Texas High School Football Player Dies After Suffering Head Injury

Dalhart High School (Texas) football player Yahir Cancino reportedly suffered a head injury during a junior varsity game against Sundown High School on Sept. 1. Cancino's family announced two days later that he had passed away at the hospital. Trainers and first responders were unsuccessful when trying to revive Cancino on the field after he lost consciousness in the fourth quarter. He was taken to a hospital in Lubbock about 80 miles away via helicopter.

Cancino’s mother, Araceli Hernandez, posted on Facebook early Saturday that her son died, asking “for prayers for peace and healing not only for us but for all the people Yahir touched in his life.” Cancino’s organs will be donated, the post said.

Dalhart school officials canceled all other activities for the weekend and will have crisis counselors on hand during the coming school week to speak with students and staff. “Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Yahir’s family,” Dalhart superintendent Jeff Byrd said in a statement. “The Dalhart Community will continue to surround and support them.” Dalhart is a 3A Division I school located northwest of Amarillo in the West Texas Panhandle.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.