When you picked up the paper or logged onto your favorite sports site to look at the Appalachian State vs. Elon score, you saw a 49-32 win by the Mountaineers, and probably never gave it a second thought.

You probably thought it was the same as always, App. State dominating the game and Elon scoring a few touchdowns in garbage time, but if you weren’t at the sold-out stadium you would never know how the Elon Phoenix nearly defeated the high and mighty Mountaineers, and for one day dispelled all the stigmas that are attached to Phoenix football.

As a graduate of Elon University and former sports editor of this newspaper, I had chills throughout most of the day and was never more proud to cheer for the Phoenix.

The final score is by no means an indication of the heart, sweat, blood and tears that went into the game at Rhodes Stadium last Saturday. The Elon Phoenix showed up to play arguably the best team the former Division I-AA has ever seen, a team who defeated a top-5 Division I-A school, Michigan, on opening weekend, and a team heavily favored to win its third straight national title.

The Phoenix rose on the biggest stage ever at Rhodes stadium. It was the first ever sell-out game, parent’s weekend and the first time in recent memory the Phoenix were ranked in the top 25. In front of 13,100 fans, alumni, parents, boosters and App. State fans, Elon proved they are for real and a team that will be reckoned with, effective immediately.

As an editor and writer for this paper, I wrote countless columns imploring the fans and faithful to show up at Rhodes stadium, to be a 12th man for the team and to stay the entire game. I have never been more proud to yell that I am a Phoenix.

To be a part of that atmosphere, to sit in those stands, to hear students say they never expected Elon to play App. State so closely, they never expected to stay the entire game, that it was the longest they had ever stayed before and to hear App. State fans talk about how well Elon played, and even go as far as to say that they should have been beat, proves that Elon is for real.

The job that head coach Pete Lembo and his staff have done to turn this program around in two short years is nothing short of amazing. The Phoenix finally rose from the ashes and did it on the biggest stage possible, against the best team possible; Elon proved they are for real.

However, the Phoenix are not yet to the peak of the mountain, and deserve the continued support of the students faculty members and faithful fans to make every game the same intense atmosphere of the App. State game, to make Rhodes Stadium a place opposing teams dread coming into. The Phoenix is for real, the fans need to prove they are.

Student: Mike Vivenzio, law school ’10 - 10/10/07