Courtesy: Tommy Penick For the third-straight year, Matt Cline and the Mountaineers have been tabbed preseason No. 1 by the AFCA.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University football wrapped up its 2009 fall camp on Monday with two practices at Kidd Brewer Stadium.  

The final day of camp was one of the longest, with both workouts lasting more than two-and-a-half hours.

The morning practice was dedicated to special teams and other special situations, such as the two-minute drill. While the Apps were on the field for a relatively long time, it was not a physically demanding workout as much as a session dedicated to the mental aspects of the game that can’t be overlooked heading into the season opener at East Carolina, which is just 12 days away.

The afternoon practice was conducted in full pads and included full contact for most drills. Afterwards, head coach Jerry Moore acknowledged that with camp coming to a close, ASU has begun to start implementing its gameplan for the Sept. 5 showdown at ECU.

In addition to the much-anticipated conclusion to the grueling fall camp, more good news came for the Mountaineers on Monday when quarterback Armanti Edwards took the next step in the rehab of his much-publicized foot injury when he threw for the first time since sustaining the injury in a lawn-mowing accident on Aug. 5. He played catch for approximately 10 minutes with teammate DeAndre Presley on the KBS sideline while the rest of the team was participating in special-teams drills during the afternoon practice.

After practicing 22 times over the past 19 days, Appalachian settles into its normal routine of one workout per day on Tuesday (ASU’s first day of classes). There are only seven practices remaining before the season opener at ECU.

MOUNTAINEERS TABBED NO. 1 BY FCS COACHES: For the third-straight year, Appalachian has been voted No. 1 in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) NCAA Division I FCS preseason poll.

ASU has been tabbed No. 1 in the AFCA FCS preseason poll every year since its inception in 2007. This year, the Mountaineers edged defending national champion Richmond by five points for the poll’s top spot.

Appalachian received 13-of-27 first-place votes in the coaches’ preseason prognostication, followed by No. 2 Richmond, which received 10 first-place votes. The top five is rounded out by Montana, despite the Grizzlies not receiving any first-place nods, Northern Iowa and Villanova (one first-place vote apiece). No. 6 James Madison received the other two first-place selections.

ASU opponents in the top 25 include No. 10 Wofford, No. 11 Elon and No. 15 McNeese State.