With the 2015-2016 prep sports season drawing to a close, it's time to once again start talking about football.

The San Pedro High football team went 7-5 during the 2015 season, ending up in a three-way tie for second place in the ultra-competitive Marine League, and reached the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I quarterfinals, where it lost 55-24 to eventual CIF-LACS Division I, Southern California Regional AND CIF State Division 1 champion Narbonne of Harbor City.

It will be the dawning of a new era for Pirate football as longtime assistant coach Corey Miller has taken over the reins as the new head coach, replacing the retired Mike Walsh who stepped down after 25 years, over 200 victories and five CIF-LACS championships for San Pedro, something no other coach has ever done at the school.

For the first time in a while, San Pedro's 2015 schedule is even with five games on the road, and five games at their friendly confines of Pirate Stadium. The set of opponents appears to be their toughest to date but the good news is... there is no sign of Locke of Los Angeles on the docket for the first time since the 2004 season.

The nonleague schedule has three CIF-Southern Section teams in Downey, Redondo Union and for the first time, Lawndale with a road game against the Cardinals on September 23. The Pirates will also battle South East of South Gate, a rising CIF-LACS program, and Roosevelt of Los Angeles in a pair of road games against strong Eastern League foes.

The most telling game on the 2016 slate that will catch everyone's eye is their third Marine League game on October 22, and with good reason.

On a Saturday afternoon, October 22 at 1 pm, the Pirates will once again clash with Harbor Area neighbor Banning of Wilmington at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of a CIF-LACS doubleheader special which also includes a 10 am Coliseum League duel between CIF-LACS D-1 runner up Crenshaw and D-1 semifinalist Dorsey.

Considering the 80th all-time meeting with the Pilots gets risen to a higher level with the all-time series now tied through the first 79 meetings since 1921 (38-38-3). San Pedro has won 11 out of their last 13 meetings and briefly led before last year's 10-9 Banning victory in the final seconds evens things up. There's no love lost between the two after the last two battles ended in utter chaos.

San Pedro has a golden opportunity to build up steam for the playoffs with the final three games in the Marine League being against Banning, Narbonne and Carson.

The season opening scrimmage on August 19 will no doubt test the Pirates, as they will once again scrimmage against last year's CIF-SS Western Division runner-up Palos Verdes, providing San Pedro a great chance to prove themselves right away a week before hosting Downey for the 2016 season opener.

San Pedro's top returning players for the 2016 season includes two returning All-City players in senior linebacker Nick Zabatta, who along with senior offensive lineman Nicolas Ford are both receiving several college offers, and senior wide receiver Raymond Geha, who averaged over 23 yards a catch as a deep ball threat with 7 touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Austin Jackson emerges as the new starter, while several All-Marine League selections will return for the Pirates, including the likes of rising junior running back Kai Kaneshiro, senior WR/DB Mikey Hernandez Jr., senior linebacker Sohl Gafa and junior defensive back Corey Fausto.

Here is the full San Pedro football schedule for 2016, with home games in bold covering. The October 22 game against Banning at the Coliseum is still technically a home game for the Pirates considering last year's meeting was played at Banning.

SAN PEDRO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 2016 SCHEDULE (* - Denotes Marine League Game)

Friday 8/19 vs. Palos Verdes @ PVHS (Scrimmage - Times TBD)

Friday 8/26 vs. Downey @ SPHS (7 pm)

Friday 9/2 @ Roosevelt (7 pm)

Friday 9/9 vs. Redondo Union @ SPHS (7 pm)

Friday 9/16 - BYE WEEK

Friday 9/23 - @ Lawndale (7 pm)

Friday 9/30 @ South East (7 pm)

Friday 10/7 vs. Washington Prep* @ SPHS (7 pm)

Friday 10/14 @ Gardena* (7 pm)

Saturday 10/22 vs. Banning* @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1 pm)

Friday 10/28 @ Narbonne* (7 pm)

Friday 11/4 vs. Carson* @ SPHS (7 pm)