Published: 10:32 PM, 08/31/2009

Last updated: 12:52 PM, 11/17/2009

By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com
Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards was listed questionable for the Mountaineers' season opener at East Carolina Saturday.
Edwards injured his right foot in a lawn mowing accident before fall workouts 27 days ago. He had over 30 stitches removed from the wound, but partially reopened it shortly afterward.
He practiced in 7-on-7 drills, did some throwing and some running last Thursday and again Monday. Edwards has yet to run with any authority on his right foot and is unsure when his foot will be able to handle it. He said he met with a doctor Monday, who gave him permission to run and is wearing some padding inside of his shoe.
 He practiced during Monday's workouts and was wearing shoulder pads like the rest of his teammates. However, Edwards was held out of the practice-ending 11-on-11 drills against the scout team. DeAndre Pressley quarterbacked the first team.
"Who knows?" Edwards said when asked if he thought he was going to be able to play. "If I'm not, I've got the whole season ahead of me."
Mountaineers coach Jerry Moore said he would likely decide Wednesday who would be the starting quarterback, but hinted that wasn't necessarily written in concrete. Pressley is in a battle of his own with newcomer Travaris Cadet, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Pearl River (Miss.) C.C. after redshirting at Toledo in 2007.
Pressley ran the first team offense for most of Appalachian's practice session Monday, but Cadet has pulled even with Pressley on the depth chart that was released last Friday. Moore said that as of Monday, Pressley still held the edge on starting Saturday if Edwards can't play.
"I feel comfortable with either one of them playing," Moore said. "I really do. DeAndre has the experience. He's started a couple of games for us. He's probably has a little more of a comfort zone that Travaris has. But Travaris is actually a year older than DeAndre. He just hasn't played in a while."
Pressley said he feels comfortable leading the Mountaineers' offense.
"I haven't changed anything at all," Pressley said. "We've been practicing hard all summer and now we just have to go out and execute. We're not going to change anything."
Moore was happy with how Edwards threw the football during non-contact drills.
"He threw pretty well," Moore said. "To tell you the truth, I was a little bit surprised. It's a little early in the week to tell. He ran a little on it Friday and Saturday. It's just way too early to tell."
Edwards was injured after he suffered a deep cut just below his small toe while cutting the grass outside of his apartment. He was taken to Watauga Medical Center and released, but not until he had received over 30 stitches to close the wound.
He was on crutches during Appalachian State's Fan Fest on Aug. 22 and started running earlier last week.
Edwards admitted to being frustrated about not being healthy now that the season is just days away.
"It is (frustrating)," Edwards said. "The season is here. You just got to deal with it."
And just how does Edwards deal with it?
"Be patient. Just treat it like any other injury. You've just got to be patient. You've got to let the wound heal."
"It's getting better and better," Edwards added. "I'm just taking it day-by-day,"
Notes:
• Former Appalachian State quarterback Richie Williams  "will support ASU's offensive coaches in a non-coaching, quality-control capacity," according to a release Monday.
Williams, who led the Mountaineers to their first national championship in 2005 and rewrote the ASU record book from 2002-05, was working in a pit crew as a jack man for a race team in the ARCA series.
Williams spent three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League before being released during the spring. He was signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but was released before the season started.
He said he is unsure if his playing days are over.
"Right now I don't know," Williams said. "I'll have to weight my options when it comes up."
• Left tackle Daniel Kilgore sprained his ankle last week and was held out of practice Monday. Orry Frye was moved from left guard to Kilgore's position and Pat Mills was moved to Frye's spot.

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