Braylon Peebles, Heading to Pop Warner Super Bowl, Has Athleticism In His DNA

Raleigh, NC – Braylon Peebles, whose grandfathers, mother, father, and brothers are athletes, plays offense and defense for the North Raleigh Bulldogs Football Team. The eleven-year-old and his team head to the 2018 Pop Warner Super Bowl December 1st through December 8th at ESPN Wide World of Sports™ Complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida (near Orlando).

Braylon prepares himself mentally, physically and emotionally for the games by watching NFL games (his favorite team being the Texans), studying films of opposing Pee Wee teams and chopping it up with his athletic family – parents William and Gia; big brothers Aeneas and Caleb. 

For Braylon football is a way of life. He is the grandson of two professional football players, Lineman Douglas Wilkerson and Fullback/Running Back William Hackett.  Wilkerson (Gia’s father), three-time All Pro Lineman, played in the NFL for 15 years with the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers. Hackett (William’s father) played for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles.

Braylon’s father, affectionately known as “Champ”, is currently the defensive coordinator for his son’s team (the North Raleigh Bulldogs). A Bulldog team mom remarks “I will tell you us parents have loved having Champ Peebles on the field coaching because, for the first couple years, I was thinking to myself ‘why is this dad on this side of the fence telling the kids what to do; he knows what he is talking about.’ My son loves having him as a coach.” Peebles is a former professional athlete. He played for the Charlotte Rage and collegiate football for Appalachian State. Peebles was All Southern Conference and still holds the record for single game tackles for a loss. Peebles was the 1994 Consensus All- American.

Braylon’s mother, Gia Wilkerson Peebles, is also a former professional athlete. Gia was signed as a free agent with the women’s inaugural softball team, the Durham Dragons.  She played collegiate softball for Long Beach State and was a four-time college World Series participant. Gia went on to become a winning head coach for collegiate softball.

While there is irony in the coming together of Braylon’s parents, he seems to have inherited the family’s DNA of athleticism. North Raleigh Bulldogs Coach Chad Richards remarks, “One of the best rewards of coaching has been having Bray the last four years, watching him grow as a young man and getting to know his awesome family. They should be really proud.”

Braylon has the remarkable ability to read and call defensive plays. He is a leader in tackles, an academic scholar, and four touchdowns, with one defensive touchdown for this season. Braylon’s mantra is “Football is What We Do.”

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