A Lake Travis High School student-athlete suffered a serious health emergency Monday morning during the football team's first practice of the season, prompting an emergency airlift to a pediatric trauma center and the cancellation of all remaining team activities that day. Austin-Travis County EMS responded to the campus around 8 a.m. for a reported seizure, according to a statement from the agency.
Medics began advanced life support on scene before Travis County STARFlight airlifted the teen to Dell Children's Medical Center in critical condition, according to FOX 7 Austin. Lake Travis head football coach and athletic director Hank Carter canceled the remainder of that day's football activities following the incident. Carter has led the Cavaliers program since 2010, compiling more than 130 career victories and three state titles, according to Lake Travis Independent School District.
The emergency occurred less than an hour into a scheduled 7 to 9:30 a.m. non-contact workout, in which junior varsity and varsity players wore helmets without shoulder pads, per the Austin 6A High School Sports Report. Both squads had checked in at 6:30 a.m. for what was their inaugural session of the fall.
Airlifted to Central Texas's Only Pediatric Level I Trauma Center
Dell Children's Medical Center, where the teen was taken, operates as Central Texas's only dedicated freestanding Level I pediatric trauma center, serving a 46-county region, according to the hospital. Level I trauma centers maintain round-the-clock pediatric emergency specialists and critical care teams. School officials have kept specific medical details about the student's condition private out of respect for the family.
New Statewide Heat Rules Took Effect Days Earlier
The practice fell just ten days after the University Interscholastic League's mandatory statewide Wet Bulb Globe Temperature monitoring rules took effect on August 1, replacing what had been non-binding heat guidelines for outdoor Texas high school athletic and marching band practices, according to Lone Star Gridiron. Under the new mandate, member schools must take baseline WBGT readings 15 minutes before outdoor practices and every 30 minutes during them, and must cancel or move workouts indoors if readings exceed 92.1 degrees.
The UIL Legislative Council approved the heat overhaul in June following recommendations from its Medical Advisory Committee and recent practice fatalities, including the August 2025 death of 15-year-old Lancaster High football player Preston Malone III from exertional heat stroke, per Fox 4 Dallas. Malone collapsed during a junior varsity practice. The new policy also requires every Texas high school to maintain an emergency action plan that includes an on-site rapid-cooling station, such as cold-water immersion tubs or tarps, during outdoor practices, according to the Pilot Point Post-Signal.
Athletic Staff Had Recently Completed Emergency Training
Just eight days before the practice emergency, Lake Travis ISD coaching and athletic staff hosted the Allison Rose Foundation for on-site training in emergency anaphylaxis response and epinephrine administration. Whether the specific conditions or protocols observed during Monday's practice met the new WBGT monitoring and cooling requirements has not been detailed publicly.
The incident lands amid a high point for the Cavaliers program, which finished the 2025 season 14-1, won the District 26-6A title, and advanced to the Class 6A Division I state semifinals, its deepest postseason run since 2017, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Hoodline reported on the new heat mandate in July, before it took effect statewide. No further updates on the student's condition have been released.
