By David Rogers. STATESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Southern rallied late in the first half to narrow a 9-point deficit to just four points at intermission, but a 9-2 run by App State to open the second half strengthened the Mountaineers momentum as they cruised to a n 81-65 win over the Eagles on Feb. 11 and extend their consecutive game winning streak to seven games — and sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball standings.
Guard Kasen Jennings poured in 31 points for the Mountaineers, hitting 3-of-8 from behind the arc and going 10-of-11 at the charity stripe. Starting forward Michael Marcus, Jr. added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, guard Alonzo Dodd contributed 18 points and three steals, and center/forward Luke Wilson swatted away four blocked shots while collecting seven rebounds to help power the Mountaineers.
Important for this outing: App State improved to 71 percent shooting from the foul line, improving on the bottom-feeder ranking nationally in that NCAA Division I category they have been sporting. Collectively, they made good on 20-of-28 free throws against Georgia Southern, led by Jennings’ 10-of-11 and Marcus’ 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Still aiming to finish the regular season at No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference and earn a bye into the semifinals of the conference championship tournament (Mar. 3-9, in Pensacola, Fla.), the Mountaineers have four remaining regular season games, all in conference: at James Madison (Feb. 14), vs. Marshall (Feb. 19), vs. Georgia Southern (Feb. 21) and at Texas State (Feb. 27).
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Balanced play up and down the Holmes Center court by App State offset a dismal day at the free throw line and beyond the arc, the Mountaineers battling to a 65-60 win over Eastern Michigan in the final installment of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge for the 2025-26 season. They extended their win streak to six games.
Guard Alonzo Dodd (2) looks to drive the lane vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7 in the final installment of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge for 2025-26. Photo by David Jerchower, courtesy of App State Athletics
Alonzo Dodd led the way for the regular tenants of the Holmes Center in front of reported Alumni Day attendance of 1,870. The St. Paul, Minn. native who transferred to App State a year ago from Texas A&M-Commerce as a junior has become the tip of the ball-handling spear for the Mountaineers. He dished out five assists to complement a game-high 23 points against the Eagles — and late in the second half added his 100th career steal.
Three other Mountaineers recorded double figures in scoring, including Kasen Jennings (11 points), Luke Wilson (10) and Eren Banks (10). Wilson added 10 rebounds to complete a double-double, while also defending the rim with a pair of blocked shots.
On Feb. 7, Luke Wilson was a force in the paint for App State vs. Eastern Michigan. Photo by Taylor Newton, courtesy of App State Athletics
Eastern Michigan also had four team members in double figures, led by a pair of big forwards in Mohammed Habhab and Addison Patterson, with 14 points each. Habhab also pulled down a dozen rebounds to record a double-double on the afternoon while showing his 6-11 ft. versatility with two blocked shots and distributing six assists.
The first half was a tight affair with five lead changes. The largest margin (6 points) coming with just one minute before intermission when Banks knocked down a 3-pointer. But Patterson responded half a minute later with his own shot from beyond the arc to narrow the Mountaineers halftime advantage to 36-33.
The second half was more of the same — except the Mountaineers never gave up the tenuous lead. The visiting Eagles kept the game close until the waning seconds when they were forced to foul, hoping the Mountaineers would miss their foul shots and return possession to EMU. App State’s biggest lead in this game was just 9 points, coming with just 36 seconds remaining on the game clock.
Mountaineer guard Jalen Tot (9), had a quiet night on Feb. 7 vs. Eastern Michigan in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge men’s basketball game, but his presence as a shooter helped free up other Mountaineer playmakers. Photo by Joseph Chapman, courtesy of App State Athletics
Although the Mountaineers had shot 72 percent from the free throw line in the last five games, all wins, against Eastern Michigan they reverted back to the kind of performance at the charity stripe (53.6 percent, or 15-of-28) that has them buried at dead last (No. 361) in free throw shooting among NCAA Division I programs.
Fortunately for the Mountaineers, EMU found it challenging to capitalize on App State’s miscues at the foul line. That, plus a strong performance inside the paint primarily by Wilson and Michael Marcus, Jr. in facing the 6-11 Habab, who posted team highs for Eastern Michigan in points (14), rebounds (12), assists (6) and blocked shots (2).
App State’s Kasen Jennings has proved a threat on the perimeter as well as driving to the basket, here shooting for ‘3’ vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7. Photo by Joseph Chapman, courtesy of App State Athletics
Afterwards, Mountaineer head coach Dustin Kerns acknowledged the strength of the Eastern Michigan program, noting its win over Cincinnati earlier in the year as well as recent overtime matchups with the top teams in the MAC.
“We knew we were in for a fight,” said Kerns. “I credit Eastern Michigan’s defense because we did not shoot the ball great, from the 3-point arc or from the free throw line. But we found a way to win and that is the sign of a good team, being able to win without our best performance.”
With the six-game winning streak, App State is now 17-9 overall and 9-4 in Sun Belt Conference play, moving them into sole possession of the No. 2 spot, a half game behind Troy (17-8. 9-3), a team the Mountaineers roundly defeated on the road, a week ago. At 7-4 in SBC competition, South Alabama and Marshall are tied for No. 3.
So the next five regular season conference games remaining, three on the road and two at home, will be crucial determinants in sorting out the seeding for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament beginning March 3 through March 9, hosted by the Pensacola (Fla) Bay Center. The top two regular season finishers receive byes into the semifinals (March 8). The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive byes to the quarter finals (March 7).
The Mountaineers go on the road for tilts at Georgia Southern (14-11, 6-6) on Feb. 11 and at James Madison (12-13, 4-8) on Feb. 14. They return home to host Marshall (15-9, 7-4) and a rematch vs. Georgia Southern on Feb. 21. Closing out the regular season is a battle at Texas State (15-11, 7-6) on Feb. 27.
By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — When two college basketball teams are both nationally ranked among the highest in scoring defense, a low-scoring game is probably in the offing. On Feb. 4, App State and South Alabama took to the court with a lot on the line — and produced a classic.
After 10 lead changes as well as scoring runs and comeback rallies by both the Mountaineers and the Jaguars, App State emerged as the 65-57 winner to extend its winning streak to five games.
App State guard Alonzo Dodd finishes a drive to the basket on Feb. 4 vs. South Alabama. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The Mountaineers finished with three players in double figures scoring, including guard Jalen Tot (23 points), guard Alonzo Dodd (18) and center/forward Luke Wilson (11). Tot’s scoring line featured 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Dodd and Wilson posted double-doubles on the night, Dodd with 13 rebounds and Wilson pulling down 11 boards to go along with their scoring.
Against a South Alabama team averaging 73.5 points per game, offensively, App State faced yet another strong challenge with the stingiest of defenses. Coming off a landmark upset of Troy when the Mountaineers held the Trojans to just 44 points — an astonishing 41 points below their season average of 85 — App State followed up with another stellar defensive effort against the Jaguars. Wilson added two blocked shots to his stat line for the game, while Dodd, Tot and Eren Banks each recorded a steal. In what was largely an error-free game in terms of ball-handling, South Alabama’s five turnovers were a critical factor in the Mountaineers’ staying on top.
Slamma Jamma: Luke Wilson produces some ‘thunder’
App State center/forward Luke Wilson invigorated the Holmes Center crowd with this thunderous dunk in the second half, Feb. 4 vs. South Alabama. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
South Alabama almost played spoiler, too, with a defensive effort that kept App State’s scoring productivity below the team’s average so far this year (nearly 72 points per game). Offensively, the Jaguars were led by guard Chaze Harris (17 points), guard Jayden Cooper (16) and guard Randy Brady (9).
Perhaps the most overlooked stat in this game: South Alabama forward Adam Olsen averaged 18.3 points per game leading up to the encounter with App State — but was effectively defended by the Mountaineers on this night. He was limited to just six points. Credited with only three rebounds, Olsen was largely a non-factor in the paint thanks to the defensive efforts of Wilson and sophomore forward Michael Marcus, Jr.
“That was a hard fought game against a really good program,” said App State head coach Dustin Kerns to open his post-game press conference. “South Alabama is a really good team with an identity. We knew this was going to be a back and forth, tough game. When we needed to make shots, we got some shots. When we needed to make some stops, we got the stops. I am really proud of our guys for the hard fought win.”
Facing the ‘Syracuse of the South’
Kerns smiled in comparing two of the top defenses in NCAA Division I men’s basketball, the Mountaineers at No. 13 according to the NCAA statistical website, the Jaguars tied at No. 41 — out of 361 NCAA Division I programs.
Kasen Jennings had a relatively quiet night on Feb. 4 vs. South Alabama in the Holmes Center, but provided some key points in the second half to keep App State in the lead. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“Obviously, we are man-to-man (on defense) and they are all zone,” said Kerns in noting the differences. “And they are really good at it, maybe the ‘Syracuse of the South’, I guess. It was back and forth, back and forth. Ten lead changes, four times tied, and it seemed like more than that. Our biggest lead was near the end of the game. I don’t know that the final score was really indicative of how close this game was.”
Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Jalen Tot, the Mountaineer guard who transferred as a graduate student from Montana State-Billings, has provided a scoring spark for App State since earning a spot in the starting lineup in early January.
“As a transfer from the Division II level, now competing against bigger, stronger, more athletic guys, there is a little bit of a transition (to be expected),” Kerns said of Tot. “He figured that out. Jalen’s strengths are shooting.
“In playing against 40 minutes of zone defense, we talked to our guys about (being patient) and taking the right shot,” added Kerns. “You have to shoot some threes against a zone and we took 39 of them. I thought Jalen took 17 good threes. He didn’t force any or take bad shots and he made seven. Making seven of 17 from long distance (41 percent) is pretty good.”
Asked whether Tot’s growing reputation as a shooter is taking pressure off of the Mountaineers’ other playmakers, Kerns nodded his head.
“Yeah, he is stretching the floor,” said Kerns.
If there was any level of disappointment expressed by Kerns, it was an observation about game attendance. He was appreciative of the fans who attend and goes out of his way after every game to interact with and “high five” the student section, but also noted the obvious.
“We need more people,” said Kerns. “We had 2,000 people (tonight), but that is only a quarter of the capacity (of the Holmes Center). We are contending for a conference championship. We are right there at the top of the league, but we are 13th in league attendance (out of 14 teams). We need more people. Our guys have earned that.”
The Mountaineers next get on the Holmes Center court in a non-conference tilt vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 7, 3 p.m., in the second half of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. It is also Alumni Day.
Then it is back to Sun Belt Conference league play road games Feb. 11 (at Georgia Southern) and Feb. 14 (at James Madison) before two home matchups on Feb. 19 (vs. Marshall) and Feb. 21 (vs. Georgia Southern). They close out the regular season on Feb. 27, at Texas State.
Sun Belt Conference championship tournament play begins March 3 for the four lowest seeded teams (Nos. 11-14), with the winners playing the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds on March 4. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams get byes into the semifinal games on March 8. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeded teams get byes into the quarterfinals on March 7.
The Sun Belt Conference championship tournament is hosted by the Pensacola Bay Center, in Pensacola, Fla.
By Jacob Plecker. BOONE, N.C. — In its first home game of 2026, the App State men’s basketball team raced ahead to a 12-0 lead less than three minutes into the game, which helped lead to a wire-to-wire, 80-65 victory over the James Madison Dukes on Jan. 15 at the Holmes Center. App State led from its first possession of the game to the final whistle in the first game of a 4-game homestand.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 4-3 SBC) were physical with the Dukes (9-9, 2-4 SBC) all game, which helped lead to a seven-rebound advantage for App State (38-31). Three different App State players finished their night with at least nine rebounds in Alonzo Dodd (10), Luke Wilson (nine) and Michael Marcus Jr. (nine). Dodd’s 10 rebounds went along with 23 points, which helped lead to his first career double-double.
App State shot the lights out from both the field and from behind the arc against the Dukes, as App State posted a 52.5 percent clip from the field and a 41.9 percent rate from 3-point land. App State’s hot shooting night started with five straight makes from the field, which helped lead to its 12-0 start. Additionally, App State buried 13 3-pointers, its most since also making 13 against High Point on Dec. 14 and its second-most made threes in a home game (made 14 against Virginia-Lynchburg on Dec. 3). Three different players nailed at least three 3-pointers in Kasen Jennings, Dodd and Jalen Tot.
On top of scoring a career-best 23 points, Jennings set a personal milestone on Thursday by notching his 1,000th career collegiate point at the 3:38 mark of the second half. Jennings had just five points at halftime, but scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half to get to the significant milestone. The graduate guard from Atlanta has already set his career best for points in a season, and stands at 1,001 career points after tonight’s game.
How it Happened
App State started the game strong by winning the opening tip and scoring on its first possession thanks to a hook shot in the lane by Wilson. The Mountaineers forced a Justin McBride miss on the other end and scored 18 seconds later to quickly go up 4-0 just over a minute into the contest.
After another JMU miss, Dodd raced into the lane for a score to make it 6-0 after just three possessions, which forced a Preston Spradlin timeout. Wilson swatted his first of five shots after the timeout, and Tot took advantage of the fast-break opportunity by nailing a 3-pointer off a feed by Jennings in the corner. A scoreless possession by the Dukes that ended in a shot-clock violation turned into another 3-pointer, this time by Marcus Jr., which made it 12-0 at the 17:08 mark. JMU finally got on the scoreboard with a 3-pointer, but App State had made its mark early on in its first game at home since Dec. 20.
Dodd scored again before the first media timeout of the game, and Jennings answered a JMU score with his first points of the game to push App State ahead by 11. A 3-pointer by Jennings sent App State ahead by 12 for the second time in the game at the 12:56 mark, but JMU answered by scoring each of the next eight points to cut App State’s lead down to four with 9:33 to play in the first half.
A slick move by Jason Clarke Jr. sent action to the under-eight media timeout before Dodd connected on a 3-pointer to counter JMU’s run and put the Mountaineers ahead by nine yet again. App State’s lead grew back to double-digits after Marcus Jr. found the lane, but the Dukes answered by scoring four straight points to make it a six-point game at the final media timeout of the opening half.
The Mountaineers maintained their six-point lead as play neared halftime, but a late spurt, capped off by a Marcus Jr. tip-in layup and a Dodd 3-pointer, propelled App State into the break with an 11-point lead. The Mountaineers shot 51 percent from the floor in the opening half, while keeping James Madison to just a 29.4 percent mark on the defensive side.
App State started the second half in identical fashion to the first half, as a layup by Dodd and a transition three by Jennings capped off a 10-0 App State run to put it ahead by 16 at the 18:16 mark of the second half. JMU eventually cut its deficit back down to 10 by the first media timeout, but Dodd responded yet again by connecting on a 3-pointer to put App State back up 13 points with 15:34 to play in the game.
Threes apiece by Jennings and Eren Banks helped App State maintain its double-digit lead as play hit the under-12 timeout, and Dodd eclipsed the 20-point threshold for the fifth time this season with a layup at the 10:49 mark of the second half. The Dukes did well to keep their deficit within 10 over the next several minutes, but App State eventually went ahead by 18 points after Wilson threw home a powerful dunk and Tot beat the shot clock with a dazzling 3-pointer.
Jennings’ fifth 3-pointer of the game gave App State a 21-point lead with 3:38 to play in the game. This was also his 1,000th career basket. Although the Dukes scored eight of the game’s final 10 points, a pair of Dodd free throws helped close out a double-digit win for the Mountaineers in the first game of a season-long four-game homestand.
Top Performers
Both Jennings and Dodd paced all scorers, with both tallying 23 points while also combining for 13 rebounds and seven assists. Dodd finished with his first career double-double after recording a career-best 10 rebounds, which makes him the fifth different Mountaineer to tally a double-double this season. Marcus Jr. was the third Mountaineer to finish in double figures against the Dukes, as he tallied 12 points and fell one rebound shy of a double-double. Wilson was electric on the defensive end as he blocked a career-best five shots to go along with eight points and nine rebounds.
Up Next
App State will continue its homestand on Saturday with the second regular-season matchup against the Old Dominion Monarchs. App State took home a win in Norfolk back on Dec. 31 in the first meeting between the two teams. Tip off from the Holmes Center is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling won the first nine matches and remained unbeaten in SoCon duals with a 40-3 home victory against VMI on Jan. 15.
The Mountaineers (5-4, 2-0 SoCon) are back in action Friday night with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., to face No. 7 Virginia Tech (5-2). The 7 p.m. dual will be held at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech and be streamed on ACCNX.
App State received bonus points in seven of its nine wins Thursday, going on a dominant run after true freshman Colt Campbell avenged an opening-weekend, overtime loss to Beau Lewis by prevailing 6-4 at 174 pounds thanks to a first-period takedown and then a third-period reversal with his riding time about to drop under a minute. Lewis got in on a late shot but couldn’t secure a go-ahead takedown in the closing seconds.
Tomas Brooker won via a 20-4 tech fall at 184 before Logan Eller benefited from four first-period stalling points and posted a third-period takedown in a 9-0 major decision against veteran Toby Schoffstall. Stephan Monchery needed just 62 seconds to record a win by fall in his heavyweight match.
Cooper Fosterclosed a stellar first period with more near fall points to secure a 16-0 tech fall at 125 pounds, andJarvis Littlewon a 17-4 major decision at 133.
VMI (4-4, 0-1) closed the dual with a 4-3 decision at 141 pounds, as 2024 NCAA qualifier Dyson Dunham had a first-period takedown against Aldo Hernandez.
The dual began with Kaden Keiserwinning a 4-2 decision against Patrick Jordon thanks to a takedown late in the second period, and Jeremiah Price built a 12-2 lead in a 17-9 major decision against Eric Doran at 157. Anthony Conettaheld a 7-0 lead when Tyler Berish suffered a match-ending injury at 165.
App State 40, VMI 3
149: #26 Kaden Keiser (APP) def. Patrick Jordon (VMI), 4-2 dec.
157: Jeremiah Price (APP) def. Eric Doran (VMI), 17-9 maj. dec.
165: Anthony Conetta (APP) def. Tyler Berish (VMI), injury def. (7-0 lead)
174: Colt Campbell (APP) def. Beau Lewis (VMI), 6-4 dec.
184: #23 Tomas Brooker (APP) def. Andrew Barford (VMI), 20-4 tech fall
197: Logan Eller (APP) def. Toby Schoffstall (VMI), 9-0 maj. dec.
Hwt: Stephan Monchery (APP) def. Cole Will (VMI), fall (1:02)
125: Cooper Foster (APP) def. Waylon Rogers (VMI), 16-0 tech fall
133: Jarvis Little (APP) def. Cody Tanner (VMI), 17-4 maj. dec.
141: Dyson Dunham (VMI) def. Aldo Hernandez (APP), 4-3 dec.
By David Rogers. EL PASO, Texas — Not even a minor leg injury that kept him off the field in the second half of the Dec. 31 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl could dampen Anderson Castle’s enthusiasm for Duke’s 42-39 win over Arizona State.
It was a devilish good time, with the Blue Devils facing the Sun Devils. A three-yard run into the end zone late in the first half for a touchdown was just icing on the proverbial cake for Castle, who played his last collegiate football game against Arizona State in the historic, 92nd Sun Bowl.
Anderson Castle’s family was well represented at the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, for his last collegiate football game. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Castle is a compelling Watauga County story. A four-year starter at quarterback for head coach Ryan Habich’s Watauga High School Pioneers, he enrolled at App State as a defensive back, with a four-year, “full ride” scholarship. It wasn’t long before the Mountaineers moved him to outside linebacker.
Then, on one fateful day during practice, then Mountaineer head coach Shawn Clark was assessing a running back room that had been thinned out by injuries. As he passed the water cooler, the story goes, he saw Castle and asked “You played option QB at Watauga, right? You are now a running back at App State.”
Castle embraced the challenge of converting to running back and showed flashes of talent for the position, talent that Pioneer football fans already knew about. He battled minor injuries that limited his appearances the first couple of season. After hitting the weight room and beefing up, he showed a lot of power in his second year at the position, especially in short-yardage situations but never seemed to be effectively utilized while playing for the Mountaineers.
Anderson Castle (4) carries the ball around the right side on Dec. 31, in the first half of the Sun Bowl against Arizona State. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
So with a coaching change for the 2025 season, his final year of eligibility, Castle entered the transfer portal and, having earned his undergraduate degree at App State, chose to pursue an MBA at Duke — and play football for the Blue Devils, too.
“I can hardly put into words how thankful I am for my decision to transfer to Duke for this final year of eligibility,” Castle recalled in a post-game one-on-one in El Paso with High Country Sports. “God had a plan for me and I am thankful to be here. The people at Duke have been amazing. I transferred here not really knowing what it was going to be like, how everything was going to go. I just trusted God’s plan. The people around me helped out so much. I made so many good friends and those friendships will last a lifetime. I am just thankful for this journey. It has been awesome.”
The year of both gridiron and personal success did not come without work, both in the weight room and on the practice field.
“On the football team, I carved out a role in short-yardage situations. I worked hard in the spring and in fall camp. I have to give a shoutout to Coach (Chris) Foster (assistant coach/running backs). It has worked out well and I am very happy to have done this,” said Castle about his year with the Blue Devils.
There was plenty of fanfare on Dec. 31, leading up to the Duke vs. Arizona State Sun Bowl game. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
“There have been so many special moments,” he added. “I don’t think I can pinpoint just one. There were a lot of fun games and definitely our winning the ACC championship this year was special. The three TDs against North Carolina and NC State, those were definitely memorable games. Clemson… I didn’t have a lot of stats against Clemson but that sticks out as one of the most fun games I will look back on.”
The former Pioneer QB was especially appreciative of the opportunity to play in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
“This bowl game is historic,” said Castle. “I heard it is the second oldest bowl game. It was an honor to be able to play in it. The Sun Bowl organizing committee treated us so well this whole week. It was a great bowl experience. Ultimately, the goal was for us to get a win and that is what we did.
“I couldn’t go the second half today,” he explained. “My leg was pretty banged up and I felt it was better if someone else was in.”
While Castle may not be wrangling any more TDs in college, he is bringing home some of El Paso’s cowboy culture.
“I couldn’t pass up the deal Lucchese, a Sun Bowl sponsor, gave us on boots. I have bought cowboy boots before, but not this kind of quality,” said Castle of the handcrafting bootmaker, which has collaborations with the Dallas Cowboys, the University of Texas Longhorns, the University of Texas A&M Aggies, and country-western star Chris Stapleton, as well as the Sun Bowl and others.
Castle finished his last year of eligibility with the Blue Devils tied for No. 30 in the nation for rushing touchdowns, with 12 in 14 games this season. He was one of Duke’s go-to guys in short yardage situations, including as No. 9 in the ACC for scoring TDs, all rushing and responsible for 72 of the Blue Devils’ points, according to the ACC website.
App State’s Shawn Clark, the late and former head coach, once described Castle to High Country Sports as potentially “the next John Riggins,” the former Washington Redskins power running back. Others have suggested he reminds them of Larry Csonka, the former Miami Dolphins’ fullback. Both men emerged as Hall of Fame running backs, Csonka in the 1970s and Riggins in the 1980s and 1990s.
Whether Castle chooses to pursue a football career at the next level is a question yet to be answered. In addition to his power, we learned from covering him as an option quarterback at Watauga that he also has exceptional flat-out speed (which he flashed at Duke) as well as a quick lateral step, all good attributes for NFL running backs.
Will he get that opportunity? Or does God have other plans for his coming MBA degree from Duke University?
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to reflect Castle’s receiving a full, four-year scholarship, not a preferred walk-on opportunity as originally reported.
By David Rogers. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It may have been one of the loudest, most audio-effective bowl games of the college football season given the JLab sponsorship of the Birmingham Bowl, but an arguably short-handed App State was unable to make enough noise of their own as Sun Belt Conference rival Georgia Southern celebrated with a 29-10 win in Protective Stadium on Dec. 29.
Jaquari Lewis (22) looks for running room at the JLab Birmingham Bowl vs. Georgia Southern. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The Eagles’ O.J. Arnold led a quintet of ball carriers rolling up 252 yards rushing, the 5-9, 195 lb. senior running back accounting for 152 of those yards.
Meanwhile, Georgia Southern’s junior quarterback J.C. French IV spread the ball around to six different receivers in completing 72 percent of his passes (18-of-25) for 171 yards, including one TD vs. one pass interception.
The real story in this game and, arguably, the real difference was in the number of turnovers yielded by the Mountaineers. With the three most veteran QBs on the roster opting out of the bowl game (AJ Swann, JJ Kohl and Billy Wiles), App State head coach Dowell Loggains and his offensive staff were forced to put the ball in the hands of true freshman Noah Gillon and redshirt freshman Matthew Wilson. While that posed a defensive challenge for the Eagles in preparing for the young QBs for which there was little in the way of tape, Georgia Southern came away with four pass interceptions, two each by Gillon and Wilson. Three of them came with the Mountaineers driving, inside or near the proverbial “red zone,” and all of them came inside the GSU 40-yard line.
It was a bright, if cold and blustery day for the JLab Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29, with plenty of photo opportunities for App State dignitaries in attendance. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
Turnovers aside, there were noteworthy performances that stood out among the Mountaineers:
Senior wide receiver Dalton Stroman had among the best games of his App State career, with three catches for 96 yards — and all three grabs were highlight-reel worthy.
QB Matthew Wilson turned in quite a story. Initially recruited as a QB, his tenure in the crowded QB room this year didn’t materialize as expected, so he spent this season converting to defensive back, a position where he also starred at Rock Hill High School (SC). With the three veterans opting out of the bowl game, Loggains brought him back to the offensive side and he ended up producing some remarkable numbers for his first meaningful Mountaineer appearance at the QB position: completing 12 of 22 passes for 128 yards and recording a team-high rushing with 12 carries for 110 yards and a TD.
Senior defensive back Ethan Johnson intercepted a Georgia Southern pass late in the first half, giving the Mountaineers good field position just inside the Eagles’ territory. Early in the fourth quarter, Johnson tackled a GSU receiver for a loss.
Sophomore linebacker Colton Phares had a busy day, accounting for 12 total tackles (six solo), while sharing credit for a tackle for loss with teammate Kevin Abrams-Verwayne in the second quarter.
The Mountaineers’ appearance in the JLab Birmingham Bowl for its second meeting in 53 days with “deeper than hate” rival Georgia Southern was all but surprising. Finishing the regular season 5-7 and not technically bowl eligible, the App State players had already had their season exit meetings with head coach Loggains. With the fall academic semester drawing to a close, many were already scattering home for the holidays, some to faraway locales. But when the Birmingham Bowl had seven invitations rejected to face 6-6 Georgia Southern, App State may have been late-to-the-party, but was quick to say, “yes.”
With some notable exceptions, a majority of the Mountaineer roster returned to campus to prepare for the bowl game. Seniors were excited to extend their collegiate playing careers. All who returned looked forward to one more chance to compete, especially in a bowl game with its special atmosphere in an unfamiliar venue.
Georgia Southern went up, 7-0, early on Dec. 29 and never let up. Their cheerleaders had a lot to cheer about in the Eagles’ 29-10 win. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
The 41,000-plus capacity Protective Stadium is the recently built home of the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Its modern facilities, especially with the JLab-sponsored audio and entertainment enhancements, made for a first class football stage for these two Sun Belt rivals.
Phares led the Mountaineers’ defense with 89 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He ended the regular season as one of three FBS defenders in the country with at least 85 tackles, 9.0 TFLs and three interceptions, along with Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez and Central Michigan’s Jordan Kwiatkowski.
Abrams-Verwayne made the most of his seventh collegiate season by leading App State in sacks (five) and forced fumbles (four) while ranking third on the team in TFLs (6.5) from his edge position. Johnson tied for second among FBS players and led the Sun Belt with 13 passes broken up from his starting cornerback spot.
Dealing with nagging injuries late in the year, Dubinion finished the season as the Sun Belt’s No. 6 rusher with 868 yards (72.3 per game) after ranking as the nation’s No. 5 rusher through the first six games. Before suffering a season-ending injury in Game 8, Cummings ranked third among FBS tight ends in catches per game and fifth in yards per game. He completed the year with 37 catches for 374 yards and one touchdown.
De Freitas tied App State’s single-season record with 20 field goals made, connecting on 20 of 25 attempts and all 32 extra points en route to 92 points as a true freshman.
Ramsey started 11 of 12 games at left tackle, showing his toughness and leadership while battling injuries throughout the second half of the season, and Flowers started all 12 games at center. Porter had 41 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, two sacks and four pass deflections from his interior lineman spot, and Floyd had one interception to go along with 55 tackles from his cornerback position.
2025 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year: Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
Offensive Player of the Year: Colton Joseph, Old Dominion (RS So., QB – Newport Beach, Calif.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Trent Hendrick, James Madison (Sr., LB – Richmond, Va.)
Special Teams Player of the Year: Evan Crenshaw, Troy (RS Jr., P – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Newcomer of the Year: Camden Brown, Georgia Southern (Sr., WR – Monroe, La.)
Freshman of the Year: Sahir West, James Madison (RS Fr., DL – Baltimore, Md.)
Coach of the Year: Bob Chesney, James Madison
All-Sun Belt First Team Offense
QB – Alonza Barnett III, James Madison (RS Jr., QB – Whitsett, N.C.)
RB – Wayne Knight, James Madison (RS Jr., RB – Smyrna, Del.)
By David Rogers. ASHVILLE, N.C. — Winning NCAA Division I basketball games is challenging enough — especially when you dig a 19-2 hole to start a matchup with a team that has gone to the NCAA Championship Tournament as recently as two years ago. Once App State gathered itself on Nov. 30, it played pretty even with UNC Asheville but could never quite overcome that opening, 17-point deficit before losing, 67-55.
While the Mountaineers scored more points off of turnovers than the Bulldogs (11-9) and got decisively more scoring from their bench (26-4), this game was largely won in the trenches, inside the paint. Asheville finished with a 28-24 advantage in points scored inside and, thanks largely to 36-25 margin in rebounding, held a 13-8 advantage in second chance points.
App State center Luke Wilson with one of only a few inside opportunities during the team’s 67-55 loss to UNC Asheville on Nov. 30. Photographic image by David Rogers for High Country Sports
App State had few answers for Asheville forward Toyaz Solomon, a fifth year senior originally from Enfield, N.C., a small farming community east of I-95, north of Rocky Mount. The-6-9 forward scored a game-high 25 points while also pulling down 8 rebounds. Game-high honors in clearing the boards went to Bulldog guard Kameron Taylor, with 10 rebounds and 12 points to record the only double-double of the afternoon.
At one point late in the first half, the Mountaineers went on a run and closed to within two points of the Bulldogs, 23-21, but then let the game slip away again. By intermission, it was a 7-point deficit. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the lead was back to 14 and App State was getting desperate for possession and opportunities to score.
Toward the end, the disparity in foul shots got inflated as the Mountaineers were fouling in an effort to get the ball back, but the UNC Asheville players sent to the charity stripe kept making them, good on 22-of-27 foul shots (81.5 percent), compared to App State’s success on only 7-of-15 foul shots (46.7 percent).
“We got off to a really bad start and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but that’s on me,” said Mountaineer head coach Dustin Kerns after the game. “After that we settled in and did some good things but in the second half we simply couldn’t keep them off the free throw line, where they made 22 of 25 free throws for the game. Where we might have gotten a stop, we weren’t rebounding… We have to do better and it starts with me.”
Speaking of his expectations coming into the game, Kerns was candid.
“I expected us to get off to a better start than being down 19-2 in the first eight minutes,” he said. “I knew we were playing a good team, a team that was 0-2 in their last two games so their backs were against the wall and they came out ready to go.”
The Mountaineers now turn their attention to a Wednesday, Dec. 3, matchup with the University of Virginia-Lynchburg Dragons. It will be the team’s last home game in the early portion of its nonconference schedule. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will also be broadcast on ESPN+.
By Bret Strelow. BOONE, N.C. — App State Wrestling took four of 10 matches in a 21-14 loss to No. 10 NC State on Sunday, highlighted by Jarvis Little’s ranked win at 133 pounds before the Mountaineers closed their first home dual of the season in a packed Varsity Gym with decisive victories from Tomas Brooker, Logan Eller and Stephan Monchery.
A crowd of 943 created an energetic environment in the matchup between the Mountaineers (2-4) and Wolfpack (3-2). NC State had a ranked wrestler at each of the first seven weights, including five wrestlers with top-11 national rankings.
A redshirt freshman who earned All-America recognition this summer at the U23 Freestyle Nationals and opened this collegiate season with a ranked win during the Southeast Open, Little allowed the first takedown in a 9-4 decision against No. 26 Zach Redding. Little responded with a takedown of his own in the first period and rode out the second period with the score officially tied at 4-all. He moved ahead 5-4 on a third-period escape and sealed the win on a takedown with 22 seconds remaining.
Brooker, a 2024 SoCon champion who suffered a season-ending injury in his 2024-25 dual debut at NC State, built an 11-2 lead in his 11-5 decision against Don Cates at 184.
Eller won a 13-0 major decision at 197 against Andrew Macchiavello, posting a first-period takedown and riding out the second period before dominating the third. Monchery recorded five takedowns in a 17-3 major decision against Xavier Wilson in the heavyweight finale.
Little is one of four first-year starters for the Mountaineers. A pair of true freshmen gave strong efforts against top-five opponents, as Cooper Foster got in the first shot and nearly posted a reversal at the end of an 11-2 loss to reigning national champion and top-ranked Vincent Robinson at 125 pounds. Colt Campbell had a third-period takedown to cut his deficit to 8-6 (counting riding time) with 1:25 left in a 9-6 loss to fourth-ranked Matty Singleton at 174 pounds.
The only ranked showdown occurred at 149 pounds, where No. 9 Koy Buesgens from NC State won a 4-2 decision against No. 31 Kaden Keiser thanks to a tiebreaking takedown with 1:12 left in the third period.
The 2025-26 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station. App State returns to action this week with wrestlers competing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and the Patriot Open.
#10 NC State 21, App State 14
125: #1 Vincent Robinson (NCST) def. Cooper Foster (APP), 11-2 maj. dec.
