The varsity football offseason is in full swing, and many athletes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are looking forward to this upcoming spring season. Sophomore Daniel Barraza-Camara will be fighting for his varsity playing time this spring season.

Barraza-Camara joined MSD’s roster late in his freshman year and played as a defensive back this past season. He began his journey at 6 feet tall and 125 pounds. He is now 6’1 and 155 pounds. Barraza-Camara wants to be 170 to 175 pounds by the start of the season.

Barraza-Camara played junior varsity during the 2021 to 2022 season and was only able to play in one game due to grappling with a broken pinky finger. Barraza-Camera is looking to fight for a spot on varsity this upcoming year.

His favorite accomplishment as a football player was his 30 pound increase in body weight. He had never felt this strong and believes he is nowhere near his full potential.

Outside of football, Barraza-Camara loves to hang out with friends and keep his grades above the minimum requirement.

“After I workout I go home, take a shower and do my homework. [My] coach always gives an emphasis on doing our homework, getting our grades up because he likes to remind us that being a student athlete means being a student first,” Barraza-Camara said.

Barraza-Camara characterizes himself as a hardworking person who loves to put his head down and do the work. Barraza-Camara utilizes his time during study hall to get his school work complete.

“I know how to manage my time. In study hall, I really learned how to utilize my time to help with everything like my grades and homework. I don’t have as much of a workload when I get home,” Barraza-Camara said.

After high school, he wants to open a business and become an entrepreneur. His backup plan is to join the army. If given the opportunity, Barraza-Camara is more than willing to play football at the next level. He wants to stay in Florida and go to a Florida college. He has a wide variety of schools he is interested in attending, including University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University and Florida State University.

Barraza-Camara is motivated by his teammates and he loves the sense of family-like environment that football creates. He hopes to grow as a football player but most importantly a person. Barraza-Camara will be competing with many this season for practice repetitions and will learn from every mistake he makes.