Esperanza is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will look to defend their home field against the Garden Grove Argonauts at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Esperanza headed into their last matchup having not scored more than 13 points for three straight, but Peninsula let them put that streak behind them. The Aztecs claimed a resounding 49-12 victory over the Panthers. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-6.
Travis Frazier
| 09/26/25 @ Peninsula | 157.9 |
| 09/06/24 vs Valencia | 155.2 |
| 08/29/25 @ Fountain Valley | 152.4 |
| 09/13/24 @ Dana Hills | 147.3 |
| 10/04/24 @ Garden Grove | 145.5 |
Travis Frazier was the offensive standout of the game as he threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in passer rating (157.9). Another player making a difference was Brody Snyder, who rushed for 67 yards and one TD.
Esperanza didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Mason Moore picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Garden Grove was able to grind out a solid win over Rancho Alamitos on Friday, taking the game 20-10. The 20-point effort marked the Argonauts' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Esperanza better keep an eye on Quentin Pacelli. He was instrumental in Garden Grove's win, rushing for 298 yards while picking up 16.6 yards per carry. Pacelli's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 167 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Calvin Keovphan, who threw for 203 yards on only 11 passes.
Garden Grove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 318 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 173 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Garden Grove's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Esperanza, the win snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 2-3 record.
Everything came up roses for Esperanza against Garden Grove when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 42-6 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Pacelli, who rushed for 105 yards and one score, and also picked up 31 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Aztecs still be able to contain Pacelli? There's only one way to find out.
