By Peyton Ash. BOONE, N.C. — With 36,232 braving inclement weather, the Appalachian State Mountaineers hosted East Tennessee State University on Aug. 31, for a strong season opener at The Rock.

App State set the tone early, as Christan Horn caught a long ball down the middle from quarterback Joey Aguilar for an 83-yard touchdown. The score happened in the first three minutes of play and was the longest pass of Aguilar’s career.

“We had it planned out throughout the week for certain plays,” said Aguilar after the game. “Every play we got, we’ve got a deep shot somewhere and it’s just my alert… Today the safety jumped on K-Rob (Kaedin Robinson) and left the middle field open for C-Horn (Christan Horn), so I just threw it out there.”

The Mountaineers got the ball again after a short drive from ETSU and marched downfield with ease, throwing and running their way through the Buccaneers. Close to the goal line, a Christan Horn touchdown was called back due to an illegal block in the back by Horn himself, according to game officials. App State settled for a field goal by Michael Hughes to put the team up 10-0 as the first quarter came to an end.

After another juggle of possessions, Aguilar and the Mountaineer run-game set up a first and goal at the one-yard line, Kanye Roberts punched in App State’s second touchdown to make the score 17-0.

With 7:19 left in the second quarter, App State linebacker Derrell Farrar rocked ETSU quarterback Jaylen King. Farrar was penalized for the alleged late hit that left King off the field for a play. Initially ruled to be targeting, upon review that aspect of the penalty was overturned.

The Buccaneers did not go out of the half without a fight. ETSU running back Devontae Houston cracked an 80-yard run down the heart of the Mountaineers logo — and through a gaping hole in the Mountaineer defense — to shorten the App State lead to 17-7.

In his post-game press conference, App State head coach Shawn Clark was critical of his team’s penalties and the late-first-half 80-yard touchdown run.

“It’s one play. Anytime you miss-fit a gap and it goes to, you know, a 70-yard run, that stuff doesn’t look good for us and it’s not what we wanted,” Clark said.

Halftime arrived with the Mountaineers still holding the 17-7 advantage.

Following the intermission, ETSU rallied with back-to-back big plays that put them in prime scoring position, at App State’s 23-yard line. Tight End Cameron Lewis led the charge with a 28-yard physical catch and two other receptions during the drive.

App State’s defense buckled down and held ETSU to a field goal, led by inside linebackers Brendan Harrington and Jalik Thomas. ETSU capped off the drive with a 25-yard field goal to once again shorten the lead to 17-10.

Aguilar and the Mountaineers responded with eight consecutive passes. The Antioch, Calif. native delivered another deep ball to tight end Eli Wilson across the middle for a 34-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 24-10. The catch-and-run was the longest of Wilson’s career.

“We’re going to use him a lot this year,” Clark said later. “We didn’t use him enough today but anytime we need a big fourth down he’s one of our first progressions.”

Back-to-back sacks put ETSU at the one-yard line, forcing the Buccaneers to punt the possession away. Outside linebacker Thomas Davis was involved with both sacks on QB Jaylen King.

“I feel like this game went really good for the D-Line,” Davis said. “If we stop the run, we get to have fun; That’s our ‘lingo’.”

App State capitalized on the next drive with Makai Jackson running for a 47-yard reverse and into the endzone to extend the Mountaineer lead. Just six minutes later, Aguilar punched in another touchdown from the one-yard line.

App State will travel down to Clemson next week, looking for yet another Power 4 FBS win. It has been nearly a decade since the two last met, with Clemson winning the past matchup, 41-10.

“We’re going to Death Valley. It’s a big game,” Clark said. “We’ll make sure we’re firing on all cylinders come Saturday.”

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Things may have bogged down a bit in the middle but Appalachian State was stellar at the beginning and the end against East Tennessee State in the Aug. 31 football season opener, pulling away from the Buccaneers, 38-10.

Kidd Brewer Stadium was rockin’ and rollin’ with a standing room only crowd to watch quarterback Joey Aguilar’s return after a record-setting debut a season ago. The transfer from California’s Diablo Valley Community College didn’t disappoint against ETSU, completing 22 of 37 passes for 325 yards through the air, two TDs and no INTs (a 151.3 efficiency rating) while toting the pigskin five times in short yardage situations for another two TDs.

The Mountaineers amassed 500 yards of total offense, adding 175 rushing yards to Aguilar’s passing totals. Counting Aguilar, App State employed seven rushers in a methodical attack. Wide receiver Makai Jackson used his one carry on a jet sweep around the left side to ramble for 47 yards and a TD, to lead all rushers. Juniors Kanye Roberts  and Anderson Castle accounted for most of the ground game workload, each carrying the ball nine times for 35 and 28 yards, respectively.

Just like they did a year ago, Aguilar and wide receiver Kaedin Robinson proved an effective tandem, with Robinson on the receiving end of 8 Aguilar passes for 103 yards, the biggest a 47-yard aerial as Robinson crossed to the middle for a 47-yard gain, to the ETSU 21 yard line.

Aguilar’s biggest play, however, seemed to be supercharged by the lightning storm  preceding the game, an 83-yard catch-and-run to veteran wide receiver Christan Horn. With the ball snapped from App State’s own 17 yard line, the 6-2, 190 lb. senior collected the ball near the ETSU 37, then sprinted the rest of the way to the end zone. On App State’s third play from scrimmage, it was the first of five Mountaineer TDs on the day.

The matchup between two former SoCon adversaries also pitted former Watauga Pioneers against each other. Castle, Orlando Leon and Carter Everett are now on the Mountaineers’ roster. Redshirt senior Zach West, an outside linebacker, joins Carlton and Cole Horine, both freshman defensive backs and first year offensive lineman Eli Greene as Pioneer representatives on the Buccaneer roster.

Although the Mountaineer offense seemed to bog down in the middle of the contest while ETSU was gaining some momentum, midway through the third quarter Aguilar found tight end Eli Wilson crossing across the middle for a 34-yard passing TD. It seemed to provide a new spark for App State, on both sides of the ball. Up to that point, ETSU had narrowed the early Mountaineer lead to just a single possession, 17-10. Whether discouraged or worn out, the Buccaneers never really threatened for the rest of the game.

GAME NOTES (Courtesy of App State Athletics):

• Attendance at Kidd Brewer Stadium was 36,232, the third-largest crowd in Kidd Brewer Stadium history behind the 2022 game against North Carolina and the 2023 game against East Carolina, which both announced a crowd of 40,168.
• App State won its 10th home opener in the last 11 tries.
• The Mountaineers improved to 33-14-1 all-time against ETSU and won against an FCS team for the 11th time in 12 tries since moving up to the FBS ranks in 2014. It was App State’s eighth straight win in the series against ETSU.
• App State improved to 54-10 in home games since 2014, the seventh-best winning percentage nationally in that span (and best among Group of Five programs).
• App State’s 96 wins since its 2014 FBS debut are tied for sixth-most in the nation behind Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Oklahoma.
• First-time starters for the Mountaineers included LG Griffin Scroggs, C Jack Hollifield, RT Thomas Shrader, DE Montez Kelley, NOSE Joshua Donald, DE Michael Fletcher, STAR Avarion Cole and CB Seth Robertson.

OFFENSE

• On the Mountaineers’ second offensive play of the season and first passing play, Joey Aguilar connected with Christan Horn for an 83-yard touchdown, the longest throw and catch of their careers, respectively. Aguilar also threw a touchdown on his first pass of the season in last year’s opener against Gardner-Webb.
• Aguilar – the only returning FBS QB with 33+ touchdown passes and 3,700+ yards from last year – finished the day completing 22 of 37 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, while adding two more scores on the ground. It was his first game with multiple rushing touchdowns after scoring on the ground three times all of last season.
• Aguilar’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Eli Wilson on a fourth-down play was Wilson’s career-long reception. The starting tight end found the end zone for the third-straight regular season game.
• Kaedin Robinson led the receiving corps with eight catches for 103 yards, his fourth career triple-digit receiving yard outing. Robinson ranks among the top 15 players in the country with his 26 consecutive games with a reception.
• Wide receiver Makai Jackson found the end zone via rush on an end-around toss that he took 47 yards to pay dirt. It was his first career rush as a Mountaineer.

DEFENSE

• App State’s defense held the Buccaneers to just 122 passing yards and 305 total yards. ETSU converted only 3 of 13 third downs and 1 of 3 fourth downs.
• Starting inside linebacker Kyle Arnholt led all players with a career-high 10 tackles.
• Outside linebacker Thomas Davis surpassed his sack total from all of last season with 1.5 sacks and a career-high 2.0 TFLs on five total tackles. His back-to-back third-quarter sacks (shared the second one with Kevin Abrams-Verwayne) turned the momentum in the Mountaineers’ favor and helped turn a seven-point lead into a multiple-touchdown advantage.
• Derrell Farrar, on his birthday, recorded his first career full sack.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Michael Hughes was good on a 33-yard field goal that gave App State a 10-0 lead. The Groza Award watch lister also made all five PATs.

SELECTED TEAM STATS (courtesy of StatBroadcast)

• Net Total Yards: ETSU 305, APP 500
• Net Rushing Yards: ETSU 183, APP 174
• Net Passing Yards: ETSU 122, APP 326
• Rushing TDs: ETSU 1, APP 3
• Passing TDs: ETSU 0, APP 2
• Total 1st Downs: ETSU: 15, APP 22
• 3rd Down Conversions: ETSU 3-13, APP 6-14
• 4th Down Conversions: ETSU 1-3, APP 1-2
• Penalties: ETSU 7-65, APP 6-61
• Turnovers
  • Fumbles: ETSU 0, APP 0
  • Interceptions Thrown: ETSU 0, APP 0
• Time of Possession: ETSU 30:30, APP 28:25
• DEF Tackles for Loss: ETSU 2, APP 6
• DEF Tackles for Loss Yards: ETSU -3, APP -26
• DEF Pass Breakups: ETSU 5, APP 0
• DEF QB Hurries: ETSU 5, APP 3
• DEF QB Sacks: ETSU 0, APP 3

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL STATS (courtesy of StatBroadcast)

Passing (completions-attempts-yards)

• APP – Joey Aguilar: 22-37-326, 2 TDs
• ETSU – Jaylen King: 10-19-122

Rushing (carries-yards)

• ETSU – Devontae Houston: 15-126, 1 TD
• APP – Makai Jackson: 1-47, 1 TD
• ETSU – Bryson Irby: 12-40
• APP – Kanye Roberts: 9-35
• APP – Anderson Castle: 9-28
• APP – Joey Aguilar: 5-19, 2 TDs
• ETSU – Jaylen King: 13-17
• APP – Maquel Haywood: 4-19
• APP – Ahmani Marshall:3-13
• APP – Kaedin Robinson: 1-13

Receiving (catches-yards)

• APP – Kaedin Robinson: 8-103
• APP – Christan Horn: 2-89, 1 TD
• ETSU – Cameron Lewis: 3-47
• APP – Eli Wilson: 3-43, 1 TD
• APP – Kanye Roberts: 4-37
• ETSU – AJ Johnson: 2-25
• APP – Makai Jackson: 2-24
• ETSU – Karim Page: 2-23
• APP – Anderson Castle: 2-20
• ETSU – Jonathan Burns: 1-16
• ETSU – Hakeem Meggett: 1-11
• APP – William Fowles: 1-10

By Katherine Jamtgaard. ATHENS, OHIO — The App State volleyball team opened the season with a gritty, five-set thriller against Xavier (24-26, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 15-11) Friday morning before falling short to Wright State in three sets (18-25, 24-26, 13-25) on the first day of the Bobcat Invitational.

App State 3, Xavier 2

Junior Maya Winterhoff led the charge against the Musketeers with a team-high 16 kills, three aces, and five blocks (four assists, one solo). She also recorded a hitting percentage of .536. In her collegiate debut, freshman Maddie Smith matched senior Lulu Ambrose with 12 kills apiece and made six digs. Freshman Julianna Horta also had an impressive debut, recording 29 assists and seven digs, while fellow setter and redshirt junior Addison Heidemann recorded 23 assists and eight digs. Junior Kenady Roper led the team in digs, with 26. App State had 62 kills compared to Xavier’s 59, to go along with 58 assists to the Musketeers’ 55.

The Mountaineers came out hot in the first set, establishing a 6-0 lead before Xavier managed to catch up late in the set at 17 all. As Xavier pulled ahead, App State managed to tie things up at 23-23 with a kill from Smith and a block from the duo of freshman Bella Hutchens and Winterhoff. The visitors held Xavier to a set point with a kill from Winterhoff, but the Musketeers managed to take the first set, 26-24.

It was Xavier’s turn to jump to an early lead in the second set, but the Mountaineers were quick to meet the Musketeers at 10 all after back-to-back kills from freshman Elise Marchal and Smith. Building off of a 4-0 run that featured a kill and a pair of aces from Winterhoff, App State took a 19-14 lead. Sophomore Ava Leahy slammed down a pair of kills to extend the lead to 21-17. App State secured the second set, 25-19, with a late 3-0 run.

App State and Xavier battled through a close third set, fighting for each point and not allowing for more than three points in a run, until Xavier found its footing, jumping ahead 18-12 after five consecutive points. Despite this, the Mountaineers chipped away at the deficit, coming back within one point (21-20) before Xavier pushed forward, 24-20. Marchal mustered one last kill before Xavier took the set, 25-21.

The fourth set started off closely matched as the teams traded the lead until the Mountaineers met Xavier at 12 all. Finding momentum, App State went on a 9-0 run that included kills from Winterhoff, Ambrose, and graduate student Cierra Huntley, to jump ahead, 20-12. A kill from Leahy, an ace from Horta, and a kill from Huntley brought the Mountaineers to set point. Marchal made the final kill to seal the fourth set, 25-17, and push for a fifth.

Early in the fifth and final set, App State edged ahead, 6-3, after kills from Smith and Winterhoff. Xavier managed to take a 10-7 lead, but couldn’t hold on, as the Mountaineers earned five consecutive points that included a kill from Ambrose, a block from Marchal and Leahy, and an ace from Horta. Back-to-back kills from Leahy and a Xavier error sealed the Mountaineers’ victory as they took the set, 15-11, and the match, 3-2.

Wright State 3, App State 0

In App State’s second match of the day, Winterhoff led the Mountaineers with 11 kills, while Horta led the team in assists with 13. Roper recorded a team-high 13 digs against Wright State, as well as the Mountaineers’ sole ace of the match.

Wright State took a commanding lead in the first set after an early 9-0 scoring run. Despite closing the gap to 19-14 with a pair of 3-0 runs that included kills from Marchal, Winterhoff, and Smith as well as Roper’s service ace, the Raiders managed to take the set, 25-18.

The Mountaineers took a 7-3 lead early in the second set before battling point for point with Wright State, meeting at 15 all. Wright State took a 20-17 edge, but Smith brought the Black and Gold back within one with two consecutive kills. A block from Hutchens and Winterhoff, in addition to a kill from each, and a Raiders’ error brought App State to set point. Wright State mustered three points to edge past the Mountaineers, 26-24.

The Mountaineers were held to 13 points in the third set as Wright State took the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-0. Winterhoff landed five of the Mountaineers’ seven kills as well as a solo block during the set, while Smith and Ambrose each contributed a kill.

Looking Ahead

The Mountaineers will close out competition at the Bobcat Invitational with a 1 p.m. clash against the host, Ohio, on Saturday. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — A South Carolina quartet of three freshmen and a sophomore earned the top four spots in the App State-hosted Covered Bridge Open on Aug. 30. Mountaineer senior Emma Russum spoiled the visitors’ sweep of the top five, crossing the finish line for the 5k run just under 18 minutes (17:59.51) to take the No. 5 position.

Teresa Cherotich, a USC freshman crosse the line No. 1 in 17:16.14, followed by another USC freshman, Mary Francis Iseman at No. 2 in 17:47.47. The two other top finishers for South Carolina were No. 3 Anya Arroyo (sophomore, 17:51.46) and No. 4 Cate Conklin (freshman, 17:58.90). South Carolina sophomore Emma Torbert put the finishing touches on her team’s No. 1 team victory for the event when she crossed the line just behind Russum, at No. 6 (18:04.85).

App State had two more harriers finish in the top 10, freshman Bre Budzinski (No. 8, 18:13.24) and Rhys Ammon (No. 9, 18:13.65).

More than 100 athletes were registered for the women’s division, representing nine colleges and universities. All five of App State’s scorers finished in the top 16, helping the Mountaineer harriers to a No. 2 team finish.

“Our team excelled today in their preparation, mindset, and how they paced themselves throughout the race,” said women’s distance coach Annie Richards. “They have big goals this season and have maintained a heavy workload throughout the last several weeks to build a foundation of strength to support these goals. Several women ran big workouts this weekend. They will join the pack and open their seasons at the Firetower Project in two weeks.”

Team Scores

1. South Carolina (16)
2. App State (51)
3. Mercer (91)
4. Montreat (117)
5. Western Carolina (147)
6. UNC-Asheville (168)
7. High Point (199)
8. Winthrop (229)
9. USC-Upstate (260)

UP NEXT

The Mountaineers will return to the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm on Sept. 13 for the Firetower Project Run. The men’s 8K is slated for 6 p.m. with the women’s 6K to follow at 6:40 p.m.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It was a 3-sweep for the App State men’s cross country team on Aug. 30 in the Covered Bridge Open, contested against seven other regional college programs. Junior Ethan Lipham topped the field in the 6k run, crossing the finish line in 18:14.72.

The Mountaineer harriers also captured five of the next 12 finishes in the 96-man field competing on the Don Kennedy Trails, including No. 2 (Calbert Guest, 18:19.59), No. 3 (Chase Burrell, 18:35.58), No. 5 (Aaron Kidd, 18:45.50), No. 8 (Rowan Gwin, 18:53.30) and No. 13 (Thomas Wlazlowski, 19:04.09)

App State clinched the team title with 19 points.

“We had positive results for the guys today,” said men’s distance coach Brad Herbster. “Trying out different race tactics and keeping the gap closed were all good things. Junior Ethan Lipham and redshirt senior Calbert Guest work together in the middle. Redshirt junior Chase Burrell being back is good and the freshmen (Aaron Kidd, Rowan Gwin, and Thomas Wlazlowski) all had good showings.”

TEAM SCORES:

1. App State (19)
2. Mercer (71)
3. Western Carolina (97)
4. App State – Unattached (105)
5. Montreat (109)
6. High Point (129)
7. USC-Upstate (191)
8. UNC-Asheville (229)
9. Winthrop (268)

UP NEXT

The Mountaineers will return to the Don Kennedy Trails at State Farm on Sept. 13 for the Firetower Project Run. The men’s 8K is slated for 6 p.m. with the women’s 6K to follow at 6:40 p.m.

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — Freshman Ellie Garrison netted a pair of goals in the final 15 minutes of the opening half — the first two tallies of her collegiate career — to lead the Mountaineers past Longwood 2-0 Thursday at The Valley.

The victory extends the Mountaineers’ (2-0-2) home unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive games.

After waiting out a two hour and 10-minute weather delay that went into effect less than four minutes into the match, Garrison put on a show for the fans who valiantly waited for the game to resume.

Her first goal came in the 30th minute of play. Off a corner kick from Shannon Studer, the ball deflected around in the box and landed on the right foot of Garrison who slotted it home into the top left corner of the net.

Then, less than five minutes before halftime, the Trinity, N.C. native was at it again. Garrison collected the ball near midfield, sprinted down the pitch and ripped a right footed shot just inside the near post to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead, which they would not relinquish.

For the third time in four games, redshirt freshman Sarah Wommack posted a shutout in goal. Wommack recorded four saves on the night.

Despite coming up empty on the score sheet, Izzi Wood put the pressure on the Longwood (0-3-1) defense throughout the match. Wood finished with seven shots and four on target, including a near-goal in the opening half that was foiled by a lunging Lancer defender after the goalkeeper came out to make the initial save on Walker Bristow’s shot attempt.

App State out-shot Longwood 14-7 for the match, including 7-4 in shots on target.

App State will put its unbeaten record to the test on Sunday, as the Mountaineers visit the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers. First touch is set for 2 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on SECN+.