Photo by Tommy Penick

by ROB JENKINS
Sports Editor

Dominique McDuffie returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown with 7:42 left in the fourth quarter and Appalachian State hung on the rest of the way to claim a 20-13 victory over South Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

“It was a good fight,” head coach Jerry Moore said. “I told [SCSU head coach] Buddy [Pough] after the game that they might be the best team we played this year. They had a great plan and when you watch them on tape you can see how good of a football team they are.”

The Bulldogs got on the board first when Blake Erickson kicked a 31-yard field goal that capped a 15- play, 57-yard opening drive.

UPDATED 3:26 p.m.

Jay Franklin Derby

Jay Franklin Derby, 20, of Matthews, and a junior at Appalachian State University, passed from this life in a tragic accident Sunday.

Jay was born June 22, 1989 and raised in Charlotte and Matthews. Jay attended Paideia Academy at Oakhurst, Randolph Middle School where he was active on the golf team, and graduated from Butler HS in 2007 where he was active in Jazz Band.

Jay worked at Sagebrush Restaurant in Monroe during breaks from school. Jay was an avid sportsman who loved wakeboarding, snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, boating, fishing, baseball, basketball and golf.

UPDATED 6:14 p.m.

STAFF REPORTS

The Boone Police Department charged Galen Elijah Ruble, 20, in the death of Appalachian State University student Jay Franklin Derby, also 20, this afternoon, Detective Glen Kornhauser said.

Ruble, a Boone resident, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and bond was set at $10,000, Kornhauser said. 

Ruble was brought before the Watauga County Magistrate and was given a court date of Dec. 15.

by JUSTIN HERBERGER
News Reporter
 
Appalachian State University’s Institute for Health and Human Services and the Wellness Center hosted the Great American Smokeout Thursday in Plemmons Student Union.

The event aimed to educate students about the dangers of smoking, as well as Appalachian’s smoking policy.

According to the American Heart Association, there are about 47.1 million smokers in the United States.