Joey Aguilar knew Appalachian State’s first home game in 37 days was a big deal for a region hit hard by Hurricane Helene last month.
But the Mountaineers quarterback was still amazed to see the emotions firsthand on Saturday as the program returned to its stadium in Boone, N.C., and recorded a 33-26 win over Georgia State.
“We were playing for something bigger than us,” Aguilar said after playing in front of 33,783 fans at Kidd Brewer Stadium. “This victory is bigger than the team and the program and the community. It gives everybody a chance to step out of reality and enjoy something after the disaster we had.”
Hurricane Helene slammed the area on Sept. 27 and devastated towns throughout western North Carolina, including Asheville and Boone. The Mountaineers’ game against Liberty on Sept. 28 was canceled, so Saturday marked the first time the players were on their home surface since Sept. 19.
Also Saturday, North Carolina officials said the death count sits at 98 in the state due to the storm.
The App State campus experienced flooding and storm damage due to the hurricane. Classes resumed on Oct. 16 and repairs are still in progress.
But Mountaineers fifth-year coach Shawn Clark saw the home game as part of the return to normal life in an area still heavily scarred and devastated from the vicious storm.
“Just like our community has battled their tails off for the last four weeks to get some kind of normalcy in their lives, our program is doing the same thing,” Clark said after the victory. “Our community is behind us 100 percent, and we’re behind our community 100 percent. It’s still going to be a long haul for our community, and we’re going to be there every step of the way. I’m just very proud of everyone involved in our program and hope today’s win gave everyone in western North Carolina and Watauga County something to be proud of.”
The Mountaineers (3-4, 1-3 Sun Belt) are at home again next Saturday against Old Dominion.
