Appalachian Athletics News and Notes

"Appalachian Agrees to Football Series with Montana, McNeese State"
(Appalachian Sports Information)
Traditional NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powers Appalachian State, Montana and McNeese State have entered into a six-game agreement that will have Appalachian host Montana in 2012 and travel to face the Griz in Missoula, Mont. in 2013, the three schools announced on Thursday.

ASU’s previously announced home-and-home series with McNeese State has been moved back one year as part of the arrangement, with games now scheduled for 2014 in Lake Charles, La. and 2015 in Boone. Montana and McNeese will square off in 2016 and ‘17 to round out the six contests.

Each home team is providing the visiting squad with a $100,000 guarantee to help offset travel expenses and there is a $250,000 buyout clause for each program.

Appalachian, Montana and McNeese State have combined for 48 Division I-AA/FCS postseason appearances and five national championships (Montana in 1995 and 2001; ASU in 2005, 2006 and 2007). They represent three of the nation’s top FCS conferences — the Southern, Big Sky and Southland, respectively.

The Mountaineers have faced the Griz just once before, a 19-16 overtime thriller won by Montana in the 2000 I-AA national semifinals at UM’s Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Apps square off with McNeese for the first time on Sept. 12 of this season when the Cowboys visit Kidd Brewer Stadium.

SERIES DETAILS AND QUOTES
2012: Montana at Appalachian (Sept. 1)
2013: Appalachian at Montana (date TBA)
2014: Appalachian at McNeese State (Aug. 30)
2015: McNeese State at Appalachian (Sept. 5)
2016: Montana at McNeese State (Sept. 3)
2017: McNeese State at Montana (Sept. 2)

“This agreement is great for everyone associated with these three excellent football programs. It gives our student-athletes and coaches the opportunity to compete against the best competition and in the best atmospheres that FCS has to offer. For the students, alumni and fans of all three schools, it provides four marquee non-conference games to each of our schedules that are sure to be among the nation’s most talked-about showdowns each year. We hope that this agreement serves as a catalyst for more intersectional matchups between high-level FCS programs in the future.”
— ASU director of athletics Charlie Cobb

“This is good for Appalachian, but it’s especially good for all of FCS football. People look forward to games like Ohio State-Texas and Notre Dame-USC on the FBS level, so it’s great to give fans of our programs and FCS in general the opportunity to have games of a similar magnitude to look forward to as well. Also, I’ve always been a believer that to become a good football team, you have to play good football teams and these matchups certainly fit the bill in that regard.”
— ASU head coach Jerry Moore

“This is an exciting venture for all three programs. I know our coaches, players and Griz fans everywhere think very highly of these two football powers, and it will be great for the FCS to have six non-conference games featuring top-tier schools from different parts of the country. Special thanks should go to the administrators at Appalachian State and McNeese State, who worked hard with us to find a way to make this series happen. These game should generate a lot of national interest.”
— Montana director of athletics Jim O’Day

“Scheduling quality non-conference opponents is critical to the mission and vision of what we’re trying to do. It’s exciting to our fans, our community and to our institution. This is exciting for FCS football. It has national interest. Among the three of us there have been 10 national championship appearances and that speaks for itself.”
— McNeese State director of athletics Tommy McClelland


"Dowdy Becomes ASU-Record Fourth MLB Draftee"
Appalachian Sports Information

Pitcher Josh Dowdy became the fourth Appalachian State University player selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft when the Baltimore Orioles tabbed him with their 38th-round pick (1,136th overall) on Thursday. He joins teammates Zach Quate, Rand Smith and Isaac Harrow, who were drafted on Wednesday by the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins and New York Yankees, respectively, to give Appalachian a school-record four MLB draftees this year.

In 20 appearances in 2009, Dowdy posted a 6-3 record and 5.07 earned run average over 76.1 innings, proving to be one of the staff’s most reliable arms with seven mid-week relief appearances to go along with his normal spot in the weekend rotation. The right-hander held opposing hitters to a .288 average and struck out 68 batters while allowing just 19 walks.

Dowdy overcame a shaky start in ‘09 to go 14-straight appearances (including eight-consecutive starts) without a loss, a stretch that covered two months (March 15-May 15) and continued a trend of late-season success that spanned his two years at ASU. In 20 post-April 1 appearances during his two seasons with the Mountaineers, the East Carolina transfer was 9-2 with a 4.45 ERA.

In all, Dowdy struck out 123 and walked just 36 as a Mountaineer, good for a 3.4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Amazingly, eight players that either were seniors or would have been seniors at Appalachian this past season went on to become MLB draft picks — Dowdy, Harrow, Quate and Smith, 2008 draftees Jason Rook (Orioles), David Rubinstein (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Garrett Sherrill (Milwaukee Brewers) and Ben Billingsley, who played at ASU as a freshman before finishing his collegiate career at Lenoir C.C. and being drafted by the Seattle Mariners last year. Prior to last year, no Mountaineers had been drafted since 1996.

Avery High School Celebrates its Student-Athletes during Annual Awards Ceremony

Avery High School celebrated its 41st season of prep athletics last Friday evening with its annual athletic awards banquet held in Viking Gym The best and the brightest student-athletes were recognized during the ceremony for their successes both on the field and in the classroom.

Athletic Directors Matthew Bentley and Jay Smith served as the Masters of Ceremonies as team, individual, and coaching achievements were honored.

A total of 18 athletes were recognized by being named All-Conference selections in sports during the 2008-09 school year, while a number of individual athletes were recognized for additional notable outstanding accomplishments during the past school year. Those honored for individual achievements included:

Chase Arrowood – Track and Field State Qualifier
Emily Banner – Soccer All-Region Selection
Hayden Blackburn – Tennis State Qualifier
Rachel Buchanan- Volleyball Blue/White All-Star Selection
Caroline Crenshaw – Track State Qualifier
Katie Ellis – Blue/White All-Star selection (volleyball & basketball), Western Highlands Conference Basketball All-Tournament Team
Kyle Griewisch – Track and Field State Qualifier, Soccer All-Region
Daniel Huff – Soccer All-Region
Andrew Ingram - Track and Field State Qualifier, Soccer All-Region
Anna Melton- Tennis State Qualifier
Samantha Shook – Western Highlands Conference Basketball All-Tournament Team
Mary Chesnut Smith- Track and Field State Qualifier, Cross Country State Qualifier, Cross Country All-State Selection, Track and Field All-State Selection, Soccer All-Region
Alex Villanueva – Track and Field State Qualifier
Brock Yackey – Wrestling State Qualifier
Morgan Yackey- Three Softball No-Hitters Pitched, Softball All-District, Softball All-State

Several additional special awards were doled out during the evening’s festivities. Avery teacher Gwen Clark was presented with a special award for her work during the conference basketball tournaments held this season at Avery, as well as for her help in framing and preparing the awards for the athletic banquet.

A pair of Avery coaches and a duo of Lady Vikings were recognized with Western Highlands Conference special awards. Rhiannon Manis was presented with a plaque for being named WHC Tennis Coach of the Year, while first-year men’s golf coach Boe Barinowski received the WHC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year award. A pair of Avery student athletes were also recognized as WHC award winners, as senior Morgan Yackey nabbed Conference Player of the Year for tennis during the fall season, and senior Cailan Calloway was honored with the WHC Goalkeeper of the Year Award for her record-breaking success during the Lady Vikings soccer season.

Avery High School Assistant Coach and Head Coach of the Year Awards were also given on Friday night. Varsity boys basketball assistant coach Reggie Oakes was named Assistant of the Year for his time and dedication to his sport and to the school. “This coach will do anything that is asked or called upon to do. He has been a success anywhere he has been,” said Athletic Director Bentley during the ceremony.

The Avery County Head Coach of the Year honor was awarded to Rhiannon Manis for the tremendous season her ladies tennis squad enjoyed in 2008-09. In the words of Avery Athletic Director Matthew Bentley, “This coach has built the program from the ground up, and has worked in all aspects of the program.” Coach Manis’ résumé from this past season included being named the Western Highlands Conference Coach of the Year, as well as coaching three state qualifiers and the conference’s player of the year.

A number of students were recipients of special individual awards. Senior Katie Ellis received the Western Highlands Conference Academic Athlete of the Year award for her terrific year on the court and in the classroom.

Former Avery County Teacher of the Year Roger Wise presented this year’s Sportsmanship Awards to seniors Sara Singleton and Jordan English for their displays of exemplary sportsmanship both on and off the field.

English also was the male beneficiary of the Avery Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which was presented by Avery High School Principal Mark Garrett to him and fellow senior Katie Ellis for their merit in the classroom while also excelling in the athletic arena.

The final individual awards of the evening were the Avery Athletes of the Year. Sutton Stanley was the male winner of the award, while there were co-female recipients of the award in senior standouts Katie Ellis and Morgan Yackey.

While numerous sports accolades were lauded for the 2008-09 school year, Avery students were also outstanding in the classroom setting. In addition to the aforementioned individual scholar-athlete awards, a total of eight teams were recognized for their academic excellence, honored by being named North Carolina High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Team Award winners.

An impressive total of 58 athletes earned NCHSAA Scholar Athlete Awards, where athletes must maintain a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

The only bump on the road during the event was the accidental omission of a pair of All-Conference basketball student-athletes in senior Allison Vance and junior Lauren Avery to the original naming of All-Conference team members. The ladies’ names were called and recognized at a later portion of the program, but Athletic Director Bentley wished to personally express his apologies for the oversight. “I want to apologize to Allison and Lauren for not being originally mentioned with the All-Conference team members. I’m very sorry for that,” Mr. Bentley said after the ceremony.

Bentley went on to discuss the event and the student-athletes who have achieved so much this season in academics and athletics.

“We’ve had a very good group of kids this year and I really hate to see them go. I wish we could keep them around a couple more years,” Bentley stated at the event’s conclusion. “Academics translate straight to the athletic field. If you look at our teams, the ones who have the most scholar-athletes are among our best teams. Kids that work hard in the classroom work hard on the field. I appreciate everyone’s support and it has been a great year for Avery High School.”

Carolina Golden Knights Set to Open Regular Season This Sunday at Home

After weeks of practice, hours of sweat and hard work, and the hundreds of gallons of Gatorade, the Carolina Golden Knights are ready for their first game of 2009.

This Sunday the Knights, based in Newland, host the Burke Storm of Drexel in this Early Season contest. This is the opening game for the Knights, with the Burke Storm standing at 0-1, after a loss to the Carolina Renegades 32-8 in Winston Salem this past weekend.

Gates will open at 3:00 pm at the Cranberry Sports Complex located at the Historic Cranberry High School site, with a kickoff slated for 4:00 pm. Both teams are members of the NSAFL of Chapin, S.C.

“From where we started in January, looking back on everything these guys have done to get us here, from money invested to the hours of lost family time they have given in practice, no matter what the score reads Sunday evening I am proud to be a part of this team. Just by taking the field Sunday when so many said It would never happen, to me they have already won.” Golden Knights Team Director and quarterback Steve Whittington said when asked about the upcoming game.

The Knights wish to thank Boone Drug, Nick's Deli, Time Square Diner, Screen Print X-Press, Sears of Spruce Pine, and especially the Cranberry Corporation for their support and dedication to this idea.

So come out Sunday and support the High Country’s newest sports venue at the Cranberry Sports Complex. Tickets will be General Admission with a $5 charge, kids 10 and under are free. All ticket sales will be donated to local charities. There is open seating, so bring your lawn chair and blanket and spend an evening. Vendors will be on site as well as concessions and team merchandise for purchase.