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Quarterback has been called the most difficult position in sports because the challenges arise in so many forms. From understanding the playbook, detecting an opponents’ strategy to developing leadership traits, there’s a lot of pressure to perform.
Fortunately for Esperanza, the school has twin quarterbacks who support each other through it all.
Meet Travis and Ellie Frazier, who are QB1s in football and girls flag football, respectively.
The seniors enjoy teasing each other about many things — such as who was born first — but make no mistake, they’re siblings who are best friends.
“Love and competition,” Travis said. “Sadly, she was born first by two minutes.”
“It’s all jokes,” Ellie added. “We’ve always been close. We’ve always been in the same friend groups. Always done almost everything together.”
Including football.
Around the fifth or sixth grade, the siblings began playing football together in the Advantage Flag League. They joined an all-boys team coached by their father Todd Frazier, a former standout football player at Troy.
Travis played quarterback while Ellie lined up at wide receiver.
“She was my best receiver growing up,” Travis recalled.
“All I knew is that he had a heck of an arm,” Ellie said her brother.
When girls flag football was introduced as a high school sport in the CIF Southern Section in 2023, Ellie was quick to join the team at Esperanza.
She earned first-team All-County as a wide receiver in ’23 but moved to quarterback last season to help the team.
While Ellie leaned on the instruction of flag football coach Jimmy Valverde, she also turned to her brother for tips on playing QB.
“It was mostly just about reading defenses,” Travis said. “She can throw the ball. She’s pretty natural at that.”
“It was fun to learn a new position,” Ellie added. “Quarterback is mostly about IQ — having to know where everyone is at on the field, having to know everyone else’s position as well as your own.”
Ellie and Travis guided both their teams to the postseason last season.
Travis, a 6-foot-4 pocket passer, threw for 2,697 yards and 31 TDs to help the Aztecs reach the Division 8 playoffs.
Ellie, a 5-foot-9 dual threat QB, passed for 3,835 yards and 53 touchdowns as Esperanza advanced to the Division 2 quarterfinals.
The challenges continue this fall.
The Aztecs’ football team (1-1) plays No. 9 Yorba Linda (3-0) on Friday while the flag football squad (9-3) opened the tough Crestview League against Crean Lutheran (8-5) on Wednesday.
Travis and Ellie will talk plenty of football during their seasons but also make time to attend Calvary Chapel East Anaheim together. That’s a key element of their support system, which includes older sister Bailey and mother Tammy.
“(Our faith) is the most important thing in our life,” Travis said.