Lord Botetourt grads Everett, Arnholt part of Appalachian State’s ‘huge’ win | College

Troy Everett and Kyle Arnholt were part of some big wins when they played for the Lord Botetourt High School football team.

They played in another big win last weekend — one that made a splash around the country.

The redshirt freshmen helped Appalachian State knock off then-No. 6 Texas A&M 17-14 at A&M’s Kyle Field.

“I’ll definitely never forget it,” Everett said in a phone interview this week.

“That’s probably the biggest one of my career,” Arnholt said in a phone interview. “That’s obviously a huge one. … Grateful that I could be a part of it.”

Everett made his second straight start at center for the Mountaineers (1-1) last weekend.

“I finally felt [the team would beat A&M] on that last kneel-down,” he said. “I was like, ‘Let me snap it good. If we snap this good and we take a good knee and we protect, we’ll win.'”

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Arnholt made his college debut last weekend, coming off the bench at middle linebacker.

“It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was definitely a great experience,” he said.

Michael Hughes made a 29-yard field goal with 8:05 left to give the Mountaineers the 17-14 lead in the game, which aired on ESPN2.

It was Sun Belt Conference member Appalachian State’s first win over a top-10 FBS foe since 2007, when the Mountaineers memorably won at Michigan. That was back when the Boone, North Carolina, school was an FCS powerhouse.

Understandably, there was celebratory dancing in the visitors’ locker room last Saturday.

“We shocked the world,” Arnholt said.

The game was played in front of 92,664 fans.

“Loud as can be,” Arnholt said. “Can’t really compare it to anything I’ve seen before.”

The Kyle Field crowd included Everett’s parents and Arnholt’s father.

Appalachian State was one of three Sun Belt Conference teams to pull off big road upsets last weekend. Marshall knocked off then-No. 8 Notre Dame, while Georgia Southern upset Nebraska.

Appalachian State will be in the national spotlight again Saturday, when ESPN’s “College GameDay” will originate from Boone for the first time.

“That’s one thing that I can say is definitely a surprise,” Arnholt said. “You don’t expect that to be down here in Boone.”

Appalachian State lost 63-61 to North Carolina in the season opener.

“That game showed that we could compete,” Everett said.

Arnholt, who is one of two second-string middle linebackers listed on the Mountaineers’ depth chart, was not used in the North Carolina game.

But he did get to play at A&M. He recorded the first tackle of his college career.

He figures he played about 10 snaps. While that might not seem like a huge number, keep in mind that the Mountaineers offense kept the ball for a whopping 41 minutes, 29 seconds. So the Mountaineers defense was only in the game for 38 plays.

“Shows how dominant the [Appalachian State] offend what,” Arnholt said.

While Arnholt did not play last season, Everett was used in three games last fall. Under NCAA rules, last season still qualified as a redshirt year for Everett because he played in fewer than five games.

Everett and Arnholt were part of the Lord Botetourt teams that reached the Class 3 state title game during their junior and senior seasons.

Everett picked the Mountaineers over Virginia Tech.

He was an offensive guard and a defensive lineman for the Cavaliers. But last year, then-Appalachian State offensive line coach Nic Cardwell asked him to learn a new position.

“I got a text right before … I got up here for the summer last year that said, ‘Start snapping,'” Everett said. “I got up here and started learning how to play center.”

Arnholt was a safety and receiver for the Cavaliers. He picked the Mountaineers over VMI, Navy, Army, UMass, Elon and Furman.

“I felt like App State would’ve been a great opportunity for me to come show that I can play on the big stage. I guess that’s what I’m doing,” Arnholt said.

The Appalachian State team also includes another Lord Botetourt graduate, backup offensive lineman Colston Powers. The redshirt freshman did not see action in the A&M game.

Appalachian State will host Troy on Saturday. The team will host FBS and Sun Belt newcomer James Madison next week.