With the 2012-2013 prep sports season now officially over, it's time to once again start talking about football.

The San Pedro High football team went 8-4 during the 2012 season, placing third in the ultra-competitive Marine League and reached the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I quarterfinals, where it fell short in heartbreaking fashion to Venice. A young, and energetic team eager to get things rolling for 2013 sounds like it may be another promising year for the Pirates and head coach Mike Walsh, who enters his 23rd season at the helm.

San Pedro's 2013 schedule is without their somewhat accustomed slew of home games, as it is more road oriented with six of their ten games away from the oh-so-friendly on-campus confines at Pirate Stadium.

Friday, August 30 will kickoff the 2013 season for San Pedro with their longest road trip since 1963 when they played at Rancho Las Vegas High, when the Pirates travel to Morro Bay for an intersectional battle between two schools that share the same mascot (Pirates).

Morro Bay's Pirates, like San Pedro, went 8-4 in 2012 last season, was the runner-up in the Los Padres League to Lompoc, and reached the CIF-Southern Section Western Division quarterfinals, where it lost to Chaminade of West Hills. Morro Bay had two players rush for over 1,000 yards last season and one of them, senior Derek Viles, is back for this season.

One particular game that will be on the minds of all Pirate fans will unquestionably be Friday, October 18 when longtime nemesis Narbonne of Harbor City, the reigning two-time CIF-Los Angeles City Section champions, comes to visit San Pedro for a Marine League showdown.

The Gauchos went 14-1 last season, with the lone defeat coming to Centennial of Corona in the CIF-State Southern California Regional championship.

All six of San Pedro's road games this year are on fields with artificial turf, including all three Marine League road matchups at Carson (October 11), Banning of Wilmington (October 25) and Washington Prep of Los Angeles (November 1).

San Pedro's top returning players for the 2013 season includes returning All-City Section selection senior WR/DB Pete Palacios, senior linebacker Rudy Alvidrez, senior WR/DB Cean Tukes Jr., senior DL Manoah Tuiasosopo, junior OL Dominic O'Brien, junior running back Chris Alvidrez and senior OL/DL Alfonzo Aguilara, who was also a standout on the Pirates' wrestling team.

Sophomore Jacob Miller appears to be the leading candidate as the Pirates' starting quarterback.

SAN PEDRO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2013 SCHEDULE (* - Denotes Marine League Game)

Friday 8/23 at Dorsey (Scrimmage @ 3 pm)

Friday 8/30 at Morro Bay (7 pm)

Friday 9/6 vs. Locke (7 pm)

Friday 9/13 vs. University (7 pm)

Friday 9/27 at Redondo Union (7 pm)

Friday 10/4 at Fairfax (7 pm)

Friday 10/11 at Carson (7 pm)

Friday 10/18 vs. Narbonne (7 pm)

Friday 10/25 at Banning (7 pm)

Friday 11/1 at Washington Prep (7 pm)

Friday 11/8 vs. Gardena (7pm - HOMECOMING)