Sims' Career Day leads App past Davidson

Courtesy of Appalachian Sports Information

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Donald Sims scored a career-high 44 points as Appalachian State University men’s basketball overcame an early 12-point deficit to defeat Davidson, 78-68, at Belk Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Mountaineers (8-7, 2-2 SoCon) shot 53.2 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from downtown in the win.

Sims scored 21 points in the first half as the Mountaineers closed the opening period on a 14-3 run to take a 37-35 advantage to the locker room.

The Apps extended the advantage to seven points at 57-50 before the Wildcats (7-9, 2-2) made their move and regained a one-point lead with seven minutes left on the clock.

From there, ASU went on a 17-3 run to put the game away at 78-65 before a Davidson trey closed the margin to 10 points in the waning seconds of the game.

Isaac Butts returned to form down low, as the big man scored 13 points and added 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He was 6-of-7 from the field and swatted both of the team’s blocks.

Accompanying Butts in the post, Josh Hunter pulled in seven rebounds and scored one point, while holding DC’s starting forwards to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting for the game.

Sims’ total was the fourth-highest in school history and the most since Stan Davis set the record with 56 points against Carson-Newman in 1974.

He sank 13-of-19 field goal attempts and 5-of-7 threes. The junior guard also found his way to the free throw a career-best 13 times, where he was perfect.

Once Davidson began to bear down on the sharp-shooter, the floor opened up for Kellen Brand to score 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting. Brand came off the bench after starting 46-consecutive games and added three rebounds and a steal in 29 minutes on the floor.

Starting in his place, Marcus Wright contributed four points with an assist and a steal.

The Appalachian defense held Bob McKillop’s squad to 38.7 percent shooting and 11-of-30 from downtown. DC hurt its own cause by sinking just 9-of-18 free throws.

JP Kuhlman led the Wildcats with 18 points and four rebounds, while three other starters also reached double-figure points. Appalachian held a 39-25 advantage on the boards to snap a four-game losing streak against Davidson.

The loss was just the second of the season at home for DC, who is 42-6 at home over the last four seasons. Appalachian dealt DC its only home loss in the 2006-07 season.

Appalachian returns home to host Elon on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Basketball and Wrestling again Victims of Inclement Weather

Recent weather continues to cause headaches to the athletics schedules of teams across Western North Carolina.

This evening's home basketball game scheduled against Madison has been postponed and rescheduled for this Monday, January 11th, starting at 5 p.m. with junior varsity boys action (Madison has no JV girls team this season).

Avery's next scheduled contest is tomorrow (Saturday, January 9th) at Polk County.

Avery's wrestling team was also unable to make the trip to Madison for today's dual meet. A rescheduled date has not been announced at this time.

Cloudland vs. North Greene Rescheduled

In order to beat the snow, the Highlanders announced on Wednesday night that they were going to flop dates with North Greene and travel to Baileyton on Thursday with the varsity girls to start at 5:00 and the boys contest at 6:30. However, they were not able to get the game this evening as the games have been postponed. The Highlanders will try to travel to North Greene tomorrow evening (Friday) with the girls at 5 and boys at 6:30. The February 5 game that was supposed to be in Baileyton has been moved to Cloudland for now. Keep checking the Avery Journal-Times as well as the AJT-Sports Facebook and Twitter for more updates.

Avery at Polk Postponed...again

The Avery at Polk basketball games that were rescheduled from Tuesday night to take place this evening have been postponed a second time due to inclement weather. Avery High School has announced that the games will be made up this Saturday, January 9th, with junior varsity girls action beginning at 1 p.m., weather permitting.

Below is an updated version of the Vikings Basketball Schedule after the postponements and reschedulings:

VIKINGS BASKETBALL:
Jan. 8 #Madison* Home 5:00pm
Jan. 9 Polk* Away 1:00pm
Jan. 12 Mtn. Heritage* Home 4:00pm
Jan. 15 Mitchell* Away 4:00pm
Jan. 19 Owen* Home 4:00pm
Jan. 20 Freedom(JV Girls only) Away 6:00pm
Jan. 21 West Wilkes Away 4:00pm
Jan. 22 #Thomas Jefferson*(Vars. Only) Away 6:00pm
Jan. 25 #Thomas Jefferson*(Vars. Only) Home 5:00pm
Jan. 26 Hendersonville* Away 4:00pm
Jan. 29 Polk* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 2 #Madison* Away 5:00pm
Feb. 3 Owen* Away 4:00pm
Feb. 5 Mtn. Heritage* Away 4:00pm
Feb. 8 Hendersonville* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 9 Mitchell* Home 4:00pm
Feb. 15-->19 Conference Tournament @ Owen TBA
# No JV Girls Game, JV Boys Start @ 5:00
* denotes Conference game

Morrill Takes the Helm of Lady Bobcats Soccer Program

BANNER ELK, N.C. - Athletic Director Craig McPhail has announced the hiring of Cally Morrill as the new women's soccer coach for the Lees-McRae College Bobcats. Morrill will resume all responsibilities as the head coach affective immediately.

"I think Cally is going to be a great women's soccer coach, her playing experience at Alabama as well as coaching, recruiting, developing players at Lenior -Rhyne were some of the key factors the search committee found very crucial to our job," McPhail said.

Morrill has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Lenoir-Rhyne University where they went 14-7-2 in the 2009 season. Prior to her post at LR, Morrill was a four-year starter at the University of Alabama. During he senior season, she was named the team's captain and Most Valuable Player. She also spent time as the strength and conditioning coach for the Alabama women's volleyball and women's soccer programs, and is currently an assistant coach for the 93' girls' Olympic Development team in North Carolina.

"She is ready to lead a program," said Morrill's former head coach at Lenior-Rhyne, Adrian Blewitt. She knows how to develop a program, players and how to recruit."

"With the progress we have made with our women's soccer program, I feel we are close to getting to the next level as our men's soccer program has shown over the past several years," McPhail said. "With Cally, I feel good about where we are headed and who we have leading the way."

"I would like to thank Craig and the Lees-McRae family for taking me on board and welcoming me to the Bobcat family, Morrill said. "I am very excited to get started with the program and to meet all of our current players. The spring season will be a great time for our players to develop and prepare for the 2010 season."

Visit lmcbobcats.com for the latest news and info on Lees-McRae College Athletics.

Dawson Only Player to Get Call to Enter Baseball's Hall

Andre Dawson was elected to the Hall of Fame, while Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar fell just short of earning baseball's highest honor.

Dawson, nicknamed "The Hawk," received 420 of 539 votes in voting announced Wednesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election.

Five of the ballots sent in were blank.

The eight-time All-Star, appearing on the ballot for the ninth time, had fallen 44 votes short last year.

"It was well worth the wait. I can't really describe the elation," Dawson said during a telephone conference call. "If you're a Hall of Famer, eventually you're going to get in, no matter how long it takes."

Dawson, on his ninth try, got in with 77.9 percent of the vote (539 votes were cast; 405 were needed for induction). Mark McGwire, in his fourth year of eligibility, received 10 more votes than last year, and matched the total from his first two times on the ballot.

Blyleven had 400 votes, up from 338 last year, and likely will get in, what with two more tries on the BBWAA ballot. The highest percentage for a player who wasn't elected in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

"Hopefully, next year will be my time," Blyleven said in an interview on the MLB Network.

Alomar received 397 votes (73.7 percent) in the second baseman's first appearance, and was followed by pitcher Jack Morris with 282 (52.3 percent), a big increase from the 237 votes he got last year.

"I feel disappointed, but next year hopefully I make it in," Alomar said at his home in New York. "At least I was close."

Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin, also making his first appearance, was on 278 ballots (51.6 percent), followed by reliever Lee Smith at 255 (47.3 percent) and Edgar Martinez at 195 (36.2 percent).

Martinez, on the ballot for the first time, is viewed as an early test of how voters will receive players who were primarily designated hitters.

Mark McGwire received 128 votes (23.7 percent), 10 more than last year and matching the total from his first two times on the ballot. Eighth on the career list with 583 homers, he has been stigmatized since evading questions from Congress in 2005 about the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Dawson, who won eight Gold Gloves and four Silver Slugger awards, had a 21-year career with the now-defunct Montreal Expos (11 seasons), Chicago Cubs (six seasons), Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 25 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey, who were elected last month by the Hall's Veterans Committee.

A victim of the owners' conspiracy against free agents after he left the Expos, Dawson signed a blank contract with the Cubs during spring training. Then-general manager Dallas Green filled in the dollar amount of $500,000, making Dawson the second-lowest paid regular on the team.

Dawson stayed with the Cubs through 1992, then spent two seasons apiece with Boston and Florida. He had a .279 career average with 1,591 RBIs and 314 steals, playing through 12 knee operations.

He is one of only three players with at least 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases, joining Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.

The close calls for Blyleven and Alomar marked the first time in BBWAA balloting that two players fell fewer than 10 votes short in one year.

Below is the complete list of votes and percentages of players on this year's Hall of Fame Ballot cast by the Baseball Writers of America (BBWAA):

Player	Votes	Pct.
Andre Dawson	420	77.9
Bert Blyleven	400	74.2
Roberto Alomar	397	73.7
Jack Morris	282	52.3
Barry Larkin	278	51.6
Lee Smith	255	47.3
Edgar Martinez	195	36.2
Tim Raines	164	30.4
Mark McGwire	128	23.7
Alan Trammell	121	22.4
Fred McGriff	116	21.5
Don Mattingly	87	16.1
Dave Parker	82	15.2
Dale Murphy	63	11.7
Harold Baines	33	6.1
Andres Galarraga	22	4.1

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Moore Wins Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Appalachian State University head coach Jerry Moore is the winner of the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award for the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Liberty Mutual announced on Wednesday morning. In recognition of Moore’s contributions on and off the field, Liberty Mutual will donate $50,000 to charities of Moore’s choosing and $20,000 to the ASU Alumni Association scholarship fund.

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award recognizes coaches who best display the following four tenets: sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field. The winners are selected through fan voting (20 percent) and ballots from selection committees made up of national media (25 percent) and College Football Hall of Famers (55 percent). Moore beat out South Dakota State’s John Stiegelmeier, Holy Cross’s Tom Gilmore, Eastern Illinois’ Bob Spoo and Liberty’s Danny Rocco for the award. Moore especially excelled in the fan voting portion of the selection process, picking up nearly 19,000 votes in 15 days, more than twice as many as the next finalist.

In 2009, Moore led the Mountaineers to a fifth-straight Southern Conference title and NCAA Division I Football Championship appearance, where they advanced to the national semifinals. Appalachian finished with an 11-3 record and No. 3 final national ranking while Moore was named the SoCon Coach of the Year for a record seventh time and the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years and sixth time overall.

The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Awards will be presented to Moore, TCU’s Gary Patterson (Division I Football Bowl Subdivision), Northwest Missouri State’s Mel Tjeerdsma (Division II) and Coe College’s Steve Staker (Division III) during a luncheon hosted by College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning on Wednesday at the Daily Grill in Newport Beach, Calif.

Coach Moore’s Selected Charities

KIDS ACROSS AMERICA
Based in Branson, Missouri, Kids Across America operates a number of summer camps with a mission of building Christian leaders by encouraging, equipping and empowering urban youth and their mentors through sports. Coach Moore’s grandchildren have been campers at KAA’s Kamp Kanakuk and several ASU players have served as counselors at the camps.

SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Based in Boone, N.C., Samaritan’s Purse has provided aid to the world’s poor, sick and suffering for over 35 years. Coach Moore and ASU football have been particularly active in Samaritan’s Purse’s World Medical Mission over the years, which provides medical assistance to many of the less-developed countries of the world.

ASU WALKER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
The mission of the John A. Walker College of Business is to offer high quality educational experiences preparing our students for life-long learning and leadership responsibilities in a dynamic, global environment. The college has an enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 50 graduate students and was included in the Princeton Review’s 2008 edition of Best Business Schools.

ASU YOSEF CLUB
For over 35 years, the Yosef Club has provided scholarship support for Appalachian’s student-athletes. Today, it continues that tradition as well as providing essential facility-enhancement support. On average, 35 percent of ASU’s 450-plus student-athletes are members of Appalachian’s academic honor roll with a 3.25 grade point average or higher.

Owen/Avery Basketball Postponed

Avery's scheduled basketball games at Owen this afternoon has been postponed due to bad weather. A make-up date has not been rescheduled at this time.

The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Polk County on Thursday to make up Tuesday's postponed games. If any changes occur, the Blog will post them as soon as it is made available.

Johnson, Jackets Fall to Iowa in Orange Bowl

MIAMI (AP) - No. 10 Iowa solved Tech's explosive triple option and Ricky Stanzi threw two early touchdown passes for a 24-14 victory Tuesday night in the coldest Orange Bowl ever.

Temperature at kickoff was 49 degrees, and Tech's offense was slow to warm up. The ninth-ranked Yellow Jackets averaged 35 points during the regular season, but their only score in the first three quarters came on Jerrard Tarrant's 40-yard interception return.

"This was Hawkeye weather," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We feel right at home right now."

The Hawkeyes (11-2) earned their first Bowl Championship Series bowl win, matched the school record for victories and could claim their highest final ranking since finishing No. 3 in 1960.

Georgia Tech (11-3) totaled nine first downs and a season-low 155 yards.

The Yellow Jackets were first in the nation in time of possession, second in rushing and 11th in scoring at 35 points per game. But they sputtered against an Iowa defense that held four bowl-bound teams to 10 points or less during the regular season.

End Adrian Clayborn led Iowa's defensive charge. He had two sacks and nine tackles, including two for a loss, and was chosen the game's most valuable player.

The Hawkeyes had never faced the triple option in Ferentz's 11 seasons as coach, but his staff had a month to prepare for Tech, and it showed. The Yellow Jackets had only 14 three-and-outs during the regular season, fewest in the nation, but they failed to pick up a first down on their first four possessions.

"It's just a good thing we had a month to prepare because it was difficult," Clayborn said.

Georgia Tech finally made a first down midway through the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets' first pass completion came 43 minutes into the game with Iowa leading 17-7.

Quarterback Josh Nesbitt went only 2 for 9 for 12 yards for Tech, which had a season-high seven punts.

By comparison, Stanzi went 17 for 29 for 231 yards in his return from a sprained ankle that sidelined him in the season's 10th game. Iowa true freshman Brandon Wegher rushed for 113 yards and one score in 16 carries.

"It was great having Rick back. It was tough when he got injured," Ferentz said. "He did a great job leading us tonight - and what can I say about that defense?"

Tech's first scoring drive covered 71 yards, with Anthony Allen's 1-yard touchdown run making it 17-14 with 12:30 left.

Iowa drove 63 yards for the clincher. Wegher ran for 23 yards on one carry, followed by a 32-yard touchdown run with 1:56 to go.

The Hawkeyes had a 185-18 advantage in yards in the first quarter. Stanzi, playing his first game in two months, started 8 for 8 for 138 yards and two scores for a 14-0 lead. Then came Tarrant's interception to keep Tech in the game.

Iowa lost a fumble at midfield on the game's opening possession, but Tech was quickly forced to punt for the first time in three games. Stanzi hit Tony Moeaki for a 54-yard gain, then threw to Marvin McNutt for a 4-yard score.

Tech again went three and out, and Iowa moved 83 yards to score in four plays. Stanzi threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Colin Sandeman.

The Yellow Jackets finally got their offense going to start the second half and drove 43 yards before missing a 41-yard field goal. Iowa then moved 59 yards, and Daniel Murray kicked a 33-yard field goal for a 17-7 lea

Mountaineer Football Notebook: Edwards Invited to NFL Combine

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) has received an invitation to participate in the 2010 National Football League Scouting Combine, which will be held Feb. 24-March 2 in Indianapolis.

The NFL Combine is the annual job fair for prospective new NFL players. For six days at Lucas Oil Stadium, players are put through a series of drills, tests and interviews in front of more than 600 NFL personnel including head coaches, general managers and scouts.

Edwards was the most decorated player in NCAA Division I FCS (Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division I-AA) history as Appalachian’s record-setting signal-caller from 2006-09. The 6-0, 184-pound Edwards ranks second in FCS history with 14,753 yards of total offense (behind only Steve McNair, who amassed 16,823 at Alcorn State from 1991-94). With 10,392 passing yards and 4,361 rushing yards, Edwards is the only player in Division I history (FCS or FBS) with at least 9,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career and the only FCS player to reach the 8,000 passing/4,000 rushing plateau. He was responsible for 139 touchdowns in his career (74 passing, 65 rushing), highlighting his 64 ASU and 14 Southern Conference records.

Edwards is the only two-time winner of the Walter Payton Award — presented to the nation’s top FCS player — and the only four-time all-American in Appalachian history. He compiled a 42-7 record as a starter and led the Mountaineers to back-to-back national championships (2006 and ‘07) and four-straight SoCon titles.

He is the second Mountaineer in three years to earn an invitation to the NFL Combine. In 2008, wide receiver Dexter Jackson matched the fastest hand-timed 40-yard dash at the combine (4.27 seconds) to vault himself up most draft boards. He went on to be a second-round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that April’s NFL Draft.

THREE APPS RECEIVE ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION FROM CSN: Headlined by Offensive Player of the Year Edwards, College Sporting News selected three Appalachian State University players to its 2009 Fabulous 50 All-America team. Joining Edwards on the CSN team are linebacker D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and safety Mark LeGree (Columbus, Ga./Pacelli Catholic).

In addition to the three Fab 50 selections, two Mountaineers — offensive lineman Mario Acitelli (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) and wide receiver Matt Cline (Thomasville, N.C./Glenn) — received honorable-mention status.

DT SIGNS WITH ASU, ENROLLS FOR SPRING SEMESTER: Defensive tackle Chris Aiken officially became the first member of Appalachian class of 2010 newcomers when he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend ASU on Monday. Aiken, a defensive tackle who spent the past two seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, will begin classes at ASU when the new semester begins next Monday and will participate in spring practice drills with the Mountaineers beginning in late February or early March. He has two years of athletic eligibility remaining.

The 6-1, 300-pounder highlighted his two-year stint at Blinn by helping lead the Buccaneers to the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. Aiken registered 27 tackles and a sack in eight games as a sophomore in ‘09.

Prior to his arrival at Blinn, Aiken spent five years in the United States Army and served two tours of duty in Iraq. The 25-year-old graduated from Regan High School in Austin, Texas when he was 17 and enlisted in the Army on his 18th birthday. He is the third Iraq war veteran to join the ASU football program following his military service, joining Marine Corps vets Wayne Norman (2005) and Brian Stokes (2005-06).

ELLIOTT LEAVES FOR SOUTH CAROLINA: Appalachian lost one of the longest-tenured and most valuable members of its coaching staff on Sunday when offensive line coach Shawn Elliott accepted a position as o-line coach and running game coordinator at the University of South Carolina.

Elliott, a Camden, S.C. native, spent 18 of the previous 19 years at ASU. He was a defensive end for the Mountaineers from 1991-95, earning all-conference recognition as a senior, and joined the coaching staff as a defensive assistant in 1997. After two years on the defensive side of the ball, he moved to offense as tight ends coach in 1999 and took over as offensive line coach in 2001.

ASU will begin a search for Elliott’s replacement immediately.

LMC Basketball Roundup: Bobcats Fall in Home Doubleheader to Anderson

courtesy Lees-McRae College Sports Information
BANNER ELK, N.C. - The Lees-McRae College women's basketball team fell to 1-2 in the Conference Carolinas and 1-6 overall in a 70-51 loss to the Anderson University Lady Trojans, who improved to 3-0 in the conference and 4-4 overall, in Williams Gymnasium Monday night

Anderson jumped out to an early 8-0 lead four minutes into the game on a Alissa Diaz made basket, but the Lady Bobcats quickly tied the game up at eight on a Lauren Casey three with 13:53 remaining in the half.

After four points from Anderson's Shanice Wilson, two on free-throws and a layup, and Lees-McRae basket by Casey to make the score 12-10 Anderson, the Lady Trojans went on a 17-2 run over a span of the next ten minutes to take a 29-12 lead. Jazzmin Tate ended the run with a three right before the half to cut into the Lady Trojan lead at half making it 29-15 at the half.

Coming out of the locker rooms, Anderson quickly pushed the lead to 20, 42-22, with 13:57 left to play. Anderson took a 26-point lead, their largest lead of the game twice in the second half. Once was on a Diaz jumper with 8:16 on the clock and the second on a Alexa Neal three with 4:41 to play. Lees-McRae would battle to cut the lead to 17 points, 68-51, on Candace Flowers three, but Maci Siniard would hit the game's final shot to give the Lady Trojans the 70-51 win.

Anderson outshot Lees-McRae from the floor hitting 41 percent, 23-of-56, of their shots, while Lees-McRae hit 36 percent 18-of-49, of their shots. However, the Lady Bobcats hit 50 percent of their threes, 7-14, while Anderson was 4-of-13 behind the arc for 30 percent.

Casey paced the Lady Bobcats with 12 points, and Flowers added 11 points and was the only other Lady Bobcat in double digits. Tate grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Anderson put four scorers in double-digit. Ashley Abed led the Lady Trojans with 15 points, Wilson and Neal scored 14 points apiece, and Diaz added 11 points. Wilson led the team with four steals and four assists, while Siniard grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.

Anderson scored 20 points from the charity strip compared to eight for Lees-McRae, and the Lady Trojans used 28 Lady Bobcat turnovers to score 30 points. Lees-McRae scored six points off of 20 Anderson turnovers.

The Lady Bobcats will travel to Erskine College to take on the Flying Fleet of Erskine College January 7th.

Lees-McRae's Daniel Sepokas had a career-high 25 points to lead all scorers as the Bobcats fell to the Anderson University Trojans, 85-53, Monday night in a Conference Carolinas men's basketball game at Williams Gymnasium.

Sepokas led the Bobcats with his 25 points on by going 10-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. He also led the team with five rebounds and four assists without turning the ball over. Sean Hardin was the only other Bobcat in double-digits with ten points.

For Anderson, Taylor Shugart paved the way with 19 points going 9-of-10 from the floor and hitting one of his four free throw attempts. Shugart and Trey Britton grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Oskars Ernsteins and Nick Trull scored 14 points apiece. Both players were 5-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-6 from three. Brandon Young had a game-high seven assists with zero turnovers, and Kevis Cornwell had five steals.

Anderson took an early 7-1 lead less than five minutes into the game and extended it to 12-3 at the 12 minute mark, but Lees-McRae would rally with a 7-2 run to cut the Trojan lead to 14-10 with just under ten minutes remaining in the could. From there, Anderson used a 13-2 run to take a 27-12 lead with just over five minutes to play in the half. Anderson would use an Ernsteins three push the lead to 22 points, 41-19, at the half.

Six minutes into the second half the Trojans had a 26-point lead, 55-27, and seven minutes later had their largest lead of the game, 36 points, to hold a 75-39 lead. The Trojans would finish the game up 85-53 for the win.

Lees-McRae will travel to Erskine College for their next game on January 7th.

Appalachian Football Assistant Coach Leaving Boone

Appalachian State offensive line coach Shawn Elliott has been named the offensive line coach at the University of South Carolina, according to a report Sunday on the University of South Carolina's official athletics website. Elliott replaces Eric Wolford, who accepted the head coaching position at Youngstown State University in December.

Elliott, 36, has coached his entire career at Appalachian State, where he helped the Mountaineers to three-straight national championships (2005-07). After earning his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State in 1996, he worked for two seasons as a defensive assistant, then two seasons as the tight ends coach before taking over the offensive line in 2001. Over the past nine seasons as the offensive line coach, Elliott's players have earned All-America distinction on 12 occasions. From 2005-07, he coached three-consecutive SoCon Jacobs Blocking Trophy recipients.

"We're thrilled to have Shawn Elliott join our coaching staff at South Carolina," said South Carolina Head Football Coach Steve Spurrier. "Shawn is a native of South Carolina and is excited about the opportunity to coach here. He has an outstanding record coaching the O-line and winning championships. He is ready for the next challenge and is excited about coaching in the SEC and in Division I football."

Elliott was the first player in Appalachian State history to appear in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs four separate seasons. He was a four-year letterwinner for the Black and Gold, helping the squad to two Southern Conference titles. He was a co-captain on the Mountaineer's 1995 squad that finished 12-1 while earning all-league distinction as a defensive end.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity to coach at South Carolina," said Elliott. "It will be a challenging job and one that I am looking forward to and embracing. I'm excited about getting there on Monday and hitting the ground running."

Avery Basketball at Polk Postponed; Weather Again Alters Wrestling Schedule

Due to the inclement weather in the area, Tuesday's basketball game in Columbus between Avery and Polk County has been postponed. A make-up date has been set for Thursday, January 7th. The Vikings are scheduled to travel to Swannanoa on Wednesday to play Owen, but weather may also affect this contest, and are scheduled to host Madison on Friday night, January 9th. Check here at the Blog for the very latest scheduling information.

In a related note, the recent trend of cold, snowy, and icy weather has prompted Avery High School's wrestling team to make further changes to its already edited schedule.

The dual meet with Mitchell that had been rescheduled to Wednssday, January 6th has been moved to January 14th. Avery's dual meet against Madison on January 8th is still on as scheduled, but Avery will not be making the trip to Fred T. Foard High School for the Tigerland Classic which had been rescheduled to Saturday, January 9th.