Athlete of the Week: Carlos Collazo cashes in on two school records

AURORA, Neb. — Aurora has been an unstoppable force in Class C1 this season and senior tailback Carlos Collazo is a major reason why.

He is averaging 228 rushing yards and four touchdowns per game and recently broke a pair of school records in the Huskies' 54-14 win over the Minden Whippets.

"He's been a special player for a long time," said Aurora head coach Kyle Peterson. "His injury, where he missed half of his sophomore year, probably extended this out a little further than he thought, but we knew he was going to be a special player."

Collazo has had his eye on the Huskies' single-game rushing record since he entered high school.

"I've been chasing that one a long time, and I tied it last year, the exact amount," said Collazo. "It was kind of bugging me sharing the record."

In order to finally accomplish this feat, Collazo made adjustments in the offseason.

"Last year, I was more just put my head down, find a hole, one cut and stuff it," said Collazo. "This year, I'm a little bit more patient and I'm way quicker than I was last year. I haven't gotten chased down yet."

That speed has been on full display since Aurora's season opener, and his touches and yardage have only increased with each game, building to last Friday.

"At halftime, we knew that he was really close," said Peterson. "We never really talked about it as a coaching staff but Friday night, we mentioned it, like how many touches would he need to break the record."

Despite holding a 40-7 lead at the break, Peterson let Collazo play in the third quarter and finally, his moment happened.

"Coach, I want to say, called a timeout or something and he's like we're one yard short," said Collazo. "So we got that one yard and then everyone just kind of celebrated on the field, gave each other high fives."

Collazo also broke the Huskies' record for career rushing touchdowns, which came as a surprise for the senior.

"I expected to have success this year," said Collazo. "I didn't think it would come as fast."

These records are just the beginning of what will solidify Collazo's legacy as a Husky.

"It's nice having my name up on the record boards," said Collazo. "But most importantly, we are winning games and that's what matters."

Aurora will host Adams Central, a fellow undefeated C1 team, on Friday.