'App Express' wings its way home
By Steve Behr

sports@wataugademocrat.com

Anyone who was on board Northwest flight 1578 bound for Charlotte on Sunday morning couldn’t help but notice the invasion of people wearing black and gold shirts and hats.

In fact, it could have been called “The Appalachian State Express.”

Several Appalachian State fans made the trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. to see the Mountaineers shock Michigan 34-32 at Michigan Stadium. Some stayed in Ann Arbor, while others settled in Detroit area hotels.

All who attended the game saw something they would not believe, a Mountaineers victory.

“It was crazy,“ Charlotte resident David Marion said. “I went to Penn State and I know exactly what we were going into. I kept telling these guys that they had no idea what type of atmosphere they were going into. For the stadium to actually be quiet, it was insane for me. It was quite an experience for me because I had never been there when it was quiet before.”

Brian Hester, a former Watauga High swimmer, graduate and “rabid fan” said he felt all along that Appalachian State would win the game. He even called ESPN to make sure the Mountaineers would get the respect they deserved following their victory.

“I told them that since we were under the radar, we didn’t get a ton of press from Mark May and the commentators Lou Holtz and (Kirk) Herbstreet. I felt the reason we were coming up wasn’t just to get our fanny whipped and I don’t think they knew what they were getting into.”

Hester, wearing a Marques Murrell No. 44 jersey, gave credit to Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore and the team’s coaching staff for winning the game.

“Jerry Moore and his staff are absolutely superb,” Hester said. “When you do what we’ve done with half of what (Michigan) has, you can’t beat it. (Michigan) got outcoached and the thing is, they talk about the caliber of athlete they have, when you have a bunch of mountain boys who learn to play in the heat and learn to play in the cold and they’re conditioned very well, it’s an even playing field. It doesn’t matter if it’s I-AA or I-A, an athlete is an athlete.”

Mike Northern, who is the golf coach at Watauga High, didn’t predict an Appalachian State win.

Nevertheless, he enjoyed it with the rest of those on flight 1578. Northern was at the top of the Big House in the end zone.

“To be honest with you, it was unexpected,” Northern said. “I was nervous the whole time. We had the big lead (28-14 in the second quarter), but you know that it was coming. They got the lead and it was like, ‘How do we get out of this hole,’ But we did it and it was a surprise, but I knew we had a good team coming in.”

It was also good for those on the flight back to Charlotte to share their victory with each other. Even the pilot got on the flight intercom and announced that Appalachian State beat the Wolverines.

“It was nice to see all the black and gold,” Marion said. “It was fun. We had a blast.”