Top of Texas Youth Sports League

Then & Now: Rising Stars
Javin Cash

Javin Cash is another example of how the Texas Panhandle continues to produce student-athletes capable of making an impact at the collegiate level. His football journey began in TTYSL, where he developed not only his love for the game but also the competitive mindset that would follow him throughout his career.

During his time in TTYSL, Javin was a defensive monster. While most young players wanted the ball in their hands so they could score touchdowns, Javin had a different goal — he wanted to tackle someone.

His father, Ricky Cash, remembers those early days well. A former West Texas A&M football player himself and one of Javin’s TTYSL coaches, Ricky saw firsthand the competitive edge that would eventually carry his son to the collegiate level.

“When most boys wanted to score a touchdown, Javin just wanted to tackle someone.”

For Javin, TTYSL was about much more than football. It was where he learned how to compete, became comfortable being coached and began developing the discipline and work ethic that would eventually help him succeed at Canyon High School and West Texas A&M.

That foundation continued to develop at Canyon High School, where Cash became an All-State linebacker under head coach Todd Winfrey. Playing all over the field for the Eagles, he recorded an impressive 186 total tackles during his senior season, earning District 3-4A Defensive Player of the Year and Team MVP honors. He also excelled on the baseball diamond, earning All-District recognition as an outfielder.

For Cash, the decision to remain close to home and continue his football career at West Texas A&M was about more than simply choosing a college. It meant continuing to represent the community that had helped shape him from his earliest days in youth football through his time at Canyon High School.

Cash continued his development at West Texas A&M University, redshirting during the 2023 season before seeing action in three games. In 2024, he appeared in six games and recorded 11 total tackles, including a season-high four tackles against UT Permian Basin.

The 2025 season marked a significant step forward for Cash. Starting in all 11 games for the Buffaloes, he finished the season with 52 total tackles, 24 solo tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a season-best eight tackles against Eastern New Mexico in the Wagon Wheel Game and registered at least one tackle for loss in five different contests.

Cash was also part of a WT defense that ranked 32nd nationally in tackles for loss at 6.8 per game and 41st nationally in sacks at 2.42 per game.

From TTYSL, to Canyon High School, to West Texas A&M, Javin Cash's journey represents what youth sports can mean to a young athlete. The jersey may change as the years go by, but the foundation built at a young age can stay with an athlete for a lifetime.

“TTYSL played a huge part in who I became as a football player. It gave me the opportunity to play the game at a young age, learn the fundamentals and, most importantly, learn how to compete. I had coaches and teammates there who helped me understand that football was about more than just scoring touchdowns. It was about being a good teammate, listening to your coaches, working hard and doing whatever your team needed you to do.”

For Javin, that foundation started in TTYSL — right here in the 806.

🌟 STAR OF THE WEEK: ELIJAH WHITE — VARSITY #24 🌟

265 TOTAL YARDS. 5 TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS. 70-YARD PUNT RETURN FOR A TD. PICK 6. 195 RUSHING YARDS. 3 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS. 🔥

Elijah White delivered a dominant all-around performance, making huge plays on offense and defense while helping lead his team to a big win!

📊 GAME HIGHLIGHTS

🏈 265 Total Yards
🔥 5 Total Touchdowns
💨 70-Yard Punt Return for a TD
🛡️ Pick 6
💪 195 Rushing Yards
⭐ 3 Rushing Touchdowns

💥 ALL-AROUND IMPACT

Elijah was a difference-maker every time he touched the ball. He racked up 195 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns, while also making an explosive 70-yard punt return for a touchdown.

On defense, Elijah came up with a huge Pick 6, taking an interception all the way to the end zone and showing his ability to impact the game from every phase.

⭐ BIG PLAYS. BIG NUMBERS. WINNING IMPACT.

Congratulations to Elijah White #24 — our VARSITY STAR OF THE WEEK! 🏈🌟



Sponsored by Burkett Outdoor Advertising LP

🌟 STAR OF THE WEEK: CHAMBER HICKENBOTTOM — JV RAIDERS #9 🌟

300+ TOTAL YARDS. 5 TOUCHDOWNS. 10+ TACKLES. 2 FORCED FUMBLES. 🔥

Chamber Hickenbottom delivered an incredible all-around performance, making an impact on both sides of the ball while helping lead the JV Raiders to a big win!

📊 GAME HIGHLIGHTS

🏈 300+ Total Offensive Yards — Rushing & Passing
🔥 5 Total Touchdowns
🛡️ 10+ Tackles
💥 2 Forced Fumbles

💪 ALL-AROUND IMPACT

Chamber was a difference-maker every time he stepped on the field. On offense, he accounted for 300+ total yards through rushing and passing while scoring 5 touchdowns.

Defensively, Chamber recorded 10+ tackles and forced 2 fumbles, making his presence felt all over the field.

A complete performance from a player who made big plays on both sides of the ball when his team needed them most!

⭐ BIG PLAYS. TOUGH DEFENSE. WINNING IMPACT.

Congratulations to Chamber Hickenbottom — our STAR OF THE WEEK! 🏈🌟



Sponsored by Burkett Outdoor Advertising LP

🌟 STAR OF THE WEEK: AYDEN HERNANDEZ — PAMPA LIL HARVESTERS (JV) 🌟

100+ YARDS OF OFFENSE. 2 TOUCHDOWNS. 1 CONVERSION. MULTIPLE DEFENSIVE STOPS. 🔥

Ayden Hernandez delivered a complete performance on both sides of the ball, helping lead the Pampa Lil Harvesters to a big win over the Wolves!

📊 GAME HIGHLIGHTS

🏈 100+ Total Offensive Yards
🔥 2 Touchdowns
⭐ 1 Two-Point Conversion
🛡️ Several Defensive Stops

💪 ALL-AROUND IMPACT

Ayden made his presence felt all over the field, creating big plays on offense while coming up with key defensive stops when his team needed them.

His ability to contribute on both sides of the ball helped set the tone for the Lil Harvesters' victory!

⭐ BIG PLAYS. TOUGH DEFENSE. WINNING IMPACT.

Congratulations to Ayden Hernandez — our STAR OF THE WEEK! 🏈🌟


Sponsored by Burkett Outdoor Advertising LP

🌟 STAR OF THE WEEK: SJ SANCHEZ — SANDIES (VARSITY) 🌟

4 CARRIES. 138 RUSHING YARDS. 42 RECEIVING YARDS. 180 TOTAL YARDS. 🔥

SJ Sanchez made the most of every opportunity, delivering an explosive performance for the Sandies!

📊 GAME STATS

🏃‍♂️ 138 Rushing Yards — 4 Carries
📈 34.5 Yards Per Carry

🏈 42 Receiving Yards — 2 Receptions
📈 21 Yards Per Reception

💥 180 Total Yards — 6 TOTAL TOUCHES
🔥 3 Touchdowns
⭐ 2 Two-Point Conversions

Just 6 touches. 180 total yards.

That's an incredible 30 yards every time SJ touched the football.

SJ consistently turned every opportunity into a explosive play, finding the end zone 3 times while adding 2 two-point conversions.

⭐ EXPLOSIVE. EFFICIENT. DIFFERENCE-MAKER.

Congratulations to SJ Sanchez — our STAR OF THE WEEK! 🏈🌟


Sponsored by: Burkett Outdoor Advertising LP

A MESSAGE TO OUR TTYSL FAMILIES

We are aware of a public conversation regarding playing time in our league. Rather than debate individual situations on social media, we believe our families deserve to hear directly from us about what TTYSL expects from our coaches and what parents should expect from our league.

TTYSL is a competitive youth football league. Playing time is not guaranteed, and equal playing time has never been a requirement of our league. Coaches have the responsibility to make decisions based on preparation, effort, ability, safety, position needs and game situations.

Competitive football and player development are not mutually exclusive.

Every child on a TTYSL roster deserves to be coached.

That does not mean every player will start. It does not mean every player will receive the same number of snaps. And it does not mean parents will always agree with every decision a volunteer coach makes.

It does mean we expect our coaches to teach, encourage and develop every athlete entrusted to them — not just the most experienced players or the starting eleven.

We have hundreds of young athletes with different levels of experience and ability. Some will step onto the field this season ready to contribute immediately. Others may need weeks, months or even multiple seasons of development. Helping both of those athletes become better football players, teammates and young men is part of what youth football is supposed to accomplish.

And our responsibility goes beyond developing better football players.

We want to help develop better young men — young men who understand hard work, accountability, perseverance, teamwork and respect, and who are preparing to become positive members of their schools, families and communities.

That is a big part of what Faith, Family, Football means to us. Football may be the game we play, but the lessons these young men learn through it should last long after the pads come off.

We also recognize something important: our coaches are volunteers. They give an enormous amount of their personal time to these kids, and coaching youth football is not easy. They will occasionally make decisions parents disagree with, and they will occasionally make mistakes. Our job as a league is not to pretend otherwise. Our job is to support our coaches while also holding ourselves accountable to the families who trust us with their children.

We also believe it would be unfair to judge an individual coach or situation based solely on a social media post. There are often circumstances surrounding playing-time decisions that aren’t visible from the stands, and our coaches deserve the opportunity to have those conversations directly with their families.

If you have a concern about your child’s experience, we ask that you first have a respectful conversation with your head coach. If that conversation does not resolve the concern, please contact TTYSL leadership.

We cannot address a problem we don’t know exists, but when one is brought to us, we will listen.

Finally, we have seen comparisons being made between youth football organizations around Amarillo. We aren’t interested in tearing down another league to build ours up.

There are different organizations offering different experiences for families, and parents should choose the program they believe is best for their child.

We will speak for TTYSL.

For nearly three decades, thousands of Amarillo-area kids, parents, coaches and volunteers have been part of this league. We are proud of that history, but we’re even more interested in continuing to improve.

We’re competitive.

We want to win.

But we’re still coaching kids.

And we should never forget that.

Faith. Family. Football.

Top of Texas Youth Sports League

🏈 **TTYSL — KNOW BEFORE YOU GO!** 🏈

📍 JOHN STIFF MEMORIAL PARK

Here’s what you need to know before you arrive!

📍 **LOCATION**
**John Stiff Memorial Park**
SW 48th Avenue & Shoshone Trail
Amarillo, TX 79109

🗺️ **SEE MAPS FOR DETAILS**
Check the field maps before game day so you know exactly where you need to go.

🏟️ **THREE FOOTBALL FIELDS**
TTYSL has three regulation-sized football fields at John Stiff Memorial Park. **Know which field your team is playing on before you arrive!**

🚗 **PARKING**
Arrive early! Game days can get busy, and parking areas can fill up quickly. Give yourself plenty of time to park and get to your field.

🎟️ **GATE ADMISSION**
**$5 admission — CASH ONLY.**
Have your cash ready when you arrive to help keep the gate moving.

⏰ **ARRIVE EARLY**
Give yourself enough time to park, get through the gate, find your field and get your player where they need to be.

🎙️ **THE TTYSL GAME-DAY EXPERIENCE**
Each field features a **press box and PA announcer**, so when your little one makes a BIG play, everyone can hear their name!

🎤 **MIC’D-UP OFFICIALS**
Our officials are mic’d up so families can hear the calls being made on the field and better understand what’s happening during the game.

See you at the field!

Parents, if you’ve been waiting to grab your favorite TTYSL Media Day photos, now is the time! 🔥

📸 Digital downloads are currently just $7 — but that price goes up to$15 September 1!

Don’t wait and pay more later. Get your player’s photos at the discounted $7 price while you can!

👉 View the TTYSL Media Day Gallery:
https://gallery.photosbycojo.com/2026822ttyslmediaday/

Once you open the gallery, click on your team’s page to find your player.

📱 Use your photo for your phone screensaver
💻 Make it your desktop background
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Share it with family and friends
🏈 Keep it as a memory from the 2026 TTYSL season

$7 NOW → PRICE INCREASE SEPTEMBER 1!

Questions or need help? Message Photos By Cojo

2026.8.22 TTYSL Media Day Photo collection by Photos By Cojo