Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.

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In wide-eyed freshman Colt Lozano’s mind, this would be his breakout debut. The third-round 6A playoff game in 2023 had all the ingredients. A blue-blood opponent: Austin Westlake. A grand stage: UTSA’s Alamodome, the perfect audition for a kid with college football dreams. 

Colt’s chance came on the first drive. He ran a crisp five-yard dig route. The pass was perfect. Before the ball was halfway there, Lozano was already planning his first juke move. 

But the spiral split his hands, bounced off his helmet high into the air, and dropped into the arms of an Austin Westlake linebacker—who ran it back 40 yards the other way. 

Laredo United lost 59-14. Colt was in a fog for weeks after, convinced he’d failed his team. But his mother, Chris, wasn’t disappointed in Colt’s drop. She was disappointed in his reaction. The daze didn’t start after the game. It started after the drop. Colt had shut down. 

So Chris sat him down at the kitchen table and changed the course of his career. 

“I know what your potential is, and you have so much more left in you,” Chris said. “That one game is not going to set the rest of your career.” 

That game could’ve broken Colt. Instead, it made him the Laredo Morning Times All-City Player of the Year. As a junior, Colt caught 110 passes for 1,859 yards and 27 touchdowns. But, more importantly, that game showed Colt how his demeanor affects the team. United coach David Sanchez has been a head coach for 33 years. He still gets chills when Colt speaks in front of the Longhorns during Wednesday Character Building classes. 

“Somebody my age who could probably step away from the game at any time and be OK, I just love being around kids like him,” Sanchez said. “It kind of keeps me going. He’s a lot of fun to be around.” 

Sanchez would tell this to anyone who asked. He’s just surprised more college coaches haven’t. At 5-foot-11, 162 pounds, some view Colt as too small. But there’s a bigger reason: he’s from one of the most slept-on football towns in Texas, on the Mexican border. That’s why this story started with a drop. Colt’s entire career has been about perseverance. 

“I don’t know if half the people who are gonna read this will know where Laredo is,” Colt said. “I think that’s why they should care about my story—how I’m gonna develop myself to be known. My goal is to put Laredo on the map.” 

United had a chance to do just that in last year’s first-round playoff game against high school dynasty Converse Judson. Historically, United had lost to Judson before the game even kicked off. The Rockets had the intimidating size, speed, and brand. They were the same type of opponent as Austin Westlake from Colt’s freshman year. 

The first pass came Colt’s way ninety seconds into the game, just as it did two years prior. But this time, Colt burned the safety and caught a 61-yard touchdown pass. Once upon a time, his sulking had set the tone for a blowout loss. Now, he was the spark of a 42-0 blowout that shocked the state. 

Colt’s encore begins in August. If he has his way, the curtain won’t close until United becomes the first Laredo team to reach the fourth round of the playoffs. 

“Most people will probably think, ‘He had such a great season, but he’s already done. His senior season, he’s gonna have a falloff,’” Colt said. “No, I’m still getting 1% better every day, no matter if it’s on the field or off the field. I’m still growing as a person.”