VALRICO, Fla. - The Bloomingdale Bulls have a new playground.

The football team gets to run around on a turf field this season. 

It’s bright, it’s brand new and it’s built for speed. Not a bad setting for a guy like Charlie O’Brien. This senior tight end soaks in every ounce of the high school experience. 

“I just feel that the whole school is a community and I just want to be a part of it,” Charlie said.

When it comes to being a Bloomingdale Bull, Charlie O’Brien is all in. Pick a club, any high school club, and chances are, Charlie is a member. Student Government treasurer, National Honor Society, Key Club, Cuban American Club, among the many. 

“Leadership and integrity. He’s a Bull through and through,” Bloomingdale head coach Jake Coulson said. “He’s big time in the spirit.”

In fact, it would easier to list the clubs Charlie isn’t in. And in addition to all those extracurricular activities, he always makes time for football. His true passion.

“The dream is to definitely play college football,” Charlie said. “But whatever life takes me, I’m good with it.”

When Charlie puts on that Bloomingdale uniform, it means more to him than pride. 

“It means a brotherhood,” he said. “It means togetherness that we’re going to work hard together and play for each other. And, yeah, just family.”

Charlie and his teammates prove that the family that plays together, wins together. And that wasn’t always the case at Bloomingdale. But Charlie’s been a part of the transformation of the Bulls program that clinched playoff victories over Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech enroute to a state semifinal appearance two years ago. 

Once the laughingstock of Hillsborough County, Bloomingdale’s become a perennial playoff team. And he’s helped build a winning program while playing one of the most unselfish positions on the team.

“You’re just going to see him playing with passion,” Coulson said. “And he’s a team player so he doesn’t care if he’s getting the ball. He’s going to block, he’s going to catch. He’s going to do whatever we ask him to do.”

At the end of the day, Charlie’s a big fan. Whether he’s representing Bloomingdale on the field or off of it, he’s a Bull.

“If I wasn’t on this field, I’d be in the stand cheering us on,” Charlie said. “And I just love the community and I just won’t to do everything I can to be involved.”