A Texas family is searching for answers after a teenage boy died following football practice. Jaren Troy Lawson was at an off-season practice for the Stevens High School football team when he suddenly collapsed. No one knows exactly what happened, but teammates say he seemed off during their practice. Despite collapsing at the school, he didn’t die until hours later. Since his sudden and unexpected death, his family has tried to piece together how a high school athlete could die so suddenly.
His death is a reminder that even students who are athletes and used to working hard are still doing so in developing bodies that can be sensitive.
Lawson, a 16-year-old junior, collapsed on February 10, 2026, Fox 29 reported. Officials from the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio told the outlet that when he fell to the ground, he was assessed by athletic trainers before an ambulance was called.
He was taken to the hospital by EMS. One of his coaches went with him to the hospital and stayed most of the night. Sadly, Lawson died shortly after midnight.
A parent of one of his teammates said they were doing up-downs when Lawson collapsed. “After that happened, the boy got up, tried to say something, they couldn’t make out what he was saying, and then he collapsed,” she told Fox 29, adding that her son was traumatized by what he witnessed.
A teammate who asked to remain anonymous spoke with Fox 29 about the incident. The student said Lawson began to slow down during practice. He was stumbling and having trouble standing, and as practice went on, his eyes began closing and his speech slurred.
“You could tell for a while that there was something wrong with him,” the student shared. “Even me and the kids next to him were saying something wasn’t right.”
They attempted to help Lawson get up and down during the drills, thinking that maybe he was simply overheated. But then he collapsed while standing up. As trainers moved him to the side, the other players were expected to keep running the drill, the outlet reported.
“We had to watch it happen while we were still doing the workout,” the student shared. “We couldn’t stop,” the student said, adding that they were “scared” for Lawson. “I was worried about my friend, and I was confused about why we were still being pushed to work out while all of that was happening.”
The team was told the following morning in the weight room that Lawson had died. They began crying and trying to process the gravity of what had happened the day before.
“I don’t really know anything specific about the practices,” Lawson’s older sister Zamira told Fox 29. “I’ve never been to a practice. I’ve been hearing what they’ve been saying about the practices. I don’t know yet, but I will try my best to find out.”
A cause of death has not yet been confirmed for the teen.
“Our priority, in addition to conducting a thorough investigation, is to support the students and staff at Stevens HS by providing a team of school counselors to provide necessary support,” Northside ISD shared in a statement provided to People.
Stevens High School Principal Ryan Purtell addressed Lawson’s death in an email sent schoolwide that the district shared with the magazine.
“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I write to share that our school community has experienced loss within our student body. We recognize that news of this magnitude impacts every individual differently, and we are fully dedicated to providing the necessary emotional support and resources for our students, staff, and families during this time of mourning,” Purtell wrote. “For many of our students, this may be their first experience with death, and they may look to the adults in their lives for guidance on how to navigate their emotions.”
