BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University football moved one day closer to wrapping up fall camp with a two-and-a-half-hour practice on Thursday.
Appalachian began practice outside at Kidd Brewer Stadium but rain and lightning forced the Mountaineers in to the Sofield Indoor Practice Facility midway through the workout. One day removed from a 117-play scrimmage, Thursday's practice was conducted in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts with limited contact and 11-on-11 work.
The most newsworthy development from Thursday's practice was the return of a number of regulars that had been sidelined with minor injuries, including quarterback DeAndre Presley, running backs Rod Chisholm and Devin Radford and defensive end Jabari Fletcher.
The Mountaineers will practice twice on Friday in preparation for Saturday's Fan Fest scrimmage at Kidd Brewer Stadium (for more information about Fan Fest, click HERE). Fall camp wraps up with a final two-a-day session on Monday with ASU's fall semester beginning on Tuesday.
RESERVED SEATS FOR HOMECOMING NEARLY SOLD OUT: Reserved seats for Appalachian's Oct. 9 contest versus Elon are nearly sold out with only single seats remaining in Kidd Brewer Stadium's reserved seating areas for the homecoming affair. For groups of two or more wishing to sit together for the ASU-Elon showdown, general-admission grass seats are still available.
Reserved seats for home contests versus The Citadel (Oct. 16), Furman (Oct. 31) and Jacksonville (Sept. 11) are also nearing sellout status. Fans wishing to purchase reserved seats are urged to do so as soon as possible. Single-game tickets can be purchased online 24 hours a day, seven days by clicking HERE. Single-game and season tickets are available by phone (828-262-2079) or in person at the ASU athletics ticket office (located in the Holmes Center). The ASU athletics ticket office is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.
HUNTER LANDS IN DENVER: Former Appalachian all-American Jason Hunter will continue his successful NFL career with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos signed Hunter to a free-agent contract on Thursday. A fifth-year pro, Hunter was unexpectedly released by the Detroit Lions on Monday despite ranking second on the squad with five sacks in 14 games last season and signing a $1.8 million contract in the offseason to remain in Detroit.
Hunter was a consensus all-American as a senior at ASU in 2005, earning first-team recognition from I-AA.org and Football Gazette. He signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 2006 and spent three years in Green Bay before signing with the Lions prior to the 2009 campaign.
Hunter is one of five former Mountaineers currently playing in the NFL, joined by linebacker Marques Murrell (New England Patriots), safety Corey Lynch (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and wide receivers Armanti Edwards and Dexter Jackson (Carolina Panthers).
Ironically, Hunter and the Broncos host the Lions on Saturday for a preseason game in Denver.
ASU PARTNERS WITH LOCAL PROGRAMS TO FORM MIGHTY MOUNTAINEERS: Appalachian athletics has joined forces with youth football and cheerleading programs across the High Country to create the Mighty Mountaineers Youth Football partnership.
Mighty Mountaineers Youth Football was created to encourage the participation in youth football and cheerleading in the High Country, while developing a relationship between Appalachian State athletics and area youth programs and increasing the brand of the Mountaineers and the Black and Gold in the community.
A total of 34 teams from the Ashe, Avery, Watauga and Wilkes Counties' parks and recreation departments and the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church EQUIP program are participating in the program.
As part of the partnership, 22 youth football teams across the High Country will be provided with reversible black and gold jerseys as well as helmet decals, string packs, discounts to ASU athletic events, coaches' shirts, signage, special promotions for participants and more. Twelve cheerleading squads are also participating and will receive black and gold uniforms with ASU's Block A logo.
Particpating teams include:
Ashe County
3 & 4th Grade Central - Coach Brandon Miller , Cheer Coach Angela Beckford
3 & 4th Grade East - Coach David Miller, Cheer Coach Lizzie Welch
3 & 4th Grade West - Coach Larry Bare
5 & 6th Grade North - Coach Chris Barr, Cheer Coach Natasha Roten
5 & 6th Grade South - Coach Derek Shepherd, Cheer Coach Robin Hamilton
Avery County
3 & 4th Grade North - Coach Shane Garland, Cheer Coach TBA
3 & 4th Grade South - Coach John Hicks, Cheer Coach TBA
5 & 6th Grade North - Coach Brandon Burleson, Cheer Coach TBA
5 & 6th Grade South - Coach Clay Calhoun, Cheer Coach TBA
EQUIP - Mt. Vernon Baptist Church
3 & 4th Grade Black - Coach Kevin Rothrock
3 & 4th Grade Gold - Coach Jeff Greene
5 & 6th Grade Gold - Coach Tim Greene
Watauga County
3 & 4th Grade White - Coach Lee Hodges
3 & 4th Grade Black - Coach Todd Castle
3 & 4th Grade Gold - Coach Tige Darner
5 & 6th Grade Mountaineers - Coach Charlie Green, Cheer Coach Shana Scott
5 & 6th Grade Maniacs - Coach Trent Suggs, Cheer Coach TBD
5 & 6th Grade Apps - Coach Robbie Brinkley, Cheer Coach TBD
5 & 6th Grade Yosefs - Coach Joel Taylor, Cheer Coach TBD
Wilkes County
3 & 4th Grade Hawks - Coach Shelton Harless
3 & 4th Grade Yellow Jackets - Coach JT Triplett
5th & 6th Grade Yellow Jackets - Coach Mike Huffman
