The new era of San Pedro High football under first-year coach Corey Miller was everything Pirate fans would ask for.

It just didn't get the desired result they were looking for. 

In front of the true-to-form raucous crowd cheering them on at Pirate Stadium, it was visiting Downey who emerged with a 27-21 victory to open the 2016 season on Friday, defeating the Pirates in back-to-back season openers after last year's 13-2 triumph at Downey High in a game where San Pedro failed to produce on offense, including on three possessions which ended inside Downey's ten-yard line.

On this night, the offense of the Pirates looked like they would break out of their troubles against the Vikings.

After forcing a turnover on downs to start the game, San Pedro senior quarterback Austin Jackson methodically drove the Pirates down to Downey's one-yard line, before deja vu appeared to strike when the snap was dropped, and the Vikings recovered.

San Pedro would get a break when sophomore Jay Johnson blasted a Downey receiver on a backward pass, causing the ball to go free, and junior RB/LB Kai Kaneshiro would grab it while the ball rolled on the 36-yard line, taking it the rest of the way for a 7-0 lead with 1:30 to play in the first quarter.

Downey would score on a 31-yard double pass with 7:57 to go in the second quarter, but then the Pirates quickly countered on the ensuing kickoff return, when senior WR/DB Raymond Geha took the squib on the eight-yard line then found a gaping hole created by the blocking up the near sideline, and took off for a 92-yard touchdown which only took 12 seconds to put the Pirates ahead at 14-6, would go into halftime with a 14-13 advantage.

Then the second half was all about Downey running back Emari Demercado.

Downey's defense forced a quick three-and-out to begin the third quarter, then Demercado found a quick hole up the left side and burst free for an 82-yard touchdown run with 9:29 remaining to put the Vikings ahead, 19-14, then slashed his way through several missed San Pedro tackles for a 58-yard touchdown reception with 7:48 to play in the fourth quarter. The Vikings added the two-point conversion for a 27-14 advantage.

Both teams traded punts, leaving San Pedro on their own ten-yard line for their next possession, but Jackson somehow avoided the pressure and flung up a pass to a wide-open Geha, who then sprinted down to Downey's ten-yard line for an 80-yard gain. Two plays later, Kaneshiro ran for a five-yard touchdown, and suddenly, the Pirates were only down 27-21 with 4:15 left in the game.

San Pedro's final two possessions ended on downs, with the final one being Jackson completing a 29-yard pass to Geha before misfiring four straight times with 54 seconds left.

Demercado would run for a game-high 203 yards on 23 carries and a trio of touchdowns, to go along with his backbreaking 58-yard touchdown catch to pace Downey, as he broke a total of nine tackles in the game. Kaneshiro ran for 99 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown for San Pedro, while Geha caught four passes for 121 yards, and finished with 213 all-purpose yards.

Jackson finished 6-of-14 passing for 119 yards (one pass completed was a five-yard loss), while also rushing for 39 yards on four carries while junior linebacker Seth Nelson recovered a fumble for San Pedro, who will next face Roosevelt of Los Angeles on the road Thursday. The Roughriders lost 42-10 at Fairfax in their opener.