Cadet Patrick Rives, of Alexandria, Virginia, will receive the flags at Sunday’s football game at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, as the No. 21 Hokies take on No. 22 West Virginia.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Tech football team continue their proud partnership this football season to highlight the colors during the pre-game ceremony at every football game.

Three football players, chosen because of their performance in the last game or at practice, carry the American flag, the state flag, and the team’s spirit flag as they lead the team onto the field. They deliver them to cadets at the south end of the field. 

The cadets, also selected based on their performance during training, render honor to the flags and then carry them off the field. At home games, three first-year cadets are selected, and one or two upper-class cadets travel with the team and receive the flags at away games. 

Rives, a junior majoring in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Services with a minor in leadership studies from the corps’ Rice Center for Leader Development, was chosen for his effort as part of the training cadre that worked with first-year cadets in August.

 “He not only showed extreme motivation during these two weeks, but he never once complained about any of the tasks that were given to him,” said Andrew Caldwell, Rives’ commander in Foxtrot Company and a senior from Sterling, Virginia, majoring in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering.

 “In addition, Cadet Rives has a phenomenal ability to go from a very stern presence to a very calm and understanding presence. This allowed the freshmen to be receptive to his teaching,” Caldwell said.

Rives is the recipient of a corps’ Emerging Leader Scholarship and is in Army ROTC.

The Corps of Cadets Color Guard also will travel to FedEx Field to participate in pre-game activities. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ABC.

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