Author: David

By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — After falling behind by five runs in the middle innings, App State put together several late-inning rallies, but the Mountaineers stranded the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings, falling 9-8 to Marshall in the series opener Thursday at Smith Stadium.

It was a back-and-forth affair that featured a combined 23 hits in the contest.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Mountaineers (15-8, 3-4) leveled the score in the second on back-to-back doubles from Adam Quintero and Hunter Wilder.

Marshall (9-16, 3-4) then jumped in front in the third inning with a three-run home run, and after Austin St. Laurent blasted a solo home run in the third to get a run back, the Herd put together another three-run inning in the sixth to push their advantage to 7-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, App State responded with a three-run inning of its own. Graham Smiley and Wilder each walked, and then with two outs, Joseph Zamora belted a three-run home run, his second of the season, bringing the deficit to 7-5.

The Herd answered with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning, but the Mountaineers responded again with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth, but left six men aboard across the final two frames and 11 total in the ballgame.

Collin Welch was impressive in relief, striking out four across the final 3.1 innings, and allowing just two unearned runs.

St. Laurent, Banks Tolley, Braxton Church, and Zamora all finished with multi-hit games.

The two teams will play game two of the series Friday at 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE

By Joey Jones. BOONE, N.C. — With impressive displays of speed, strength, skill and explosiveness, seven seniors from App State’s relatively young 2023 football team went through Pro Day drills and workouts Monday in front of representatives from the NFL, CFL and NASCAR.

Photographic images by David Rogers for High Country Sports

App State had one linebacker (Andrew Parker Jr.), two offensive linemen (Bucky Williams, Isaiah Helms) and four defensive backs (Tyrek Funderburk, Nick Ross, EJ Jackson, Jarrett Paul) participate in an event that began in the North End Zone weight room and concluded in the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility.

Some of the highlights included a time of 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash from Funderburk, 23 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press from the 185-pound Ross and a series of strong testing numbers from Parker, notably a vertical jump of 38.5 inches and a time of 6.98 seconds in the three-cone drill.

Only one linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine had a better vertical leap in Indianapolis, and no Combine linebackers had a better three-cone time. Parker’s numbers in the bench press (20 reps), broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches) and 20-yard shuttle (4.26 seconds) all would have ranked third at the Combine when compared to other participating linebackers.

“I just wanted to come out here and show I was an all-around (line)backer,” said Parker, who increased his total from 68 tackles in 2022 to 114 in 2023 as a full-time starter who earned All-Sun Belt recognition. “They had a few questions about me, I think really from my junior tape (in 2022) that they just wanted to see my range. I just wanted to show I could change direction with the best of them, that I can run with the best of them and that I’m just as explosive as some of the best of them.”

Only seven cornerbacks at the Combine had a 40 time faster than Funderburk’s 4.39 seconds.

Given his position, he also put up good numbers in the three-cone drill (7.0 seconds), bench press (14 reps), vertical jump (34.5 inches) and broad jump (10-3).

“A lot of (the scouts) said I looked very fluid — very smooth in my breaks — and I didn’t drop any passes today, which was a huge goal of mine,” said Funderburk, who tied for the Sun Belt lead with four interceptions in 2023 and totaled 11 interceptions in his college career. “When I was down in Florida, we worked (on that) twice a week there. The main thing, I just wanted to come out here, run well and test well overall, but mainly just run well and catch every ball in those position drills.”

In addition to his 23 bench-press reps in the weight room, Ross ran the 40 in 4.55 seconds and had a vertical jump of 33.5 inches.

No safeties at the Combine had more than 22 bench-press reps.

“I think I showed off my strength, being undersized at my position,” said Ross, who had 256 tackles in 66 career games, putting him tied for No. 1 for the most game appearances in program history. “I felt like I hit a good number on the bench press and also showed off my speed as well. I’m just glad I got to put all the hard work into my opportunity.”

Jackson had the next-best 40 time of 4.53 seconds to go with a time of 6.90 seconds in the three-cone drill. Paul tested particularly well in the vertical jump (36 inches) and three-cone drill (7.01 seconds).

Williams and Helms worked as interior linemen — drills for guards and centers — with Helms also performing as a long snapper.

“I feel good,” said Williams, who earned All-Sun Belt recognition as an offensive guard in both 2022 and 2023. “Obviously, there were numbers in my head that I wanted to hit, and I didn’t hit some of them, but, overall, I felt I moved well, did drills well and, overall, had a really good day.”

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held April 25-27, with teams also signing undrafted free agents immediately after the draft.

App State concluded the 2023 NFL regular season with a Sun Belt-leading 14 alums on NFL rosters. The breakdown of that group was split between eight draft picks and six undrafted players.

By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — They may not have started out so good but they sure knew how to finish it. And a sell-out crowd on a chilly, blustery afternoon relished the experience.

Appalachian State fell to a 6-0 deficit to No. 13 ranked Coastal Carolina in the first two and a half innings on March 23 at Beaver Field and Smith Stadium, but they pretty much took care of business the rest of the way in a 16-8 romp past the Chanticleers.

Leftfielder and leadoff hitter C.J. Boyd capitalized on there being two runners on base in the bottom half of the third inning with a 3-run blast over the left field wall, but on this day it was the bottom of the Mountaineers’ batting order that had the hot bats. From centerfielder Banks Tolley batting in the No. 4 position, through catcher Braxton Church (No.5), first baseman Drew Holderbach (No. 6), shortstop Adam Quintero (No. 7), rightfielder Hunter Wilder (No. 8) and second baseman Joseph Zamora (No. 9), that quintet accounted for all but three of the 16 runs scored and all but four of the RBIs with their sizzling bats.

And then there was the Mountaineer pitching. Although starter Bradley Wilson, a redshirt junior righthander gave up seven runs in the first four innings, six of them recorded as earned runs, he settled down to blank the Chanticleers in the fifth before giving way to reliever Grey LaSpaluto to start the sixth inning. In his four innings on the mound, the senior righthander from Apex, N.C. gave up just one hit — a home run for the only run — while striking out five with no walks.

The fact that App State used only one relief pitcher on the afternoon could pay dividends when the two teams face each other again on Sunday (March 24) in a doubleheader. In contrast, Coastal Carolina used a total of five relief pitchers after the 3.1 innings of work by starter Alexander Meckley.

Down and Dirty

App State cut its early 6-0 deficit in half with three runs in the bottom half of the third inning. Quintero got things started with a double to left after working the count to 3-2 and scattering nine foul balls. Two batters later, Joseph Zamora singled through the right side, putting runners on the corners with Boyd coming to the plate. He didn’t waste any time. After a called ball on the first pitch, he drove the second pitch over the left field wall for his tenth dinger of the still young season.

The Mountaineers scored three more runs in the fourth frame, to almost match the early seven runs produced by the Chanticleers. After Church led off with a walk, Holderbach was hit by a pitch. When Quintero flied out to center, Church advanced to third to put runners on the corners — but that wouldn’t last long because Holderbach took advantage of there being a runner on third to steal second, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out.  But then Wilder walked to load the bases, bringing up the ninth man in the batting order, Zamora. The junior from Miami promptly ripped a single up the middle, scoring both Church and Holderbach. One batter later, some alert base running by Wilder brought in the third run of the inning.

The Mountaineers were able to tie the game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth but it was the sixth inning that proved pivotal.

Tolley homered to left center with a runner on to score the first two runs of the inning, but App State was just getting started. Church laced a double down the left field line, Holderbach singled, and Wilder was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Church scoring the third run of the inning. Then, when Quintero followed up with a walk, the wheels were already starting to come off the Coastal Carolina chariot. Zamora, who finished the day going 3-for-5 with five RBIs, doubled through the gap in right center, scoring Holderbach, Quintero, and Wilder — and giving Boone’s favorite sons a 13-7 lead.

Although LaSpaluto gave up his only run in the seventh inning, a solo home run by CCU second baseman Blake Barthol, the Mountaineers manufactured three more runs in the bottom half of the seventh to provide the final, 16-8 winning margin. LaSpaluto blanked the Chanticleers in the top half of the 8th inning and the 9th inning to secure the win.

Because of Friday’s rain-related postponement, Sunday will feature a doubleheader starting at noon. After the first game is finished, the second game will start approximately 30 minutes later.

TOP PERFORMERS

• APP – Joseph Zamora: 3-5, one run scored, 5 RBIs, 2B
• APP – Banks Tolley: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, HR, 1 walk
• APP – C J Boyd: 1-3, 1 run scored, 3 RBIs, HR, 3 walks
• CCU – Blake Barthol: 2-4, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, HR
• APP – Adam Quintero: 2-3, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, 2 walks
• APP – Drew Holderbach: 2-4, 3 runs scored, 2 RBIs, 2B, HBP
• CCU – Corey Zientek: 1-2, 2 runs scored, 1 RBI, 3B, 1 walk
• APP – Braxton Church: 1-4, 2 runs scored, 2B, 1 walk
• APP – Grey LaSpaluto: WP (now 3-0), 4.0 innings, 1 hit, 1 run (solo HR), 5 strikeouts
• CCU – Sam Antonacci: 2-4, 1 run scored, 1 RBI
• CCU – Zach Beach: 1-3, 1 run scored, 2 RBIs, HR

BOX SCORE

By Katherine Jamtgaard. COLUMBIA, S.C. – The App State men’s and women’s track and field team closed out competition at South Carolina’s Weems Baskin Relays with a new school record in the women’s long jump, eight event wins, and 26 top-five finishes.

“Having back-to-back weekends of amazing performances is something the athletes can be proud of,” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “There were a few lows, but we have to move on and fix it going into next week. A lot of people moved up on the conference rankings and we even had one person move up to the top of the NCAA and the world.”

Graduate Student Ashlee Osaji shattered the App State women’s long jump program record with a leap of 6.54m (21′ 5.5″). Osaji’s jump clinched the win and ranks her second in the nation at the close of the day. The previous school record of 6.22m (20′ 5.25″) was set in 1993 by Melissa Morrison-Howard, who went on to become a bronze medalist in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics.

Senior Chris Wainscott clinched first in the men’s shot put with a toss of 17.16m (56′ 3.75″), while fellow senior Nate Karl took fourth with a mark of 15.48 (50′ 9.5″). Karl went on to take sixth in the men’s discus with a personal best of 50.79m (166′ 7″), which raised him to sixth in the App State all-time list.

The 4×100-meter relay team of freshmen Nicole Wells and Sierra Smith, senior Taylor Smith, and freshman Kendall Johnson stopped the clock at 45.51 for the event win. Taylor Smith went on to round out the top-five in the women’s 200 meters with a time of 24.13. The Mountaineers also saw a first-place finish In the women’s open 1,500 meters, as graduate student Elizabeth Fuller led the pack, clocking a personal best of 4:46.81.

In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, sophomore Harrison Robinson secured silver with a personal-best of 13.93. His time launched him to third in the program all-time list. Robinson had advanced to the final after clocking a time of 14.51 to round out the top-five in the prelims.

In the men’s pole vault, freshman Matthew Gray recorded a clearance of 5.06m (16′ 7.25″) to finish second. Junior Matthew Bigelow and senior Patrick Freeman both cleared a height of 4.91m (16′ 1.25″), taking third and fourth, respectively.

In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, senior Jabari Dalton stopped the clock at 53.37 for a personal best and fourth-place finish, while freshman Davis Hunt clocked a personal best of 55.18 to finish seventh.

Graduate student Alexia Moehling recorded a pair of personal bests and seventh-place finishes in the women’s 100-meter hurdle prelims and women’s 400-meter hurdles. Moehling stopped the clock at 14.02 in the 100-meter hurdle prelims, which moved her to fifth in the App State all-time list. In the women’s 400-meter hurdles, she clocked a time of 1:03.05, which moved her to eighth in the program all-time list. Also posting seventh-place finishes were sophomore Parker Kinney, who posted a personal best of 47.96 in the men’s 400 meters, and senior Megan Plummer, who recorded a season best of 38.72m (127′ 0″) in the women’s discus.

Friday Rewind

Friday’s action saw the Mountaineers tally four event wins and 14 top-five finishes. In the men’s triple jump, senior Niejel Wilkins clinched first with a leap of 14.95m (49′ 0.75″). On the track, sophomore Addison Ollendick-Smith clocked a personal best of 2:12.87 to finish first in the women’s 800 meters. Her time moved her to eighth in the App State all-time list.

In the men’s 3,000 meters, graduate student Jonah Bird led the Mountaineers in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, clocking a season best of 9:28.96, while junior Steven Smith followed to secure second with a personal best of 9:35.32. Fellow junior Garrett Bivens led the Mountaineers in the men’s 5,000 meters, stopping the clock at 14:43.64 for a first-place finish. Following Bivens was graduate student Ethan Barber, who finished second with a personal-best of 14:51.71.

App State saw third-place finishes from junior Daiyanna Cooper and Wainscott in the women’s and men’s weight throw, respectively. Cooper recorded a toss of 52.12m (171′ 0″) in the women’s event, while Wainscott took third with a season best toss of 57.78m (189′ 6″) in the men’s. Freshman Jared Hiatt landed fourth with a personal best leap of 6.89m (22′ 7.25″) in the men’s long jump.

Up Next

The Mountaineers will venture to Raleigh, N.C. for NC State’s Raleigh Relays on March 28-30.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — App State Wrestling set several program records at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships before falling one victory short of adding to its esteemed list of Division I All-Americans.

With four of their five NCAA qualifiers winning first-round matches, plus three of the four second-day competitors securing top-16 finishes at their respective weights, the Mountaineers had made record-breaking history by the time Friday night’s high-stakes session arrived at the T-Mobile Center.

Tommy Askey’s 3-1 start to the event left him as one of 12 wrestlers remaining in the 157-pound bracket, propelling him to a “Blood Round” showdown against eighth-seeded Nebraska standout Peyton Robb, a five-time NCAA qualifier. A win for the 19th-seeded Askey would be needed to secure a top-eight finish and All-America recognition, but Robb became an All-American for the third time via a 9-4 decision.

Capping a 25-win season, Askey delivered a second-period reversal to cut his deficit to 8-3 against Robb, who had takedowns early in the first and second periods.

Askey’s run to the Blood Round featured two wins against higher-ranked opponents and accounted for three of App State’s eight victories in Kansas City, as 21st-seeded Ethan Oakley (133 pounds) and 18th-seeded Cody Bond (149 pounds) won two matches apiece. Will Miller won his first-round match as the No. 16 seed at 165 pounds, and true freshman Tomas Brooker competed twice as the No. 33 seed at 184 pounds.

Askey won a 17-6 major decision 14th-seeded Cody Chittum from Iowa State before dropping into the consolation bracket with a loss to third-seeded Meyer Shapiro from Cornell on Thursday night.

On Friday, following wins that gave Oakley and Bond records of 2-1 in the event, Askey delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:03 remaining in a 4-1 victory against Cal Poly’s Legend Lamar.

Shortly after third-round consolation losses eliminated Oakley (who had opened the tournament with a dramatic win against a former All-American) and Bond (a seventh-year senior who had recorded his 80th career win earlier in the day before dropping an 8-7 decision to Stanford’s Jadan Abas), Askey won a 4-2 decision against 11th-seeded standout Brayton Lee, a sixth-year senior who was an All-American in 2021.

A takedown late in the first period allowed Askey to claim a 3-1 lead entering the second period. Escapes from Lee in the second and Askey in the third accounted for the other scoring.

Oakley had a first-period takedown against Lock Haven’s Gable Strickland in his first match Friday before sealing an 8-2 victory with a takedown in the closing seconds. He then lost 6-0 against 13th-seeded Kurt Phipps from Bucknell.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins sets a program record.

Bond followed an early takedown by Rutgers’ Michael Cetta in his Friday opener with a reversal and trailed 4-2 after one period. A second-period takedown gave him a 6-4 lead, and he was ahead 6-5 on the scoreboard (with riding time locked in) when he added a takedown in the closing seconds.

Facing Abas, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2021 All-American, Bond gave up a takedown and two near-fall points to trail 5-1 after one period. An escape and takedown from Bond in the second period tied the match, with Bond riding out the final 1:05 of the period.

Instead of letting Bond start the third back on top, Abas chose neutral and finished a scramble with a takedown midway through the third period to move ahead 8-5. Bond scored single points on an escape and an Abas stall in the last 49 seconds, but he was just short on possessing enough riding time to earn another point.

In Miller’s 9-8 loss to Maxx Mayfield from Northwestern on Friday, two first-period takedowns gave Mayfield a 6-2 lead. Miller stormed back to take a 7-6 lead on a quick reversal early in the second period and a three-point near fall. Mayfield chose neutral instead of the bottom position to start the third — Miller had stayed on top for the last 1:47 of the second period — and recorded a go-ahead takedown with 1:03 remaining.

DAY 1 RECAP

Oakley, Bond, Askey and Miller all won first-round matches in exciting fashion before dropping Thursday night matches against opponents ranked No. 5, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 1 in the country.

App State’s most improbable qualifier, Brooker, dropped a 10-8 decision in a pigtail match Thursday morning at 184 pounds before losing by fall in his second match.

With App State’s four other qualifiers all making their second career NCAA appearances and looking for their first main-draw wins — Oakley won a pigtail match last year — the veterans went a combined 4-0 in Session 1, including three wins against higher-seeded opponents.

The Mountaineers’ four Session 1 wins set a record for the best opening-round performance in program history, topping the 3-2 mark from 2022.

Oakley delivered a tiebreaking takedown with 1:18 left in an 8-7 decision against Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, a 12th-seeded senior and multi-time All-American, before Bond used a takedown and four near-fall points to lead 8-0 in the second period of an 11-4 decision against 15th-seeded Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan. Askey had five takedowns in his major decision against Chittum, and a second-period takedown provided separation for Miller in a 5-0 shutout of 17th-seeded Tyler Lillard from Indiana.

Oakley erased a 6-5 deficit on his takedown with 1:18 remaining and managed to stay on top until the closing seconds before finally giving up an escape (to avoid a stalling penalty) with three seconds remaining.

Oakley began the second period with a takedown to cut his deficit to 4-3, but Latona answered with a reversal to move ahead 6-3. An escape from there, plus an escape early in the third, put Oakley in position to claim control with a takedown.

The success on Thursday afternoon meant Round of 16 matchups with some of the nation’s highest-ranked wrestlers. Oakley did record a takedown in the third period of an 11-5 loss to fifth-seeded Michigan standout Dylan Ragusin.

Bond hung tough in a 4-2 loss to second-seeded Arizona State star Kyle Parco, a four-time All-American who recorded a first-period takedown, and Askey lost by tech fall (17-2 score) against Shapiro.

Top-seeded Keegan O’Toole, a two-time national champion from Missouri, remained unbeaten this season by recording a tech fall pin in the third period against Miller, who had a second-period reversal to score two of his points on the three-time All-American.

The 2023-24 season is presented by Hungry Howie’s and Penn Station.

NCAA RESULTS

133: No. 21 Ethan Oakley (26-7)
W, Dec (8-7) vs. #12 Sam Latona, Virginia Tech
L, Dec (11-5) vs. #5 Dylan Ragusin, Michigan
W, Dec (8-2) vs. #27 Gable Strickland, Lock Haven
L, Dec (6-0) vs. #13 Kurt Phipps, Bucknell

149: No. 18 Cody Bond (24-6)
W, Dec (11-4) vs. #15 Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan
L, Dec (4-2) vs #2 Kyle Parco, Arizona State
W, Dec (10-5) vs. #33 Michael Cetta, Rutgers
L, Dec (8-7) vs. #26 Jadan Abas, Stanford

157: No. 19 Tommy Askey (22-5)
W, MD (17-6) vs. #14 Cody Chittum, Iowa State
L, TF (17-2) vs. #3 Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
W, Dec (4-1) vs. #29 Legend Lamar, Cal Poly
W, Dec (4-2) vs. #11 Brayton Lee, Indiana
L, Dec (9-4) vs. #8 Peyton Robb, Nebraska

165: No. 16 Will Miller (24-6)
W, Dec (5-0) vs. #17 Tyler Lillard, Indiana
L, Fall (5:58) vs. #1 Keegan O’Toole, Missouri
L, Dec (9-8) vs. #31 Maxx Mayfield, Northwestern

184: No. 33 Tomas Brooker (21-13)
L, Dec (10-8) vs. #32 Anthony D’Alesio, Long Island U. (pigtail match)
L, Fall (1:22) vs. #30 Malachi DuVall, George Mason