Virginia
West Virginia Handles Albany for the First Win of the Season
Morgantown, WV – West Virginia rushed for 305 yards with sophomore running back Jahiem White leading the way with 125 yards and junior CJ Donaldson checking in with 100 rushing yards as the Mountaineers (1-1) dispatched the Albany Great Danes (1-1),
West Virginia started the opening possession of the game at its own 10-yard line, but senior quarterback Garrett Greene quickly got the offense out of the shadow of its own endzone. Greene started the drive with a 14-yard completion to sophomore Traylon Ray, Jahiem White busted up the middle for 14 yards and Greene hit Ray again for 13 yards before White hit a run for 16 yards into Albany territory at the 37-yard line.
The Mountaineers methodically moved deeper into Albany territory until White found the endzone from 14 yards out for the 7-0 lead.
After the West Virginia defense held Albany to a three and out, Greene and the offense quickly went back to work, finding sophomore Rodney Gallagher for a 21-yard completion and a run by sophomore CJ Donaldson moved the Mountaineers to midfield. Justin Robinson collected his first reception of his Mountaineer career, then two players later, Robinson hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass for the 14-0 lead.
The Mountaineers third drive of the game went into the second quarter, and tight end Kole Taylor capped off a six-play 69-yard drive with a 39-yard touchdown reception and the Mountaineers were rolling with a 21-0 advantage.
Albany found the endzone with a 10-play 87-yard touchdown drive. Sophomore quarterback Myles Burkett gashed the defense with completions of 23 yards and 19 yards before sophomore running back Griffin Woodell ran for a seven-yard touchdown with 4:40 remaining in the half.
Then, on the first play of the ensuing drive, White fumbled after a 36-yard run, giving the ball to the Great Danes a their own 36-yard line. Myles took advantage of the extra possession, finishing the six-play 64-yard drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to senior Jacari Carter to cut into the WVU lead, 21-14.
West Virginia responded on the final drive of the half with a big dose of the running game. CJ Donaldson ran 20 yards on three carries before a pair of runs from Green put them into Albany territory. Then, on a quarterback draw, Greene scurried for 40 yards and the touchdown to put the Mountaineers up 14 and took a 28-14 advantage into halftime.
Following an eight-play 84-yard Albany drive that stalled at the WVU one-yard line, the Mountaineers went the length of the field in 14 plays with Hudson Clement hauling in a 10-yard touchdown pass for a 35-14 lead.
West Virginia added to its lead on the following possession. Greene connected with Jaden Bray for 44 yards, then four plays later, sophomore CJ Donaldson punched it into the endzone, and the Mountaineers were rolling with a 42-14 lead.
West Virginia redshirt sophomore quarterback Nicco Marchiol checked into the game in the fourth quarter. CJ Donaldson set up the Mountaineers inside Albany territory with a 48-yard run and Marciol scampered into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown and the Mountaineers held a 49-14 lead with 7:22 remaining in the game.
The Mountaineer defense held Albany out of the endzone as time expired for the 49-14 victory.
Virginia
AG Miyares urges Virginia schools to adopt stricter definition of antisemitism
VIRGINIA (7News) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares urged all Virginia public schools to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism (IHRA definition) into their codes of conduct and anti-discrimination policies.
His office pointed to a 25 percent increase in reported hate crimes statewide in 2024, with crimes involving anti-Jewish bias rising 155 percent – the sharpest increase among all categories tracked by Virginia State Police in their most recent annual crime report.
READ MORE | Shots fired near Compass Creek Parkway in Loudoun County
In the letter addressed to superintendents and school boards sent Monday, Miyares states Jewish students “have been excluded, harassed, threatened, and even assaulted.” Miyares pointed to the U.S. Department of Education using the IHRA definition to enforce Title VI and to the Commonwealth’s 2023 adoption of the non-legally binding definition “as a tool and guide for training, education, recognizing, and combating antisemitic hate crimes or discrimination and for tracking and reporting antisemitic incidents in the Commonwealth.”
“Thus, the law of the Commonwealth requires use of IHRA to ‘recognize’ the discriminatory motive behind antisemitic conduct and act upon such discrimination findings pursuant to the Virginia Human Rights Act,” Miyares wrote in the letter, adding: “As part of your compliance with Federal and Virginia law, you must implement the [HRA definition and its contemporary examples into your codes of conduct and discrimination policies to assess unprotected activity.”
7News has reached out to Northern Virginia school districts for their response to Miyares’ letter.
Virginia
Annandale teen and grandmother killed in Christmas day crash
A Fairfax County family is demanding justice, saying the driver who caused a crash that killed a grandmother and a high school student is out free while they’re grieving an unimaginable loss.
The Vu family, from Annandale, was at a holiday dinner on Christmas day, but on their drive home, Virginia State police say another driver rear-ended the Vu family’s van on the Beltway in Fairfax County.
Duy Cao was driving the van — her 75-year-old mother, Su Nguyen, and her 15-year-old daughter, Annie Vu, were killed.
The family said according to Virginia State police, the driver who hit them was going more than 100 miles per hour.
“I don’t know how to, how to live,” Cao said, sitting alongside her husband An Vu, as the couple
gasped through their grief and recover from their own injuries.
There were six people in their van, and everyone was rushed to the emergency room, including their son, Annie’s brother, 12-year-old Andy.
“When he came out of it, his first question was, you know, ‘Where is Annie?’” said Kathie Vu, Annie’s godmother.
She says Annie’s brother was just released from the hospital four days ago and is struggling to cope with losing his sister and grandmother.
“My mom, the best. My mom, she came here, 11-years-old. She takes care of my children,” Cao said.
Nguyen was a devout catholic who helped raise the kids while their parents worked. Annie was a bright student at Annandale High School, where the principal says grief counselors have been made available for students.
At the beginning of this school year, Annie introduced herself to her classmates in her AP Seminar class at Annandale High School. Her principal shared with News4 what she wrote about herself. She told her classmates to count on her to always be hard-working, respectful and collaborative. She talked about her family and how her grandmother taught her to speak some Vietnamese. She hoped to major in biology at the University of Virginia saying, “although I don’t know what to do in the healthcare field, I’m sure I want to help others.”
“The other day, I heard my brother-in-law say, ‘There will be no more Christmas now.’ They’re always going to come into this time of year thinking about what happened,” Kathie Vu said.
The Vu family is demanding answers about the man who hit their car. Virginia State Police have not released his name nor any charges. The Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney says reckless driving charges were filed, but News4 hasn’t been able to confirm that via court records.
While News4 has not been able to confirm if reckless driving charges have actually been filed against the driver who allegedly caused this deadly crash, the prosecutor’s office says it is waiting for the results of a toxicology test. Once those results are back, it could determine what charges the driver might face.
The family says that misdemeanor charge isn’t enough, they want him tried for involuntary manslaughter.
“I want everybody to pray for my mother-in-law and for my daughter so they can, you know, in heaven,” An Vu said.
Virginia
Former Oklahoma Sooners DB transferring to West Virginia
The Oklahoma Sooners are fully in the swing of transfer portal season in early January, as they’re making additions to the roster and seeing former players land at their new schools. The portal officially opened on January 2nd, and it will be open until January 16th.
One of the latest players to find his new school is former OU defensive back Maliek Hawkins, who has committed to West Virginia. Hawkins is the son of former Oklahoma defensive back Mike Hawkins Sr., who played for the Sooners in 2002 and then played multiple years in the NFL. He’s the younger brother of former OU quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who started five games in Norman over the last two seasons. Both Hawkins brothers are now headed to Morgantown, with the older Hawkins hoping to win the starting QB job, and the younger Hawkins hoping to crack the rotation at cornerback.
Hawkins was a member of Oklahoma’s 2025 recruiting class, signing with the Sooners as a three-star recruit. He played in just one game during his true freshman season, and now arrives at WVU as a package deal with his older brother.
Despite the Sooners expecting to return starters Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory at the CB spots in 2026, the portal exits of Hawkins, Devon Jordan, Gentry Williams, and Kendel Dolby have thinned the depth at that position. With Jacobe Johnson also expected to return, Oklahoma will be looking to add a key rotational cornerback or two in the transfer portal ahead of next year.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
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