Texas High Schooler, 16, Dies After Collapsing During Football Practice

A 16-year-old Texas high school football player is dead after collapsing during a conditioning drill at practice — and his devastated family says they are still searching for answers.

Jaren Troy Lawson, a junior at John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, went down Tuesday afternoon while participating in “up-downs,” a high-intensity exercise often used to build stamina and discipline during off-season football workouts.

He never made it home.

According to the San Antonio Express-News and local Fox affiliate Fox 29, Lawson collapsed mid-drill. Teammates and coaches rushed to help. Emergency responders transported him to a nearby hospital. He died shortly after midnight.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed Lawson’s identity. His official cause of death has not yet been released.

One parent who spoke to Fox 29 described a chaotic scene on the field.

“After that happened, the boy got up, tried to say something. They couldn’t make out what he was saying. And then he collapsed,” the parent said.

Up-downs — sometimes called “burpees” or “grass drills” — require athletes to drop to the ground and spring back to their feet repeatedly. The exercise is known for pushing players to exhaustion, especially during Texas’ intense training culture, where football is more than a sport — it’s a way of life.

Lawson’s sister, Zamira Lawson, said the sudden loss has left the family in shock.

“I don’t really know anything specific about the practices,” she 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.”

Her words reflect a family grappling not only with grief — but with questions.

The Northside Independent School District confirmed the teen died “shortly after midnight” and said a coach accompanied him to the hospital.

In a statement, the district said its focus is twofold: investigate what happened and support grieving students.

“Our priority, in addition to conducting a thorough investigation, is to support the students and staff at Stevens High School by providing a team of school counselors to provide necessary support,” the district said.

Principal Ryan Purtell also addressed families in an email.

“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,” he wrote. “We recognize that news of this magnitude impacts every individual differently.”

He added that while classes would continue, school leaders understand many students may be confronting death for the first time.

“For many of our students, this may be their first experience with death,” Purtell wrote, “and they may look to the adults in their lives for guidance on how to navigate their emotions.”

Lawson’s death comes amid ongoing national conversations about the intensity of youth sports training — particularly in football. Across the country, there have been cases of student-athletes collapsing during conditioning drills, sometimes linked to heatstroke, underlying heart conditions, or exertional complications.

So far, officials have not indicated whether extreme heat, a medical condition, or another factor played a role in Lawson’s collapse. An autopsy is expected to determine the cause.

For now, the Stevens High School community is mourning one of its own.

A promising young athlete. A brother. A son.

And a family left asking how a routine practice turned into a tragedy overnight.