Haines City junior quarterback Zebrielle Canaday scored the game-winning touchdown against Durant High School to put the Hornets up 19-13 in the Class 4A first round of regionals with just 10 seconds on the clock.
This, of course, punched Haines City’s ticket to the second round regionals against No. 23 Steinbrenner. Canaday in the game had a terrific play in which she stuck her foot in the dirt and made a house call for 89 yards and a score. This, though, was the Hornet’s only blemish when it came to wins and losses, as Haines City went 16-1 on the year.
For the 2025 campaign, Canaday put up the following offensive stats: she went 123-for-205 (60% completion percentage) with 1,507 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns along with 145 carries with 1,778 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns. Oh, and as a defensive back, she put up 17 interceptions and 37 total flag pulls. And for that, she’s The Ledger’s 2025 Player of the Year, which is the second straight year for her.
“What comes to mind of being Player of the Year is that all the hard work on the field pays off and it’s really cool being Player of the Year two times in a row,” Canaday said.
Haines City flag football coach Alex Craig said the team relied on Canaday.
“We really just leaned into Zebrielle Canaday, and listened to her as a play caller and let her play naturally,” Craig previously said. “And with that, the chemistry between her and the girls really blossomed into what we have today as a 16-0 team.”
Competing at a high level at Osceola High School her freshman year and making all county, Canaday went on to transfer to Haines City for her sophomore season. And for the past two seasons, she has led her squad in winning two district championships.
“My teammates taught me a lot really. And the main thing being teamwork. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish this achievement without them, and everyone playing their roles the correct way and playing hard,” Canaday said.
Canaday said her plan is train arduously and to do it all over again, but this time try and get to states in the year 2026.
Right now, Canaday is playing AAU basketball as she is one of the top girls basketball players in the county, too. Haines City girls basketball is up there as one of the top Polk County basketball programs thanks to her superb efforts.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Haines City’s Zebrielle Canaday is The Ledger’s 2025 Flag Football Player of the Year
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
