Football Archives | High Country Press

UPDATE: Weather Forces Changes to Appalachian State University’s Friday Homecoming Schedule

By Madison Fisler Lewis Update: The schedule of homecoming events for Friday, Oct. 10, has been changed due to the weather forecast. The Lip Sync finals and pep rally will be moved to their rain location inside the Holmes Convocation Center. The times will remain the same, with Lip Sync starting at 6 p.m. and the Pep Rally following at 8 p.m. The bonfire and fireworks originally planned to follow the Pep Rally on Duck Pond Field have been cancelled. The High Country Tuple Crown running of The Knob and The Bonk remain on schedule as of now. Appalachian’s women’s soccer homecoming game against Troy University also remains on schedule as of now. Sept. 26, 2014. Homecoming weekend for Appalachian State University is almost upon us. With the kickoff event, the 1,200 Pint Homecoming Blood Drive held earlier this week, the events lineup looks to be shaping up to be one of the best years yet as alumni, students, and other members of the Appalachian family prepare for the weekend themed “Home Sweet Home.” For most, the homecoming football game is the highlight of the weekend. This year’s contest pitting the Mountaineers against Liberty will take place on Oct. 11 with …

Where Are You Headed for the Broncos v. Seahawks Super Bowl Matchup on Sunday, Feb. 2?

by Madison V. Fisler Jan. 30, 2014. For many, it’s one of the most important days of the year. Super Bowl XLVIII will see the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks face off on Feb. 2 in Metlife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey. Thousands of fans will attend the game, but thousands more will be there in spirit, cheering for their favorite team from the comfort of their favorite watering hole. If you haven’t yet made plans for the biggest game in the entire professional football season, it’s not too late. Here is your chance to see what is going on in the High Country for the most important day of the year for die-hard football fans, so grab your friends, family and your lucky jersey and head on out for a night to remember. The Rock The Rock in Boone will be opening its doors at 5 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. They will be having a giveaway with more than 100 items, and each customer receives a raffle ticket on their way in. Drawings will begin at halftime. The Rock is currently taking reservations, and there are only a few tables left! For reservations, please call The Rock …

Appalachian State University’s 2014 Football Schedule is Taking Shape After Recent Move to the FBS Ranks

May 3, 2013. Appalachian State University’s 2014 football schedule is taking shape with the addition of a home game versus Campbell and the cancellation of a previously scheduled trip to McNeese State. In a deal originally struck last fall, Appalachian State will host Campbell on Sept. 6, 2014, one week after the Mountaineers’ previously announced season opener at Michigan. The Aug. 30, 2014 contest at Michigan is a rematch of the Appalachian’s historic 34-32 victory over the No. 5-ranked Wolverines in 2007 and will serve as the Mountaineers’ first game as members of the NCAA Division I FBS Sun Belt Conference. Appalachian officially joins the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014. Due to Appalachian State’s move to the FBS ranks, the Mountaineers and McNeese State have cancelled their home-and-home series, which included games in Lake Charles, La. in 2014 and at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2015. When the schools entered the agreement in 2009, the contract included a stipulation that either party could cancel the series without penalty if one of the programs made the move from NCAA Division I FCS to FBS. With the contests versus Michigan and Campbell and eight Sun Belt conference games already on tap for …

Photos: ASU Football’s First Spring Scrimmage

April 23, 2013. A terrific defensive effort and stellar punting and place-kicking by Zach Matics (Jacksonville, N.C./Southwest-Onslow) lifted the Black squad to a 12-3 win over the Gold in Appalachian State University football’s Spring Game on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The Black defense surrendered just 180 yards (2.9 yards per play), including a paltry 26 yards on 35 Gold rushes (0.7 yards per carry). The Gold defense was nearly as staunch, allowing just 261 total yards (3.9 per play) and forcing the game’s only two turnovers on a pair of interceptions by sophomore Doug Middleton (Winston-Salem, N.C./Parkland). With neither defense yielding much yardage, Matics proved to be the difference in the ballgame. The redshirt freshman not only kicked three of the Black’s four field goals from 48, 27 and 31 yards but also helped his squad win the field-position battle by averaging 42.2 yards per punt. On the other hand, two Gold punters combined to average just 26.4 yards per boot, which allowed the Black to drive 50 yards or less for all four of its scores. The squads combined for 17 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, led by 2.5 sacks and 4.5 stops behind the line of …

Watauga High School Head Football Coach Steps Down Tuesday But Still Remains Athletic Director

By Madison V. Fisler Dec. 13, 2012. On Tuesday, Tom Wright stepped down as the interim head football coach at Watauga High School after one year at the position. Wright, who is also the athletic director at WHS, took over the position after the previous head coach, Tim Pruitt, resigned as coach in April to take another coaching position in Cherryville. During Wright’s year in charge of the team, the Pioneers finished in fifth place for the season. “I thought we had a good year,” Wright said. “I truly enjoyed it, it was great to be around young people again. As atheletic director I don’t get that chance very often.” When Wright took the position, it was with the understanding that he would just do it for the year to get through the year without having to immediately scramble for a new head coach. Wright said that he had just given them a one year commitment until the timing was right to find someone else for the job. Wright said that he loved coaching the football team this past year, but it proved to be too time consuming. Because of this, he decided to concentrate on his position as athletic director …

Mountaineers Kick Off 2012 Football Season With Annual Fan Fest Tomorrow, Featuring Band NeedToBreathe

By Greg Hince Aug. 17, 2012. Appalachian State will hold its annual football Fan Fest tomorrow, Saturday Aug. 18 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The event, sponsored by Carolina West Wireless, will feature southern rock band NeedToBreathe and will be the last chance for fans to watch the Mountaineers scrimmage before they begin real action, Sept. 1 at noon against East Carolina. Mountaineer players and coaches will sign autographs and take pictures with fan during the Fan Fest. Players will also lead on-field football drills, and Appalachian cheerleaders will paint game faces. Inflatable rides will be available for young fans to enjoy. “This is the real kickoff to our football season,” Samantha Stevens, Assistant Athletics Director of Marketing and Licensing at Appalachian State said. “This is when we see all the faithful come out.” The event is an annual highlight for the Appalachian State athletics program. With the influx of students arriving and returning to Appalachian, Fan Fest is a great way to acquaint students with the football program that has brought the school so much notoriety in the past few years. “This really is the last chance to see the team before they begin the new season,” Stevens said. Fan …

More All-America Recognition for Kimbrough, McCray

July 31, 2012. Jeremy Kimbrough (Decatur, Ga./Cedar Grove) and Demetrius McCray (Covington, Ga./Newton) continued to rake in preseason all-America accolades on Monday when College Sporting News named the Appalachian State University duo to its first team. Kimbrough and McCray also earned first-team preseason all-American recognition from The Sports Network and are both on the official watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the nation’s top NCAA Division I FCS defensive player. Kimbrough is returning for his third season as Appalachian State’s starting middle linebacker in 2012. The 5-11, 240-pounder led Appalachian and ranked fifth in the Southern Conference a year ago with 105 tackles and received a slew of all-America honors, including first-team honors from College Sports Journal and second-team recognition from The Sports Network and Phil Steele Publications. He finished eighth in the SoCon with 12 tackles for loss and tied for 11th with four sacks, making him one of only two players to finish among the league’s top 11 in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in 2011. McCray led the SoCon and tied for eighth nationally with five interceptions in his first season as a full-time starter in 2011, en route to fourth-team all-America accolades from Phil Steele Publications. The 6-0, 185-pounder also tied for 12th …

Performance From Southern Rock Band NeedToBreathe Headlines Annual ASU Football Fan Fest August 18

July 18, 2012. Appalachian State University athletics announced on Tuesday that Southern rock band NeedToBreathe will headline Appalachian football’s annual Fan Fest, presented by Carolina West Wireless on Saturday, Aug. 18 at Kidd Brewer Stadium. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 4 p.m. — Gates open and traditional family-friendly Fan Fest activities begin. Activities include: Mountaineer student-athletes and coaches signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, face-paining by Appalachian cheerleaders, inflatable rides for kids and access to the Kidd Brewer Stadium playing field,. 6 p.m. — Appalachian State football holds its final intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason. 8:30 p.m. — NeedToBreathe performs. A nationally acclaimed Southern rock band from Possum Kingdom, S.C., NeedToBreathe is touring nationwide on the heels of their latest album, The Reckoning, debuting at No. 6 on Billboard’s top-200 chart. NeedToBreathe has sold out venues such as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Chicago’s House of Blues and scored an impressive number of placements in blockbuster films and numerous primetime television shows, including P.S. I Love You, Desperate Housewives and The Biggest Loser. TICKETS • Admission to the entire Fan Fest event, including the scrimmage, on-field activities and NeedToBreathe concert is FREE for Appalachian State football season-ticket holders and Appalachian students. • …

ASU Football Team Adds Two New Coaches

By Jason Gilmer Feb. 19, 2012. BOONE — Jerry Moore is close to filling up his coaching staff for the fall football season. Last week, it was announced that Dwayne Ledford and Bryan Brown were officially named to the staff. Things have changed drastically for the coaching staff since the season ended, but more on that later. Here’s the quick info on the two newest members: Ledford, who’s from Marion, N.C. and will be the team’s new offensive line coach, played seven years in the NFL with stops at several places, including the San Francisco 49ers (1999-2000 and 2003-04), Jacksonville Jaguars (2000), Carolina Panthers (2001), Cleveland Browns (2005) and New Orleans Saints (2006). He’s coming to the Mountaineers after a year of coaching at Gardner-Webb University. There he was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. He’s also spent time coaching at Tennessee State, was the strength coach at North Carolina during his time in the NFL, was an offensive line intern with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, was a graduate assistant at East Carolina (his alma mater) and was the offensive line coach at Sanderson High School in Raleigh for one season. Brown comes to the Mountaineers from Ole Miss, where …