On January 24, 2025, Leesville Road High School retired its first-ever jersey. The jersey belongs to Braxton Berrios, former Leesville football player, who wore the number 8.
During his time at Leesville, he was a dominant player who earned many awards and even was invited to the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game
Berrios was part of the 2014 graduating class and committed to play at the University of Miami.
After four years there, the New England Patriots drafted Berrios in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 210th overall pick. He has had an impressive NFL career so far. Berrios played on the Patriots for the 2018 season, then was traded to the New York Jets (2019-22), and now he plays for the Miami Dolphins (2023-present). He even made the 2021 All-pro team, a big accomplishment to many NFL players.
However, Berrios’ impact expands further than the football field, making him even more worthy of his jersey getting retired.
People who knew Berrios in highschool had nothing but good things to say about him. At the jersey retirement ceremony the following all spoke about Berrios: Chad Smothers, former football coach; John Rogers, former athletic director, and Russ Frazier, current AD.
During the ceremony, Rogers, said, “While here at the ‘Ville, [Braxton] collected backpacks at back-to-school drives the football team had each year and visited to read to the elementary kids, all this while carrying a 4.3 GPA.”
Since being on the Miami Dolphins, Berrios and his girlfriend, Alix Earle, have teamed up with the Caesar-Iglesias Family Foundation to prepare and serve Christmas meals to families in need each season.
He also privately sponsored a family over the holiday season to ensure they had a Christmas they would never forget.
Most recently, Berrios and Earle, organized a fundraiser for flooding and hurricane relief in Western North Carolina, sharing it through their social media and donating the money raised directly to Red Cross’s efforts.
Berrios’ #8 banner was honored in the rafters in front of a sold-out crowd prior to the men’s varsity basketball game against Sanderson.
Berrios was last to speak during the ceremony and reflected back on his time here at Leesville. He said, “I’ve played in stadiums all over the country at all different levels and now two across the world, and I can honestly say that I don’t think about any stadium or playing with any team as much as I do here at Leesville Road. So, take it from me when I say nothing beats highschool football.”
In his closing statements he left students with one final piece of advice: “Don’t be afraid to talk about your goals, don’t be afraid to prioritize them, and don’t be afraid to sacrifice some things along the way to reach them. Because if you do those things, one day you’ll be somewhere speaking to a room full of people telling them that every sacrifice you made was all worth it in the end.”
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