App State Upsets U of M in Moment of Football History
We serious about this – We are extremely excited and happy that App State upset the University of Michigan in football on Saturday. But it is embarassing that the local paper of the “hero” Julian Rauch, can’t even spell the name of their own town correctly. We swear this is true, did they layoff the proofreader, or was he/she off on Saturday night? Sorry, but there is no excuse for one of the most exciting headlines in sports history to get botched like this…
We are positive that the original article will be “updated” soon, so we are publishing it here in its entirety:
Gatonia native Rauch leads App. State to biggest win in school history
September 1, 2007 – 11:39PM
Julian Rauch didn’t see his family when he lined up for the biggest kick of his life on Saturday. But if he looked hard enough, he might have — they were right in his line of sight.In front of the largest crowd in the history of college football, the former Ashbook Green Wave star kicked a pressure-packed, 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the game to give Appalachian State a 34-32 win over the nation’s fifth-ranked team, Michigan, at the place they call “The Big House.”Rauch’s family made the trip from Gastonia to see it all.“A few minutes before it happened, I just quit breathing. I was just crying. There was so much pressure,” said Vicki Rauch, Julian’s mother. “But I had total faith in him. … This is really the most unbelievable experience any of us could have had.”Seven members of the Rauch family — including Julian’s parents, grandfather, sisters, aunt and uncle — were sitting among an announced crowd of 109,216 fans, the largest in college football history. Remarkably, the family was situated between the very uprights that Rauch kicked the game-winner through. They were in row 92 — just a few rows from the top of the stadium — and the kick soared to their eye level as it flew end over end into history.
After the game, the champagne was flowing at the Ann Arbor, Mich., restaurant where the Rauch family celebrated. The tense moments of the game gave way to relief and unbridled joy. The family could not have planned a better way to spend the Labor Day weekend.
As the Mountaineers drove for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, the family knew that it the game could be decided by Julian’s educated right foot.
“I just thought ‘Give him a shot, he’ll get it done.’ That’s what he lives for,” said father Pete Rauch. “He wants every game to come down to a game-winning field goal. … I’ve got to tell you. When he made that kick, it brought tears to my eyes. I’m so proud of him and the whole team, really.”
“I’ve been dreaming about that kick every day,” Rauch told reporters after the game.
Former N.C. Senator Marshall Rauch knew his grandson was facing no ordinary 24-yard field goal. With so much on the line, and with Michigan doing everything in their power to block it, those 24 yards seemed like 24 miles.
“It was a tough spot for Grandpa. He’s kicking from the 5-yard line, so in essence he has to make it,” the former senator said. “But Julian has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. And he handled himself well, as usual. … When the ball made it over the Michigan line and through the goalposts, I believe you might have heard our cheers all the way back in North Carolina.”
The western part of the state was buzzing with news of the win on Saturday. The school’s athletics Web site crashed within minutes of the game’s end. Julian Rauch was unavailable by cell phone — not surprisingly, his voice mail was full.
The team left Michigan a couple of hours after the game and was scheduled to return to Boone late Saturday night where a throng of fans were planning to meet them for a rally on campus.
Marshall Rauch estimated that more than 2,000 Appalachian State fans and alumni made the trip. The university had been promoting ticket sales and chartered trips for the game since it was scheduled a few years ago. For the Wolverines, the game was supposed to be an easy way to open the season — they actually paid ASU $400,000 to make the trip.
“I bet nobody’s gonna pay ASU to come play on the road again,” Marshall Rauch said.
The game’s significance will be debated for years to come by the ASU faithful. Most will consider this the biggest win in the history of the school. Others will point to the last two Division 1-AA national championship game wins. But the game is certainly historical — since 1978, when the NCAA began classifying I-A and I-AA, no I-AA team has ever beaten a ranked I-A team in the Associated Press Poll.
Jeanne Rauch, Julian’s grandmother, did not make the trip. Although she had trouble hearing the highlights from her radio at Covenant Village in Gastonia, family and friends kept her posted.
“It didn’t come in clear enough,” she said. “I had people calling in from everywhere helping me keep up with it. … I got so excited, my nurse took my blood pressure.”
Business editor Thomas Monigan contributed to this story. Contact sports editor Derick Moss at (704) 869-1841.
Too bad they didn’t contribute to the typesetter…other than the printing gaffe, congratulations to the Mountaineers and their fabulous start to the 2007 season.
Heat Ya’ll
The current heatwave and drought conditions are making life difficult hereabouts. Sports have been shuffled, a/c units breaking down, and fire hydrants are chasing dogs over in Pinsto and Amity Acres. Today (Thursday) was 102 with heat index of 107; yesterday was 101 and heat index of 104. Tomorrow (Friday, the 10th) is supposed to be cooler, just about 99 or so — yeah, right.
Still no rain.
Belmont is in a Stage One Water Alert. That means you only are allowed to water twice per week — whatever. Don’t waste the water, people ! The only really green grass around here is on the Lineberger Stadium field at South Point HS.
The National Whitewater Center
(Steve Shipley, courtesy of Youtube)
Eastern Gaston County should be excited about the opening late last winter of the US National Whitewater Center . The center is located just across the Catawba River in Mecklenburg County from the Stowe Family YMCA in Mt. Holly.
However there are more than a few folks still fussin’ about the park.
The Whitewater Center is rapidly becoming a major regional and national destination site for “outdoors people”. In July alone, over 70,000 people visited to raft, kayak, climb, and mountain bike. In late July, an international competition for teens was held. That competition was the world championships for sprint kayaking.
Several of the high school and college aged children of our Belmont and Mt. Holly neighbors have summer jobs at the Center. From all reports, it is a very busy and exciting place.
But, people are still upset that Belmont and Mt. Holly governments invested in the underwriting or “underpinning” of the non-profit organization. Over at the Gaston County Watchdog, a politically conservative rant forum, people are still angry.
What occurred was the local governments pledged funds to the park to cover any operating losses for a set number of years. Mt. Holly pledged a million dollars ($1,000, 000), Belmont pledged $500,000. Several other communities pledged funds including Gastonia and Charlotte. Everything is based on a percentage of “investment”. If the park were to operate at a loss of, let’s say, $1,000,000 in the first year, the participating cities would cover their percentage share to bring the operating account back to zero. We can’t remember the percentages of the overall participation rates, but even IF the Mt. Holly percentage would be 10%, their share would equal $100,000.
With all that being said, the center has had six months of surplus operating revenue that should balance the losses incurred when the opening was delayed by the road issue. So, it is possible that the cities may not even be called to “pony-up” for first year funding.
None of us care for increased taxes or anything that could potentially take money out of our pocket without our expressed permission. That is why we have an elected, representative government at all levels. There is too much suspicion and hand-wringing. That is not even enough to consider a $.01 addition to the property tax rate. Area towns even cut tax rates this summer due to increased property valuations.
We do have a community responsibility to share in economic development costs, and an expectation to share in its rewards. In this case, there are tourism dollars spent in Belmont and Mt. Holly. Restaurants in both towns are seeing vistors, the ABC store in Mt. Holly certainly is doing well. People have also secured summer and permanent jobs.
So why are a few making a fuss?
The Belmont Front Porch 