Football on big high at Appalachian St.
By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
In the high country town of Boone, N.C. — home to the Appalachian State football team — there are specific rules.
While beer and wine are permitted, it is against town law to serve liquor by the drink. A patron may purchase rum from the ABC Store in a nearby town, bring the bottle into a restaurant that has a brown-bag license, then mix the liquor with a cola while the bartender looks the other way.
MOORE
It is never OK to pronounce Appalachian any way other than Ah-pah-latch-an.
Before interviewing for the ASU head coaching job in 1989, Texas-raised Jerry Moore recalled practicing his diction for "about 15 minutes. I couldn't spell it. I couldn't pronounce it. I didn't know where it was located."
Blake Sorensen, who moved from California 10 years ago, said: "The first day out here, I pronounced it the wrong way, and they looked at me like, 'You're a Yankee.' "
And it certainly is a no-no to take Appalachian State football lightly. While this tourist town features four breathtaking ski locations and several fishing areas teeming with trout, the most popular local attraction is Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Last year, the Mountaineers averaged 12,954 fans per home football game, a remarkable turnout for a public school with an enrollment of 13,000.
On Saturday afternoons, the town is painted black and gold. The school's marching band goes down River Street, through the campus, before entering the stadium. "It's a nice tradition," said James Nix, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper The Appalachian.
Because the season opener in Hawai'i begins at 12:05 a.m. Eastern time, Geno's Sports Lounge — billed as high country's only sports bar — will extend the 2 a.m. last call until the game's final whistle.
As always, a capacity crowd is expected to fill the 250 seats at Geno's, which features 35 television sets, a 10-foot-by-10-foot jumbo screen and wireless speakers at every table. The lounge even found a loop hole to the dry law, offering chicken wings smothered in a bourbon-based sauce.
The lounge's motto of "our wings kick butt" is second to the football chant of "Go App!"
"That's our cheer," said Sorensen, the general manager of Geno's.
The Mountaineers have had ample opportunities to celebrate. In Moore's 14 seasons at ASU, the Mountaineers have had one sub-.500 year, in 1993, when they went 4-7. They have qualified for the past five Division I-AA playoffs, finishing each of those seasons in the ESPN rankings.
They are an easy fit in an area mixing the affluent with those who grow tobacco on three-acre farms. Moore described the locals as "good, wholesome people who appreciate a very laid-back lifestyle. They are the heart and soul of the Appalachians."
Moore also has succeeded with an annual football budget of $1.3 million, a little more than a fourth of UH's operating expenses.
"We can manage," Moore said, noting, "We don't fly anywhere, for one thing. The nearest airport is two hours away."
But Moore said the school is committed to investing in the athletic department. Plans call for a $32 million upgrade to the athletic department facilities, including expansion of the weight room and installation of sky boxes at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Moore has built a program through area recruiting — only one player is not from the South — and a tireless work ethic.
Then again, with a limited nightlife in this Bible Belt area, "we spend most of our time focusing on school and football," defensive end K.T. Stovall said.
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