10/10/2017 football Edit

Bittersweet weekend for Sean Savoy

Tim Sullivan • HokieHaven

Editor

Tim Sullivan is the Editor of HokieHaven.com. A University of Michigan alumnus, he is a decade-plus veteran of the recruiting industry.

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Certainly, no accomplishment on the football field can overcome the loss of a loved one. That's the situation freshman receiver Sean Savoy is in: his brother, Omar, was killed in an incident of gun violence in Washington D.C.

That it came just hours after Savoy's biggest game in a Hokie uniform to date can't erase the sting - in fact will do very little to dull it - but the accomplishments on the football field are positive for Savoy nonetheless. Now, he's earned an honor as the conference's top freshman performer over the weekend.

"Savoy registered nine catches for 139 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown reception in Virginia Tech’s 23-10 victory over Boston College. Savoy’s receiving yard total was the most for a Hokie freshman since at least 1987. Savoy’s nine catches for 139 yards were career highs, and his 53-yard catch also set a career long. Saturday marked Savoy’s first career 100-yard receiving game."

— The ACC

The honor was the first of Savoy's career - third for the Hokies this year, with quarterback Josh Jackson racking up two himself.

Omar Rogers, Savoy's brother, was 25 years old. The singer was sitting in his car after finishing a gig in Southeast D.C. when he was killed, hit by five bullets in an apparent random act of violence. He had two sons.

Savoy will undoubtedly dedicate the remainder of the season - the remainder of his football career - to the memory of his older brother.