In 2008, when Travis Wilson joined the varsity football team at San Clemente High, his coaches didn't know whether he would play quarterback or linebacker.
As a freshman, he had started at middle linebacker, but before the opener the next year, the team's quarterback was injured. Wilson filled in, and he muddled the decision further.
"Travis got pounded," San Clemente Coach Jaime Ortiz said.
And, the coach added, he performed admirably.
San Clemente won, and Wilson's toughness earned his teammates' respect. He'd shown he could hit, and take a hit, and he could pass pretty well, too.