LOS ANGELES - Going to Boyle Heights for a football game is no easy task, but San Pedro High football handled business pretty well.
Thanks to an overpowering first half where the offense scored on their first five possessions, and the defense forced seven punts, along with six straight three-and-outs in the first 24 minutes, the visiting Pirates would emerge with a 42-14 victory Thursday, the first in the head coaching career of Corey Miller. Senior quarterback Austin Jackson was also efficient throwing the football, completing 8 of his 11 passes for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
There was no question that defense ruled the roost for the Pirates (1-1 overall) in the first half.
San Pedro's defense allowed a first down on Roosevelt's third play from scrimmage on the game's first possession, and that was it, as the next 18 plays would only gain 32 yards, senior defensive lineman Nick Ford would garner three sacks, and all seven possessions ended in punts for the Roughriders (0-2).
Jackson would get San Pedro on the board first with a two-yard touchdown run with 5:30 left in the first quarter, set up by his 23-yard pass to junior running back Kai Kaneshiro. Jackson would then toss a screen in front of the Roosevelt sideline to senior wideout Raymond Geha, who made one juke to make the first defender miss before cruising to a 36-yard touchdown, which gave him the school record for career touchdown receptions with 12 from 2014 to now.
Geha's touchdown made it 14-0 with with 2:39 to play in the first quarter, then the Pirates would explode with three more scores in the second quarter, a 12-yard touchdown run from Kaneshiro, a 17-yard touchdown run up the gut by junior fullback Isaiah Flores, and a 31-yard touchdown strike from Jackson to junior wide receiver Joshua Bejerano.
To add on to it, senior linebacker Sohl Gafa would garner another sack, the fourth for the San Pedro defense before the Pirates strolled into halftime with a 35-0 advantage.
Roosevelt would get a 37-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Raymond Reynoso to senior wide receiver Fernando Olmos in the third quarter to break San Pedro's shutout bid with the second string defense playing basically the entire second half, then Flores would run in a six-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 42-7 Pirate advantage to invoke the mercy rule and play the rest of the quarter with a running clock.
Sophomore fullback Santos Rivera would score on a seven-yard touchdown run on the game's final play for the Roughriders.
In a solid performance, Geha caught four passes for 90 yards and a touchdown for San Pedro, while Bejarano and junior wide receiver Isaiah Bumgarner caught a pair of passes each, with Bejerano gaining 41 yards, and Bumgarner with 36 yards receiving. Flores ran for a team-high 68 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, and senior cornerback Brandon Johnson added an interception in the third quarter for San Pedro's lone takeaway.
San Pedro will host Redondo Union next Friday at 7 pm.
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