home with a 15-5 pounding in the fourth game.

A huge effort was put forth by Appalachian’s Cindy Kolomechuk. The junior had 51 sets on the match and a .300 hitting average. Also coming up with a big match were Paula Levay, with a team leading .370 hitting average, and Jennifer Rumfeldt with a .368 hitting average and 13 digs.

The Apps put in an impressive team effort with a .276 team hitting average versus the .122 average of the Bobcats. The Mountaineers also got the job done on the defensive side of the net with 82 digs to 61 on the part of Davidson.

After finishing up a quick home stop Sunday against Marshall, the Mountaineers will get ready for a three game road trip that will take them to Western Carolina, Georgia State, and UTC.

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Women's soccer finishes on a losing note
Kathy Beam
Staff Writer

Appalachian in action last week against Davidson at Kidd Brewer Stadium (photo by Marvin Evans)

The Appalachian State Women’s Soccer Team had a bad weekend on the road, dropping two matches to Wofford and Georgia Southern to finish up their regular season.

Friday, the Apps traveled to Statesboro, Ga. to take on the Eagles of Georgia Southern. Appalachian started off the game right with an early goal by freshman Ashton Robinson assisted by junior Farrell O’Quinn.

But Georgia Southern responded in force with two goals in the first half and two more in the second, to win 4-1. Georgia Southern had 20 shots as opposed to Appalachian’s nine. Senior Kelley Guinn, the Mountaineer goalie, had eight saves.

On Sunday, Appalachian State traveled to Wofford College to face the Terriers. Wofford also came out strong, scoring four goals in the first period to take the lead. Senior Carolyn Mahony and freshman Katie Hand both scored unassisted goals in the second period to bring the score to 4-2. However, it proved to be too little, too late for the Apps, as Wofford scored again and went on to win by the score of 5-2.

Appalachian only had nine shots on goal again, compared to Wofford’s 21. Guinn had five saves in defeat.

Appalachian State, now 4-14-2 overall and 2-5-1 in the conference, is set to play the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament. The tournament starts Nov. 8 at Davidson College.

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ASU racks up honors at SC Championships
Kathy Beam
Staff Writer

The Appalachian State University Cross Country Team racked up the honors last weekend at the Southern Conference Cross Country Championship at Western Carolina University.

Appalachian’s women’s cross country team came out on top this weekend, capturing the Southern Conference Championship. Appalachian State’s men grabbed the runner-up spot in overall team competition.

Along with these honors, eight Appalachian students claimed spots on the all-conference team. Anthony Famiglietti, Stephen Thacker, Will Dickerson, and Jud Saver earned a position on the men’s team, while Christina Olson, Mary Jane Harrelson, Jenny Chase, and Corie Fuchs reserved their spaces on the women’s team.

Appalachian Head Coach John Weaver, split the Coach-of-the-Year award with East Tennessee State University’s Milan Donley.

Rookies Anthony Famiglietti and Mary Jane Harrelson walked away with the Southern Conference Freshman-of-the-Year awards.

Three Appalachian State women finished in the top five of the individual competition. Christina Olson, Mary Jane Harrelson, and Jenny Chase finished third, fourth and fifth respectively.

The Appalachian men had four runners land in the Top 10. Anthony Famiglietti finished fourth overall in individual competition.

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