For most of his life, Leon Dorsey has bled gold and blue.
A 1977 graduate of West Virginia University, Leon has been a Mountaineer through and through. Over the years, he has supported West Virginia athletics in many ways, including holding season tickets for different sports at various times. But his connection to the Mountaineers has always been more than a seat in the stands. It is part of who he is.
And Debbie has been part of that story too. During Leon’s time in school, she supported him and the Mountaineers in her own way, working behind the scenes with WWVU-TV during West Virginia football broadcasts. For both of them, WVU has never been just a school or a team. It has been part of their life together.
The songs, the colors, the hills of Morgantown, the pride of the university — all of it has been stitched into the fabric of their lives.
But this spring, Leon and Debbie found themselves cheering with just as much passion for another team.
Their grandson, Boston Torres, transferred to Wake Forest this past year after a standout season at VMI and quickly became an important part of the Demon Deacons’ lineup. In 32 games, he has hit .328 with 38 hits, nine doubles, four home runs, 20 RBIs, and 21 runs scored. But Leon and Debbie have seen more than the numbers. They have seen the work, perseverance, and joy their grandson brings to the field.
And they have been there for nearly all of it.
Through long drives, changing schedules, and the ups and downs of a college baseball season, Leon and Debbie attended 41 of Wake Forest’s 57 games. Wherever Boston was playing, there was a good chance his grandparents were somewhere in the stands.
Then life brought a season they had not expected.
In February, Debbie learned she had breast cancer. She underwent surgery in May and will begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments on Wednesday in Morgantown, West Virginia. And for Leon, there was never a question about where he would be.
He would be with Debbie.
No matter where Boston’s baseball journey led, Leon had already decided that his first and most important place was beside his wife. Baseball mattered. Family mattered more. Love mattered most.
Then came Selection Monday.
Leon, Debbie, and their family gathered to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show. As each regional host site was announced and teams were placed across the country, the room filled with anticipation. There was excitement, curiosity, and maybe a little nervousness too — especially for Leon, the lifelong West Virginia fan.
Then the announcement came.
Wake Forest was headed to the Morgantown Regional.
For the family, it felt like more than a tournament draw. It felt like a gift. A small mercy. A reminder that even in a difficult season, God has a way of meeting people with kindness in the details.
Debbie was already going to be in Morgantown for treatment. Leon was already going to be by her side. And now, Boston would be playing there too.
The place that had long represented Leon’s beloved Mountaineers would now become the place where he could support his wife and, Lord willing, watch his grandson compete on one of college baseball’s biggest stages.
There is even a possibility that Wake Forest and West Virginia could meet in the regional. For most fans, that would create a simple sports dilemma. For Leon, it would be something far deeper — a collision of lifelong loyalty and family love.
So when asked who he would pull for if the Demon Deacons and Mountaineers faced each other, Leon smiled and gave the kind of answer only a grandfather could give.
“I love my Mountaineers,” he said, “but blood is thicker than water.”
In a tournament filled with statistics, seedings, and scouting reports, this is the kind of story that reminds us why sports matter. Not because of the scoreboard alone, but because of the people gathered around it. A grandmother beginning cancer treatments. A grandfather keeping his promise to stand beside her. A grandson playing the game he loves. And a family watching it all unfold in a place that somehow feels chosen.
For Leon and Debbie Dorsey, Morgantown has always been special.
We are in the middle of the most important week of the Christian calendar. Historically, it has been called Holy Week. Some refer to it as Passion Week, because it points us to the suffering and love of Jesus as He went to the cross to pay for the sins of His people.
But within this week, two days stand out above the rest: Friday and Sunday.
Friday is known as Good Friday, the day Jesus died. Sunday is Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead.
But why do these two days matter so much?
For years, I viewed them mainly as historical events. I believed they really happened, but I did not understand how deeply they mattered for my own life. They were real, but they felt distant.
That changed when I became a Christian. My life changed, and so did the meaning of these days. In fact, they have only grown sweeter with time.
So what do Good Friday and Easter Sunday say to us about our relationship with God?
If I had to summarize it, I would say this:
Good Friday reminds me that I am forgiven, so I have nothing to hide.
When we know we have done wrong, our natural instinct is often to hide. We cover up, make excuses, shift blame, or try to manage what others see.
That instinct goes all the way back to the garden. When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. And in many ways, we have been doing the same ever since.
But Good Friday tells us that Jesus has dealt fully with our sin. He died in our place. He bore our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved.
Because of that, Christians do not have to live in hiding. We can come into the light. We can admit what is true about our weakness, sin, and failure because our forgiveness does not depend on pretending we are better than we are. It depends on what Jesus has already done.
That is why we can sing with the hymn writer:
“My sin… is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”
Dear friend, is there something you have been hiding? Something you are ashamed to admit? Something you need to bring before the Lord?
Good Friday reminds us: in Christ, you are forgiven. You can come out of hiding.
And Easter Sunday gives us another beautiful truth:
Easter reminds me that I am justified, so I have nothing to prove.
Romans 4:25 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
Through the resurrection of Jesus, God declares His people righteous in His sight. That means Christians are not accepted by God because of their record, performance, or effort. They are accepted because of Jesus.
His righteousness counts for them.
And because that is true, Christians can stop trying to earn God’s approval. They do not have to prove themselves worthy of His love. In Christ, they already have it.
Dear friend, are you trying to earn God’s approval today?
If you are a Christian, remember: you already have it in Jesus.
And if you are not a Christian, this same grace is offered to you. Jesus lived the perfect life you could not live. He died the death your sin deserved. And He rose again so that you could be forgiven, made righteous, and brought near to God.
This is the good news of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
So, if I had to condense the message of these two days into just three words, it would be this:
I had asked my wife, Andrea, to come outside and pray with me. I was hoping God would give me some measure of peace. But before we prayed, I looked at her and said, “What does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?”
There were three heavy things pressing on me at once: a personal health concern that seemed to be getting worse, a looming job change with the grief of saying goodbye, and a sudden family crisis that left me deeply sad.
I had been studying Luke 2 in preparation to teach during December, so the Christmas story was fresh on my mind. But in that moment, it felt distant. We were supposed to leave later that day for Thanksgiving, but holiday plans and family traditions were the last things on my mind.
I was afraid. Discouraged. Hurting. And I needed help.
So we prayed.
I told the Lord honestly what I was feeling. I thanked Him, even for circumstances I did not understand, and asked Him for the peace He promises in Philippians 4:6–7.
And as I prayed, something unexpected happened.
Peace came.
Not because anything around me changed, but because God steadied something within me.
A few hours later, our family got in the car and headed toward our relatives’ house for Thanksgiving. As we drove, I noticed the sunset. The sky was filled with deep reds and golds, and as daylight faded into night, my mind went to creation.
I thought about Colossians 1, where Paul says of Christ:
“For in him all things were created… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
As I looked at the sky, the answer to my question began to come into focus.
The baby in the manger was not just a baby.
He was fully human, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. But He was also fully God — the One through whom all things were made, the One who holds all things together, the One who sustains all things by His powerful word.
And that truth quieted my soul.
The One in the manger was not distant from my pain. He was sovereign over it. He was not removed from my circumstances. He was present in them. He was not powerless in my fear. He was holding all things together, including me.
Then I remembered Matthew’s words:
“They shall call his name Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”
That was the message I needed.
Jesus is not only the Lord who holds all things together. He is Immanuel — God with us.
So what does celebrating a baby in a manger have to do with what is going on in my life right now?
Everything.
Because the baby in the manger is the Lord of creation. He holds all things together. And He has come near to be with His people.
So as you walk through this season, especially if this year has been harder than you expected, hear this word of hope:
Jesus is holding all things together.
And the One who holds all things together is with you.
1 Col. 1:16-17 New International Version
2 Heb. 1:3 New International Version
3 ESV Matt. 1:23
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