A West Virginia Wesleyan College Service Scholar project has connected some of Upshur County’s youngest residents with elderly residents to spread some Valentine’s cheer.

Matthew Hatfield ‘28, of Oceana, West Virginia, is a Service Scholar through West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Center for Community Engagement and Leadership Development. His site placement this academic year has been Tennerton Elementary where he spends six to 10 hours assisting school counselor Suzanne Bohman with everyday tasks, taking on responsibilities of projects for the students and helping mentor some students.

Hatfield brainstormed the Valentines as a service project for students.

“When I started this project, my main intention was to bring smiles to those in nursing homes,” he said. “I have family members in nursing homes and I have since realized how lonely being in a nursing home can actually be. Of course, the residents see the employees, but not every resident is fortunate enough to see all their family. I wanted to educate the kids on the importance of being there for the wise.”

Hatfield asked students from kindergarten through fifth grades to make cards for the residents on St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Third Floor and at Holbrook Nursing Home and Serenity Care. He printed about 300 cards to make sure residents received two each and delivered them to the facilities on Valentine’s Day.

“When I first got the cards I went through each and every card reading them and some cards warmed my heart. I read some cards that had a paragraph on them, I saw some that had colorful drawings. I wanted to bring warmth, joy; happiness to the faces in the nursing homes. We always hear of the bad things that go on in the world. I think it’s time that we flood the world with kindness, smiles, hugs and a simple card. It may not have been a big deal to some people, but I believe my goal was accomplished, and that was for the residents to have a smile on their faces again.”

West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez feels good about the quarterback room.

So much so that the head coach has doubled down on his excitement about the position in his two most recent interview sessions with the local media.

“I think of all the positions we have, I mean everybody’s worried about the quarterback position and I know I said this the other day but I feel really good about the quarterback room,” Rodriguez said. “Real good. So we’ll be O.K. there.”

That is quite a vote of confidence for a room that has plenty of question marks with the departure of multi-year starter Garrett Greene and not a ton of on the field experience.

Redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol returns but has attempted just 122 passes over his three years completing 71 of those for 742 yards and 8 touchdowns. But Marchiol had his most productive season this past year completing 66-percent of his 56 passes for 434 yards and 5 of those scores.

When Greene was out with injury on the road against Arizona and Cincinnati, Marchiol engineered a pair of wins for the Mountaineers in his stead.

On top of Marchiol, West Virginia brought in two experienced transfers in Jaylen Henderson of Texas A&M and Max Brown from Charlotte. The pair have multiple years of experience at different locations with Henderson starting his career at Fresno State and Brown at Florida.

Henderson saw limited time at Fresno State appearing in five games but started the final four of the 2023 season for the Aggies. During that stretch he accounted for eight of the 14 team’s touchdowns over the final three games. He completed 53-of-78 for 715 yards and six passing touchdowns while also proving himself as a capable option with his legs.

Brown appeared in just five games in 2024 and completed 43-93 passes for 561 yards and 3 scores while rushing for 72 more. He also played in five more games during his time with the Gators where he threw for 192 yards and rushed for 37. Prior to that he was an accomplished quarterback at Lincoln Christian in Oklahoma where he accounted for 4,416 passing yards and 68 touchdowns in two years.

The final two scholarship options in the room competing for the job are redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins who drew praises from the former coaching staff for his development although at the time it was said that patience was going to be needed.

True freshman Scotty Fox enrolled in January after a senior season where he racked up 3,076 total yards of offense. Those totals included 2,759 passing yards on a 64.0-percent completion rate with 34 touchdowns and 321 rushing yards with seven touchdowns.

The group will be coached by a combination of Rodriguez, his son Rhett and assistant quarterbacks coach Pat White. The first two on that list will play a role as a good cop/bad cop dynamic.

“So I think they get a little good cop, bad cop stuff with Rhett and I, but, you know, he’s done a great job with them. And I really, I like our quarterback room from a conscientious standpoint. I mean, those guys really are eager,” Rodriguez said.

Wednesday morning, West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker issued a letter to Mountaineer fans on the upcoming financial changes in college athletics.

“Dear Mountaineer Nation,

As we transition into the spring sports season, I want to provide an update on our position within the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics and underscore the critical role revenue generation plays in ensuring our department remains among the nation’s elite.

Collegiate athletics is undergoing the most transformational period in its history, driven by unprecedented changes in governance, conference realignment, name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities and the evolving financial landscape. As we adapt to these shifts, the need for innovation, strategic planning and sustainable revenue generation has never been greater.

The House v. NCAA case has the potential to reshape the financial model of collegiate athletics by paving the way for revenue sharing with student-athletes. If implemented, this shift would require WVU Athletics to rethink its budget, as funds previously allocated to operations, facilities, and other areas may need to be redirected to compensate athletes. To navigate this, we must explore new revenue streams and ways to grow our current revenue, while managing our costs effectively.

We are actively preparing for these changes and working closely with the University to ensure long-term relevancy and success. In the coming weeks and months, we will share key initiatives with you aimed at addressing a $20 million increase in expenditures. These efforts are critical in sustaining our spot in the national landscape and growing WVU Athletics. Your ongoing support and involvement will play a vital role as we move forward in this important endeavor.

As we navigate these future financial challenges, we are committed to sustaining competitive excellence among our 18 varsity sports programs.  Your continued support in these areas will help propel WVU Athletics forward:

– Purchasing season tickets

– Becoming a member of the Mountaineer Athletic Club

– Market-based name, image, and likeness support for student-athletes

Change in college athletics is happening, and we will keep you informed. I sincerely thank you once again for your commitment. Your unwavering loyalty, generosity and support are the foundation of our storied past and bright future.

Let’s Go!”