- November 23, 2024
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FPC flag football player Breaza Robinson. Photo by Ray Boone
The Bulldogs' Breaza Robinson hauls in a catch during a 2018 game against Matanzas. File photo
Breaza Robinson has been playing football since she was 5 years old.
She used to tag along with her older brothers, Jimmie Jr. and Jimmie III, when they left the house to go play with their friends. She would play two-hand touch and tackle with the older boys — it didn’t matter.
“I’m a competitive person,” Breaza said. “I like competition and being physical, and I feel like because I was a girl, everybody doubted me. I just like showing them what I can do.”
Her brothers, who played high school football for Flagler Palm Coast and who now currently play for Bethune-Cookman University, helped cultivate her talent. They taught her to throw, to catch, to run routes and so on.
“They were always pushing me to do better,” Breaza said.
Football has always been her favorite sport. When she got to FPC her freshman year four years ago, she had the opportunity to join the Bulldogs’ girls flag football team, although she decided to sit out in order to focus on her grades. However, the Bulldogs’ former head coach, Jim Gambone, rejoined the team the following year, and he was able to convince Breaza to play again — despite the fact flag football does not extend to the NCAA level.
She plays only because she loves it.
It was difficult for her to adjust to the rules and the lack of physicality in flag, but everything else came naturally, and she quickly became a game-changer for the Bulldogs.
During her junior year last season, she took it up a notch, totaling 12 interceptions and 11 touchdowns.
The confidence she gained playing alongside her older brothers fueled her.
“I feel like I can go up and get anything,” Breaza said. “I trust in myself and I trust in the process.”
Breaza prefers playing tackle football, however. During the summer before her senior year, she asked head football coach Travis Roland is she could play for the team. Although she didn't get to play for the Bulldogs, she did serve as one of the team's managers, where she helped alleviate some of the workload on the coaches and players.
The Bulldogs open up the 2019 season against Pine Ridge on March 4 at FPC’s Sal Campanella Memorial Stadium. A few months ago, however, Breaza wasn’t sure if she wanted to play her senior year. She was concerned about finishing high school on a strong note academically.
But she couldn’t leave her teammates behind.
