Hopewell High football player Jayvion Taylor, 15, dies in practice on Monday (2024)

Support from throughout the Richmond athletic community poured in on Tuesday following the death of Hopewell High School sophom*ore football player Jayvion Taylor during the Blue Devils practice on Monday.

The school system announced on Monday evening that a Hopewell player collapsed and died at practice as a result of a medical situation.

Hopewell head football coach Ricky Irby on Tuesday identified the player asTaylor, a 15-year-old receiver and defensive back.

"Hopewell City Public Schools is devastated that one of our students passed away as a result of a medical situation at football practice this evening," said a statement from HCPS.

"Please hold the family and our community in your thoughts and prayers. We will be providing grief support for our students tomorrow and more information will be provided to our families soon."

Details about the manner of Taylor's death were not immediately available. Irby, who has led the Blue Devils program since 2010, praised Taylor's impact on the Hopewell program and community.

"Jayvion was an outstanding young man who was a leader in our program both on and off the field," Irby said in a statement to the Times-Dispatch.

"We are completely heartbroken and our entire community is grieving tremendously. Please keep the entire city of Hopewell in your prayers, most notably his wonderful family."

The Virginia High School League released a statement on Tuesday.

"The VHSL is saddened to learn a Hopewell High School student passed away as a result of a medical situation at football practice yesterday evening," the VHSL account wrote in an X post.

"Our condolences go out to the family, the Hopewell football team, and the Hopewell school community."

Messages of support, from local programs, coaches, players and administrators followed on Monday evening and into Tuesday.

"Thoughts and prayers for the Hopewell football team and community," Varina High defensive lineman JaySean Richardson posted on X.

Thomas Dale coach Kevin Tucker said his Knights closed their practice on Monday with a prayer for the Hopewell team and community.

"Sad night in the 804. My heart is hurting for the guys down the road on route ten," Tucker wrote. "Will continue to pray for this young man and his family along with your team."

Messages of support included posts from from Highland Springs director of athletics Harry Lee Daniel, the L.C. Bird, Varina, Manchester, Glen Allen, Dinwiddie, Douglas Freeman and Virginia Tech football programs, Thomas Jefferson football coach Eric Harris, and the Benedictine baseball program.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Hopewell football program and the entire Hopewell community tonight," wrote the Skyhawks' X account. "Prayers of strength to the young man's family and teammates."

Hokies coach Brent Pry began his press conference on Tuesday by addressing the tragedy at Hopewell.

"Our prayers are with the Hopewell High School football program," Pry said.

"I can't imagine, for that team, the coaches, the players, the high school, the community ... so our thoughts and prayers are there with Coach Ricky Irby and his team, his football family."

Virginia Tech assistant head coach, offensive recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach Fontel Mines, a Richmond native who played at Hermitage High and UVa, said the VT staff discussed the tragedy on Tuesday.

"Obviously as a staff we talked about it and we send our condolences," Mines said.

"It’s hard when kids are playing the game that they love and they want to have the opportunity to bond with their brothers and family, the Hopewell extended family, we’re praying for them and we send you all our condolences.”

The last local instance of a high school football player dying during practice wasNew Kent High sophom*ore Jacob Vick, a 15-year-old linebacker,in October of 2013.

In 2000, 17-year-old Varina football player Anthony Craig Lobrano died of heat stroke after becoming ill during practice.

In August of 2021, Virginia Union University freshman football player Quandarius Wilburn, 18, collapsed and died during conditioning drills at the Panthers' Hovey Stadium.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner did not release a cause of death — acute sickle cell crisis —for Wilburn until February of 2022.

August in Virginia is already hot, but as the planet has warmed, so has August. Statewide back to 1895, the four hottest Augusts on record have come since 2006.

A 2022 report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research found that heatstroke deaths had nudged upward nationally in the previous 10 years among football players.

The numbers increase from an average of 1.4 per year in 2012-16 to 2.4 per year in 2017-21. Most of the time, heat-related deaths occur during the early days of practice after summer break.

On its heat guidelines page, the VHSL states that heat injuries cause multiple deaths each year in high school sports. The guidelines list the signs and symptoms of heat problems, in addition to heat illness and injury facts.

Times-Dispatch staff writer Mike Barber contributed to this report.