Cover by Kaitlyn Close
Community unites, rebuilds Mountain Pathways School after Helene
Ella Adams & Ryan Rudow | Community Editor & Reporter
When Hurricane Helene descended on western North Carolina, the Mountain Pathways School was filled with water and mud. The storm washed away books, furniture, toys and school supplies from the small school built on the floodplains of Howard’s Creek.
Christina Sornito and her husband Jon Carter, both associate professors of anthropology at App State, drove out to the school to see the damage on Saturday after the storm. Their 4-year-old son attends Mountain Pathways.
“It just looked like Howard’s Creek became a river coming down the mountain,” Sornito said. “It just looked like it, since everything had been wiped out.”
The campus was ruined after the storm, leaving the students, teachers
and families of Mountain Pathways in limbo. So, they banded together to rebuild.
In the days following the storm, parents, families, faculty and former Mountain Pathways students volunteered to try to rebuild the school.
“It’s just having people here to sort out whatever we need done,” Carter said.
The Montessori school, located approximately three miles outside of Boone, serves about 55 students on its campus. Founded in 1987, the school aims to provide highquality education regardless of racial, cultural, religious or economic background, according to the Mountain Pathways website.
“The parent community and the families that are able to kind of come
out and help support is so different than a lot of schools that I’ve worked at in the area,” said Mountain Pathways Co-Director Jenny Darcy.
The campus has two buildings and an outdoor space. Pre-primary students — 18 months to 6 years old — attend classes in the Children’s House. The Norwood Building typically houses elementary and middle school students, Darcy said, but Mountain Pathways has been renting the space to Wildwood Agile Learning Community, a local homeschool group.
“Our Norwood building was hit really hard by flooding,” Darcy said. “The flooding went up to pretty much ceiling level. On our Children’s House, the flood damage is not as bad. It was probably seven inches at its maximum inside the building.”
Mountain Pathways’ ample outdoor space was wrecked by the flooding, leaving the playground in deep mud.
“We’ve had the creek access and there are big open fields and the beautiful trees,” Darcy said. “So we’re just trying to get back to that vision again.”
With the school’s campus in disarray, already limited child care in Boone is now an even larger concern. Carter and Sornito said getting the school safe for children again is a priority.
“We have to get this school running because it enables all the rest of us to do
our jobs,” Sornito said.
She thinks the school will rebuild but said she is unsure of what the timeline will look like.
“Child care in the area has also been completely destroyed,” said CoDirector Tori Pendleton. “And we’re not going to be able to provide child care for who knows how long.”
Pre-primary Lead Teacher
Caroline Culligan said “really it’s been wonderful” seeing the community response.
“We’ve had past students that are now, like 10 years old, bringing all of their friends,” Culligan said. “We had like, literally 30 kids here yesterday mopping. So although it’s been sad, it’s definitely felt good knowing that we have such a wonderful community.”
The buildings are insured and administrators are applying for FEMA relief, Darcy said, but the majority of the
immediate financial support is coming from the school’s GoFundMe, which has raised over $30,000 as of Oct. 15.
Despite the long road ahead, Darcy said she’s “feeling pretty hopeful right now.” The educator said Mountain Pathways is lucky to have such involved parents and caring community members.
“And you know, we’ve been wanting to do some restoration and renovation for a while,” she said. “So we’re kind of hoping to use it as a blessing in disguise and work from there. Our goal is to save the Children’s House and rebuild as soon as possible so we can get the children back in here.”
Editor’s note: Jon Carter currently serves as Ella
App State anthropology professors and Mountain Pathways parents Jon Carter and Christina Sornito stand in front of a pile of debris from the school on Oct. 5. The couple volunteered their time to rebuild their 4-year-old’s school.
Courtesy of Ryan Rudow
after the storm to get photos of the
One of App State’s expression tunnels connecting East to West campus was closed off after filling up due to flooding on Sept. 27. | Photo by
27 due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. | Photo by Emily
Booming Boone: Thriving through change
Colin Wishneski | Reporter
The food scene in downtown Boone has long been a source of pride for the town. As Boone has been rocked by major changes such as the population growth of the town, the rapid growth of App State and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants in Boone have had to adapt.
“The size of the college has grown tremendously,” said Michael Bosse, the manager at Macado’s, a chain restaurant based in Salem, Virginia, that opened a location on King Street in 1989. “The city has to grow where the college grows.”
According to the school’s fact book archive, the 2000-01 academic year hosted a student population at App State of 12,499. In the 202425 academic year, it was 21,570. This 72.6% increase was motivated by initiatives for strategic planning and resource investment by App State to increase enrollment from underrepresented communities and
hold high retention rates.
As App State has grown, its student population has flocked to King Street for weekend outings with friends and a change of pace from the dining halls. For the most part, business on King Street has kept up. However, there have been some issues.
“The lack of parking for people coming into town has been a problem,” Bosse said. “Students from ASU have been parking downtown more and more.”
King Street was built to serve as a modest, two-way downtown road with areas for parallel parking on each side. Today, the traffic on the road can be heavy, especially during rush hour and tourist season in the fall. In spite of the traffic, business on King Street has kept up.
“We haven’t been hurt much,” Bosse said. “We’re still busy.”
One way Macado’s adapted is by having their employees work more hours with longer breaks. This lets them keep serving big crowds
whenever it’s needed.
Another obstacle for restaurants in Boone was the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain crisis that resulted. Jeshua Jolly, the chocolatier at Venture Chocolate and Wine Co., experienced this firsthand.
“We were supposed to open in 2021 but construction got held up,” Jolly said. “The work of opening this place was wild, there was lots to do. That’s normal for any new business.”
Jolly described the delays as a blessing in disguise. The extra time gave him and the rest of the team at Venture the chance to make sure everything was set with their business and make extra preparations.
It also spared them from the prospect of opening during the period of COVID-19 restrictions, which would have made succeeding during their early days near impossible. When they opened in the summer of 2022, they quickly found their niche.
“Our goal is to create somewhere where people can feel welcome and
many ways the same.
“Regardless of how big it’s gotten, Boone still has a small-town feel,” Bosse said. “It never feels cramped, and everyone still knows each other.”
People walk down King Street outside of Macado’s restaurant on Sept. 21.
Photo by Mady Helt
NC Banker Hall of Famer begins his 47th year at App State
Kayla Masterman | Associate Visual Managing Editor
Thousands of bankers in North Carolina know who Harry Davis is. He is not only a professor of finance, but the longest-serving faculty member in the Walker College of Business, and he just started his 47th year in September.
“I’m certainly old enough to have retired 10 years ago, but I just keep teaching. I love this job. I’m very much connected to the banking industry in North Carolina,” Davis said.
Davis said there are three reasons he has stayed at App State for 47 years: “First, the opportunities that ASU have given me made this an incredible experience. The people I work for and with are number two, and number three is Boone, this environment.”
Davis helped start 27 banks in North Carolina and was inducted into the North Carolina Bankers Association Hall of Fame on Sept. 30. He said all of his accomplishments came about because the Walker College of Business was taking off right as he got here.
During the 1976-77 academic year, Davis started out in the Department of Accounting. Three years later, the Department of
Finance, Banking and Insurance was formed and he became the chair of the department.
“In addition, I applied for the NCBA professorship of banking and I got that job too,” Davis said. “So all of these things just came open, the department just got here.”
Davis said being the NCBA professor of banking has been the greatest thing he could have possibly achieved in his career “because of all the doors it’s opened for me and all the places I’ve been able to go and the people I have met.”
Five people who came out of Davis’ classes became bank presidents.
“I can’t walk anywhere in Boone or North Carolina without running into a former student,” Davis said.
Dean of the Walker College of Business Sandra Vannoy is one of Davis’ former students. She wrote in an email that if you’re a student who does not know him but are considering taking his class, you will learn a lot.
“I can say that from personal experience,” Vannoy wrote.
He currently teaches commercial bank management and finance classes in the graduate Master of Business
Administration program.
“I, as an MBA student here at App State, took Dr. Davis’ commercial bank management class,” Vannoy wrote. “He brought real-world applications of the material he covered to his class, making the learning experience truly meaningful.”
One reason Davis has remained at App State for 47 years is because of the great bosses he has had. He said if you don’t like your boss, it’s hard to enjoy your job, so he feels very fortunate.
“Ken Peacock and I were the best of friends. Heather Norris and I are great friends, Sandy Vannoy, too,” Davis said.
Davis was the finance department chair for 17 years.
“Ken Peacock and I had a great time working together. That’s why I stayed at the job so long: friendship,” Davis said.
According to the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, Davis has served as a consultant for numerous start-up banks in North Carolina.
He was a part of a group that helped start the High Country Bank. After five years, they were acquired by Yadkin Bank. Davis served on its board of directors for over 20 years.
Davis is the dean of the North Carolina School of Banking. They moved the school to Boone for the
first time at the end of July. The school was previously held in Chapel Hill and Durham and is the oldest state-supported banking school in the United States. Davis said bringing the school to Boone is one of his major accomplishments.
Davis said next year, there will be a search to hire someone to be the Harry M. Davis Professor of Banking, a million-dollar endowed professorship. The professorship is aimed to preserve and build upon Davis’ lifetime of work and achievements during his long tenure at App State.
According to a message from the chairman of the NC Bankers Association, the Harry M. Davis Professorship will allow the Walker College of Business to attract and retain talent to teach, conduct research and perform service in the field of banking and finance.
Vannoy said beyond being helpful, personable and intelligent, Davis is a great teacher.
“Dr. Davis has nearly four decades of service to North Carolina’s banking industry, and he uses that experience to ensure that our banking curriculum is relevant and reflective of industry needs,” Vannoy wrote. Davis’ educational journey took place across three states. He grew up in Statesville and attended UNCChapel Hill for his bachelor’s in economics. He then got his master’s
degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. He then went to the University of Georgia to earn a doctorate in finance.
During his App State tenure, Davis said he has witnessed many changes.
“When I started teaching, I used a chalkboard all the time. There were no computers or screens,” Davis said. “Now, all of my presentations are on PowerPoint. I can’t see very well, so technology has actually been good to me.”
Another change Davis has witnessed was the establishment of Peacock Hall, which opened in 1990, 14 years after he started at App State. When Davis first came to App State, his office was in Walker Hall because Peacock Hall didn’t exist. Today, Peacock Hall is undergoing renovations that are expected to extend the life of the building by 30 to 50 years, according to campus construction updates.
When Davis first arrived, he got the sense of a quaint mountain town and a small, welcoming campus. He said he has seen many changes in Boone and on campus since he moved here in 1976.
Harry Davis points to a cherished photo from his early days at App State in his office in Peacock Hall on Sept. 13.
Photo by Kayla Masterman
An anti-nuclear weapons put on by App State students Special Collections, Appalachian State University
weapons protest students in Collections, University
OPINION: The U.S. voting system needs reform, but votes still matter
Allison Lehan | Associate Opinion Editor
With the 2024 presidential election coming in blazing hot, the United States political climate has become increasingly turbulent. People in the U.S. are living under stark sociopolitical divides, the driving topics and most fervent defenders of which are entirely unavoidable on a day-to-day basis.
These harsh divides have led many U.S. residents to lose faith in the U.S. electoral system and voting power as a whole, a common reason for such feelings being cited as systemic shortcomings in the election process. Many voters, especially younger generations, don’t feel like their vote
It is undeniable that the U.S.
flawed with institutions like the Electoral College and the general two-party system leaving U.S. residents unsatisfied with their country. However, even in this flawed system, the importance of individual voting power is not up for debate.
When someone who is eligible to vote actively chooses not to, they are considered an abstaining voter. One of the most common defenses for abstention voting stems from the organization of the U.S. election system itself: the Electoral College.
Through the Electoral College, the presidential elect in a given election is not chosen by popular citizen vote the way the term “democracy” would suggest, but rather by which party represents the majority of voters in a combination of specific states.
Because of this system, many people, especially in states that firmly affiliate themselves with a specific side of the political spectrum, feel that their vote
doesn’t matter if they vote in a way that opposes the majority vote of their state. Many U.S. residents believe the only voting that matters in U.S. elections is in swing states like North Carolina, where the majority vote could go either way.
From a strictly presidential election perspective, this reasoning has merit. A vote for the minority party in a staunchly-affiliated state will not decide which party takes control of the executive branch in accordance with winner-take-all fashion.
The Electoral College makes it possible for a presidential candidate to take office without actually winning the majority vote of the country. This happened in two more elections, including the famously close 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush and the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
This dysfunctional system provides U.S. voters with a false illusion of political autonomy and fuels the misrepresentation of American values in the U.S. government. Under the Electoral College system, voting power is unequally distributed. The amount of voting power a U.S. citizen has depends on where they live, which completely opposes the fundamental equality principle the U.S. Constitution stands for. It’s all about democracy for the U.S. until it comes time to actually organize the government. In what world is it fair to have a national leader elected after losing the majority vote?
Despite this counterintuitive organization, showing up to the ballot box in November, even in states whose population overwhelmingly opposes one’s political opinion, matters much more than one might
think. The November election is not only for choosing who will win the presidential office but also for smaller, state-oriented offices like the governor, lieutenant governor, state senators and representatives.
The president might have executive power, but these offices are much more consequential on a state-level and individual basis, and they’re more easily influenced by popular vote than the president. The candidates who represent each state are in charge of determining laws on issues like education access, firearm regulation, abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. In many ways, these offices have much more of an impact on individual rights than the executive-in-chief.
In true swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, there should be absolutely no question why individual votes matter. The term “swing-state” is used synonymously with “battleground state” for a reason. These are the states over which the election is determined, and even a tiny, almost insignificantseeming margin in votes can mean victory for a party.
In 2008, Barack Obama defeated John McCain in North Carolina by approximately 14,000 votes out of the 4.3 million cast. In 2016, Trump took the state over Clinton by just a 3.6% voter margin and once again won the state over Joe Biden in 2020 by an even slimmer 1.3% lead. In swing states, every vote matters and there cannot be room for apathy when it comes to individual voting responsibility.
There are other reasons why people choose not to vote, though, even in states where citizens have a disproportionately large amount of voting power. Misrepresentation of U.S. values amidst party polarization has also been credited with perceived disillusionment of individual political power.
Extremism has been normalized in U.S. politics as a result of accelerated polarization. The dual-party system has restricted its millions of eligible U.S. voters to a false sense of political freedom. U.S. voters are forced to choose between two extreme groups who claim to represent a generalized
set of opposing social and economic issues.
This rigidity of choice leaves little room for nuance, moderate reasoning and alternative ideas in U.S. politics, and it forces people to “choose the lesser of two evils” rather than using their supposed individual political autonomy to help build a government that properly represents majority values and interests.
A 2024 political poll by AP News discovered that nine in every 10 U.S. adults agree on fundamental American values. In a supposedly harshly divided nation, there’s a lot more ideological convergence than one might expect. Because of these limited options, many people choose not to vote at all for fear of using their vote to inadvertently support something they don’t agree with. There is no one party that reasonably represents the whole of U.S. values, especially concerning progressive leftists who commonly report that the Democratic Party is still a right-leaning institution in the grand scheme of political ideologies.
The U.S. fervently defends the ideals of democracy while simultaneously disparaging the principles they stand for. In a system more aligned with true democracy, the traditional winner-take-all electoral system would be abandoned and state electoral votes would be proportional to state popular vote ratios, including third-party votes. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states that have adopted this system as of present. This more democratic system would have vulnerability towards third-party votes, which some might see as a critique but would ultimately leave room in the electoral system for the voices of those unhappy with the two predominant U.S. political parties. A dismantled Electoral College would have more potential for a departure from the two-party system.
Graphic by Kayla Masterman
OPINION: Harris fell out of a coconut tree, Trump fell off the map
Christian Etherson | Opinion Writer
As the 2024 election draws near, pundits and voters alike obsess over every angle with which to analyze the two candidates. One underrated angle is their social media strategies and the online support that spins out of them. While former president Donald Trump has beaten his last two opponents in the meme ground game, Vice President Kamala Harris is quickly catching up, even surpassing his peak in 2016.
With rising support and enthusiasm from young voters, she is taking up more of the national conversation while Trump stagnates. Harris has crafted her persona as a foil to Trump: joy and positivity vs.
revenge and gloom, resulting in a level of organic online support not seen since his first bid for office.
Trump is no stranger to publicity.
From early dealings in real estate to later enterprising in entertainment, he has understood the importance of pruning his personal brand. Despite heavy business losses and bankruptcy, the Trump brand is still synonymous with success. This is due to a commonly cited mantra: “no press is bad press.” It is no wonder, then, that Trump launching his bid for the presidency in June of 2015 would lead to intrigue and polarization.
Trump began his fame with a slew of media interviews throughout
the groundwork for the themes of his presidential campaign just years later.
At the first Republican debate in 2015, the candidates were asked to raise their hand if they would refrain from pledging their support to the eventual nominee. Trump defiantly thrusted his hand in the air, the only candidate to do so. The audience erupted with thunderous boos and gasps as host Bret Baier reiterated the question, giving him another chance. Trump responded with a smirk: “I understand, I fully understand.”
Not only did Trump posture himself as hostile to his debate opponents, but also to the Republican establishment itself. The outsider attitude that originally garnered jeers eventually won over the support of the party, as Trump coasted through the primary election with 1,542 electors, 982 more than the runner up.
In just months, the majority of Republican voters went from booing to chanting “drain the swamp!” Trump had spent the primary season building an ecosystem of online content creation that churned out endless free press where it mattered most: social media.
When the election rolled around in November, Trump’s momentum was in full swing, particularly on sites like Facebook, Reddit and 4chan. Through fiery rally speeches and a deluge of tweets, Trump was creating clippable moments that would be turned into memes and shared widely across the internet.
evil caricature who was unappealing to voters. By comparison, Clinton’s attempts at online relevancy, with moments such as “chillin’ in cedar rapids,” “Pokemon Go to the polls” and dabbing on national television, made her seem inauthentic and out of touch with voters.
With his army of social media followers behind him, Trump secured the presidency in a historic upset. Celebration ensued across the social media sphere, with one 4chan forum poster writing, “We actually elected a meme as president.”
After Trump’s loss and unsuccessful attempt to cling to power in 2020, his social media sphere was still operating, although it took on a new tone. Trump’s rhetoric shifted from enthusiastic to vengeful. Memes posted during Joe Biden’s presidency reflected this, centering around attacking him, and celebrating Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. For example, “sleepy Joe,” “let’s go Brandon” and Trump’s 2023 mugshot became the most widely spread. Although the circle of online content was becoming smaller and more negative as opinions of Trump worsened, people thought it would be enough to secure the win due to Biden’s perceived cognitive decline. This was likely true, as polling data showed Biden slipping, especially after his historically bad debate performance. Finally, he decided to drop out of the race and unleash a new challenger: Kamala Harris.
the 1980s, making appearances with David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and others. His wealth and ego attracted viewers and left them curious. He used this notoriety to grow his brand into the 2000s when he created and hosted his game show: “The Apprentice.” This is where Trump developed his signature line: “You’re fired!”
During the latter half of the show’s lifecycle, Trump often took to Twitter, now X, posting several times a day in the same brash manner he would use to kick off contestants. This behavior cemented him as ultimately confident in his opinions and unapologetic in giving them, laying
Despite posting at similar rates to his opponent Hillary Clinton, he garnered over double the engagement. In 2016, the Trump meme ecosystem worked in three key ways: amplifying perceived positive qualities of Trump, spinning negative jabs into positive views and relentlessly attacking political opponents.
For instance, on TheDonald, a subreddit with 800,000 members at its peak, edited compilations of Trump sparring with debate opponents and throwing insults were often shared. Attacks on Trump’s prominent spray tan were turned to make Democrats look obsessed, spawning the “orange man bad” meme which cast those against Trump as parrots who repeat talking points from mainstream media.
Finally, nicknames like “crooked Hillary” or chants of “lock her up” served to turn his opponent into an
Biden endorsed Harris on July 21, and in the weeks following, a whirlwind ensued. With an aggressive campaign strategy, Harris stormed through swing states and was welcomed with packed venues and energetic supporters. In just five weeks, she raised over $500 million, signed up hundreds of thousands of volunteers and closed the gap Trump won over Biden. Enthusiasm for Harris skyrocketed, far surpassing her opponent.
This enthusiasm, particularly with young voters, formed into a meme ecosystem reminiscent of Trump’s in 2016. Drawing from the “brat summer” meme, compilations of Harris dancing, laughing and having fun were posted after artist Charli XCX tweeted, “kamala IS brat.”
Graphic by Bobby Carter
Built by Boone: Alumni reflect on the App State community
Abby Buckner | A&C Editor
Beyond Boone’s picturesque landscape lies glimpses of talent — self-starters and go-getters who have soared to success after stepping onto campus at App State. From music artists playing across the country to the youngest chair of a state political party in the United States to TikTok influencers, countless success stories have called Boone home.
Born and raised in Watauga County, App State alumnus and country music singer Adam Church said there is no better place to grow up than Boone.
“I was such a shy kid growing up, but going to school at App, all these teachers like Dr. Webb and Dr. Ballard, they were good influences to me, saying just like ‘Man, just be confident in yourself,’” Church said.
Church graduated from App State in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. As a student, he played gigs around Boone until his first official show at Murphy’s Restaurant and Pub — now SouthEnd Brewing Co. — caused aspiring musician Luke Combs to message him on Facebook asking for help with performing music.
“We joined forces and played our
first cover song of ‘I Don’t Want This Night To End,’ that’s kind of how we started this whole shebang,” Church said.
Church said it never bothers him when people ask about Combs and their history together.
“Luke always tells me like ‘Dude, no one can take this story away from you man, it’s as real as it gets,’” Church said. “No matter what happens with music for both of us it goes back to that music video, you know. I’m in North Carolina, he’s taking over the world, and we just love what we get to do.”
Church is no stranger to traveling off the mountain to write and produce music in Nashville and beyond. He said he has no regrets about living and raising his family here and feels like he can live his dreams in Boone no matter what.
“The Watauga County vibe of humanity and how nice people are, everyone here is willing to give a hand, it’s a hard place to leave,” Church said. “There’s just an aura in the town, there’s nothing like Boone and App State and the love that you get from a place like it.”
For one 2019 alumna, App State was not her first choice for college but was something she fell in love with and quickly got involved in. During her time at App State, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton was a member of the Student Government Association, Kappa Delta and was an orientation leader.
“I just got very involved at App, but there were also times I think that I really tested the boundaries of that university,” Clayton said. “I may have ruffled quite a bit of feathers.”
While searching for internships her junior year, Clayton connected with her freshman year orientation leader, Thomas Gallagher, who had previously been an intern at Emily’s List. She applied and got accepted, which she credits partially to those who came before her.
“Appalachian students take care of Appalachian students,” Clayton said.
App State’s small-town college community helps students connect whether they are current or past students.
“I was in an internship class in D.C. that summer with no one else from below the Mason-Dixon line, it was solely students that were from Ivy League schools, and I was like ‘How did I end up here from podunk little Appalachian State?’” Clayton said. “It was because one of us had gotten a foot in the door and held that door open.”
With over 400 clubs and organizations for students to get involved in, according to App State admissions, Clayton said the involvement through those clubs will open doors to career opportunities in the future.
“College is temporary, and everything you do matters, but it’s also temporary at the same time,” Clayton said.
The temporary nature of university life is something 2023 graduate Hannah Montoya laments, but something she felt prepared for by the university.
“They’re always preparing you on the next steps after graduation and
planning your future,” Montoya said.
“I think I was very well equipped to leave, even though I held on really tight and did not want to go at first.”
With over 4 million followers on TikTok and across social media platforms, Montoya is living in Chicago working full-time for Barstool Sports post-graduation from App State.
While at the university, Montoya juggled traveling for work and being a college student. She said in order to travel, she had to sacrifice a lot of inperson classes, opting for online classes instead.
“I kind of felt a little bit like Hannah Montana with a foot in two different worlds at the time,” Montoya said.
Montoya wasn’t often recognized around campus, but when she was, she
said it was always surprising. She and a friend visited a local coffee shop when the barista taking their order said they applied and went to App State because of her social media videos.
“I had no idea that you could have an influence on people like that,” Montoya said. “That was definitely one of the biggest moments for me.”
Montoya said it was scary at first, but she feels like she has adjusted to city life in Chicago. She said she feels like her courses and the Boone environment helped her develop the tools necessary to be a part of the real world.
“The air in Boone is different, it’s an amazing thing,” Montoya said. “Those Blue Ridge Mountains are hard to leave for sure.”
Adam Church opens for Luke Combs at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021. Courtesy of Adam Church
Hannah Montoya poses in her graduation cap and gown at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Montoya is an App State graduate currently working for Barstool Sports. Courtesy of Hannah Montoya
October 17, 2024
Faith and football: In the mind of Michael Hughes
Trey Blake | Reporter
When senior kicker Michael Hughes arrived in Boone in June 2021, only he and the coaching staff could’ve imagined where he’d be today. From an onside kick to cement a comeback against rival Coastal Carolina, to a 29-yard field goal against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, Hughes is cool, calm and collected at every opportunity that arises.
“I rely on my faith a lot,” Hughes said. “I know whether or not God has a plan for me, and if he has me go out there and miss the kick, that’s the plan. So I play off him and my faith to just play freely and peacefully.”
Coming into this year, Hughes holds the Mountaineer record for career field goal percentage at 84.6%. He is also tied for second with Jason Vitaris for field goals in a single season at 19 and fourth for field goal percentage in a season at 86.4%. He achieved both feats last year.
In high school, Hughes was a multi-sport athlete, playing soccer, basketball and football. However, when it was time to focus on a certain sport, his coaches couldn’t let him get away from the field.
“He originally came to George Washington High to play soccer and basketball, but he was going to come kick for us on the football team a bit,” said Hughes’ high school coach Steve Edwards Jr.. “He was a very good athlete. He could’ve played receiver for us but didn’t end up doing that. He also came in kinda skinny and small but once he got in the weight room he just fell in love with it.”
Hughes was a three-star recruit out of George Washington High School in Charleston, West Virginia. Hughes had offers from Old Dominion, Marshall and his home state team of West Virginia, all of which he received on the first-day recruiting opened, Sept. 10, 2021. Hughes did not receive an offer from App State until two days later. Hughes committed a day later on Sept. 13.
George Washington High School is where head coach Shawn Clark also graduated from before making his way to Boone. Edwards Jr. gave insight into their relationship.
“He felt very comfortable when Clark came to meet him and felt very comfortable with the George
Washington connection,” Edwards Jr. said. “Sometimes things have ways of happening like that. I think that was a big influence on him and after the meeting they had, Michael felt like he was being a real person to him, not just a text message like the other schools had been.”
Hughes’ true freshman season saw him mainly on kickoff duties while sitting behind one of the great Black and Gold kickers in Chandler Staton. As a freshman, Hughes had his best season on kickoffs, averaging 61.9 yards a kick and totalling 5,692 yards.
His highlight during his freshman season came from the aforementioned Coastal Carolina game. The Mountaineers’ rivals had a 14-7 lead before Hughes caught the Chanticleers asleep, finding receiver Milan Tucker for a surprise onside kick.
“As a freshman, I definitely had a bit of an adrenaline rush, so being able to calm myself down and execute was the main goal,” Hughes said. “When you go out there and do something like that as a surprise, you have to mimic everything that you do normally. Then you go out there and execute it; you remember your cues and what you need to do to complete it.”
His second year was his first on the field goal unit, going nine for 12 and a long of 40 yards. The 2022 football season was an up-and-down one for App State. A 63-61 loss against instate rival UNC-Chapel Hill kicked off a wild first three weeks. A surprise win over Texas A&M followed the UNC-Chapel Hill loss, and then College Gameday came to town for the hail mary winning “Miracle on the Mountain” game against Troy.
In the fourth quarter of the game against Texas A&M, the game was tied 14-14 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter before Hughes walked out to attempt to break the tie and go up 17-14.
“Being able to go in there when everybody doubts you and you have your back against the wall and it’s only up there, that’s one of the best feelings in the world because you have nothing
to lose,” Hughes said. “It’s very, very relaxing.”
Hughes hit the 29-yard field goal to give the Mountaineers a 17-14 lead. The Black and Gold never relinquished the three-point advantage and walked out of College Station with their biggest win since the Michigan kick in 2007.
After that game, Hughes’ jersey was temporarily hung in the College Football Hall of Fame.
As the football game grows, so do opportunities for student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, more commonly known as NIL. Hughes is no different but isn’t looking at it as a personal gain. Hughes uses his money gained from the NIL collective to give back to his community.
“I did a breast cancer awareness donation and represented a woman who had stage 4 breast cancer and we raised over $5,700 for her and she ended up beating cancer,” Hughes
“That’s what coach Clark promised me. A chance to compete for championships and bowl rings.”
Last season, Hughes also set a Mountaineer record for the longest game-winning field goal kick. Hughes hit a 54-yard kick as time expired to defeat the ULM Warhawks.
Hughes’ close friend and roommate during road games, redshirt senior punter Conner Maynard, was the holder of the record-breaking kick and gave some insight into what the two were thinking at that moment.
“We always find a moment before the kick to line up and it’s just honestly like practice from there,” Maynard said. “Michael just swings, and then, it’s just like practice. I think that’s why we’re so good at it.”
Maynard also spoke about Hughes’ two different colored shoes tradition.
“That’s just a Michael thing,” Maynard said.
Hughes said the shoe difference is more of fan service than a tradition, superstition or a fashion statement.
“So last year, I ordered the white cleats and the left one was super hard for me to plant with. Our equipment guy gave me a pair of black cleats, and I started wearing the black one on the left and stuck with it,” Hughes said. “So, yeah, I guess I’m a little superstitious but fans seem to like it and I like it, so yeah, it’s a thing.”
While the season is off to a shaky 2-4 start, Hughes is a perfect five for five and a long of 36 yards against the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley.
“I could sit here and tell you a thousand names that have helped me get to where I am,” Hughes said. “All the coaches, teammates, support staff and most importantly God. Everyone that has helped me, I just want to thank everyone that has ever helped me.”
