Sports Spotlight: Brianna Kulich, Windermere High flag football

A senior on the Windermere High flag football team, Brianna Kulich has made her presence known on the field at both the middle linebacker and wide receiver positions. Her play has gained her so much attention, in fact, that she recently became the first player from the program to commit to play the sport at Webber International.
 

How did you get into flag football?

My dad actually was the one who introduced it to me. He put me on a club team when I was 4 with the Orange County Parks and Recreation Center, and that’s when I started to really get a feel for it. That was the first time I actually touched a football and started playing. That’s when I first started learning the positions. I played quarterback there, and then that passion and love for the game just followed.
 

What was it about flag football that drew you to it?

I just love the aggression, I love the competition of it. It’s basically a game where you don’t know what’s going to happen — especially if you have no clue who the other team is and how they perform — and it’s all just a surprise in a sense.
 

Before flag football, did you play any other sports?

Yes, I actually played soccer before I did flag football. I played soccer most of my life, and then once I went into middle school, I did soccer. Then high school — sophomore year — I did soccer, and then flag football was one of the other sports I was going to try out for again, so that’s how I got back into flag football going into high school.
 

Do you have a highlight moment from your time playing?

I think my highlight game would be probably when I was over at Dr. Phillips, and I first started playing quarterback. That was the first time that we went 7-1. That was my first time getting back to it and playing a solid position as quarterback. That was the highlight for my flag football career, because that’s what started me and got me ready for Windermere when I transferred over.
 

You play at both middle linebacker and wide receiver. Do you have a preference?

I think middle linebacker would be my favorite position because that’s basically the quarterback of a defense, so you read the entire field, and you basically have to be open with communication — especially to the corners and safety on whether or not the quarterback on the other team is going to be throwing deep, or if they’re going to to throw a short pass. 
 

You are the first flag football player from Windermere High to commit to a college. What is that like?

I will say the process was kind of a roller coaster. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it without my parents and the help of my coach. It was very exciting — I was excited, a bit nervous, and it was just a whole bunch of emotions when I signed. But I’m very excited to be playing at the next level and have the opportunity to be the first person from Windermere to actually go to college for this.