Growing up in a family steeped in football, it’s easy to assume that a young child would be drawn to the sport.

For 16-year-old Haley Abeyta, football has been a part of her life since she could pick up a ball and run with it.

And there is nothing girly about this girl.

“I’ve been playing since I was 5,” Haley said. “My brothers got me into the sport and then my mom was OK with it. I started playing with them.”

Haley, who plays on her high school football team in Lakewood, Colo., attended USA Football’s Regional Development Camp in Denver. Haley competed against top athletes from throughout the region, leaving a lasting impression among her peers as well as current NCAA college coaches, former NFL players and area high school coaches who served as instructors.

“She did a great job through our camp,” said Benjamin Martin, a Colorado Mesa University coach who worked with linebackers. “She has a pretty good build for it. She looks like a linebacker should. She was a very coachable kid. If we told her to work on something, from that next rep on she would try and get better at it. She worked hard the whole camp.”

“It was good,” Haley said of the camp. “I learned a lot from my coaches, and I was able to learn more than I know now. I went one-on-one with them for quite a while. They were just helping me with the little mistakes.”

Being the only female at the Regional Development Camp was nothing new for Haley. She also the only girl on her high school football team and used to being looked at differently, especially when she lines up on defense.

“At first it’s scary, because they like to stare at you and they are like, ‘Oh, what is she doing here?’ ” Haley said. “They point and all that but once they get used to me, I’m good.”

With two older brothers who played football, it’s easy to see where Haley gets her toughness, mentally and physically.

“I’ve grown up in it, so it runs in the family,” Haley said. “I like to hit the boys and show them that girls can do what they can do, too.”

The game has become important to her in other ways as well, teaching her about more than just Xs and Os.

“It’s taught me a lot about teamwork and family,” Haley said. “You have to have each other’s backs a lot.”

And although she’s still in high school, Haley has goals for her future in the sport.

“I want to be able to go to college and play it,” Haley said. “Any school that really wants to take me.”