Skyline football mourns teammate
Savion Lowe, 17, died suddenly Tuesday
Savion Lowe barreled through Grand Junction’s defense time and again on Saturday afternoon, and it often took several players to take him down on any given run. The Skyline senior ran five yards for a touchdown in the third quarter as teammates flanked him from every side to celebrate his success with him.
Just days later, the Skyline community is mourning the unimaginable loss of their big man after he unexpectedly died on Tuesday morning. Friends described the 17-year-old as a shining beacon in the school hallways that got a bit dimmer in his absence.
“Savion, a lot of people say he was a bright light. He was a kid that always had a smile on his face that would brighten your day. If you met him once, you’d never forget him,” athletic director Mike Green said. “It was a gut-punch to our community. … A lot of people knew Savion. Just him being in the halls kind of brightened people’s day. When you hear those things, it’s really tough for kids to handle, so it’s been a tough couple of days. It’ll be a tough week.”
After Saturday’s game, Green saw firsthand what that touchdown meant to Lowe and what it meant to his parents. He had worked hard to be able to play during his senior season, and the team reaped the benefits of that reward. He showed tremendous potential through his first two games with Skyline.
The Falcons will still take the field for their Friday night home matchup against Golden, which is slated to start at 7 p.m. The team and school are planning a way to honor Lowe during the game and throughout the rest of the season, but they’re still working out those details.
“The boys wanted to play so we’re going to play,” head coach Michael Silva said.
“Football is just so irrelevant right now, but at the same time, it’s where Savion would be and the boys definitely want to honor him. They just want to put it out there like he would.”
On Tuesday afternoon, after word spread of his death, a few people in the community set up a Gofundme to help Lowe’s parents, Latasha and Fred, pay for funeral expenses. In its first 24 hours, “Wings up for Savion” raised $12,400 of the $13,000 goal from 239 generous donors.
On the page, the creators wrote, “Savion was a senior at Skyline High School and was loved by every teacher and student. Savion made a huge impact on everyone he met. When his name is brought up, a big smile shows up on people’s faces. Savion was a varsity football player and worked hard to get where he needed to be, #46 will forever be in our hearts.”