2015 was a magnificent year for high school sports in San Pedro, and there was plenty to be excited about for most programs at San Pedro, Port Of Los Angeles and Mary Star Of The Sea High Schools.

Many playoff runs in the CIF-Los Angeles City and Southern Sections were realized, former doormat programs finally found success, league titles were seized, CIF championships were chased, winning streaks were made, signing day ceremonies were set, and yes, there were some milestones to be achieved.

Let's just review some of the most memorable moments in the San Pedro prep sports world shall we...

1. Signing Days Galore

While the softball signings of two pitching greats Marina Vitalich (Mary Star, George Mason) and Nicolle Miranda (Port Of Los Angeles, Eastern Michigan) was a great close to 2014, four more on-campus signing day ceremonies ushered in 2015 with San Pedro football offensive lineman Dominic O'Brien (Southern Utah) in February, San Pedro cross-country runner Danielle Nunez (Loyola Marymount) in April, softball infielder Johnie Cortez (Marymount California) and football defensive lineman Luis Lona (Baldwin Wallace-Ohio) in May, then finally capped off with a fifth in Port Of Los Angeles softball catcher Savana Ramirez (Yavapai College-Arizona) in June. By far it was the most amazing set of stories for 2015.

2. No One Saw This Coming... TWO CIF State Regional Teams In The Winter!

POLA girls soccer once again came up short in trying to dethrone Los Angeles CES, this time in a 2-1 overtime loss in the 2015 CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division IV championship game, but despite that, the Polar Bears, who finished 22-4-2, would be rewarded as the first sports team in school history to play in a CIF State Division IV regional playoff game in early March, which was a hard-luck 1-0 loss to Malibu. Not to be outdone was San Pedro girls basketball. Despite finishing third in the Marine League, the Lady Pirates still managed a top seed in the CIF-LACS Division II playoffs and reached the semifinal round. After losing to Eagle Rock, San Pedro took advantage of their second chance by defeating Huntington Park in a state play-in game for the right to be one of the at-large teams to get in the CIF State Division II regional playoffs. Even though the Lady Pirates were throttled by powerful Redondo Union, they finished 21-12 for the year, and no past girls basketball team at San Pedro managed to win 20 games in a year. San Pedro News Pilot Players Of The Year Tiffany Torres (POLA, girls soccer) and Rita Fiorenza (San Pedro, girls basketball) were both magnificent in their final seasons of their high school careers.

3. The Re-Birth Of Mary Star High Football

After a rough patch of back-to-back losing seasons, Mary Star High football made a step up in respectability with the hire of Jason Gelber as a new coach, and right away they made an impact with a resounding 31-7 win over Aquinas of San Bernadino in Gelber's debut September 4. The no-huddle run until you get tired offense would produces massive results en route to a 6-5 season and a return to the CIF-Southern Section playoffs in the East Valley Division, coming within a wink of potentially sharing the Santa Fe League title with a heartbreaking overtime loss to eventual champion St. Monica. Along the way, the Stars avenged three embarrassing losses of 2014 by routing St. Bernard, St. Genevieve and Cantwell Sacred Heart. In all, it was a joyous season for a team full of Stars.

4. FOUR League Champions For Mary Star In A Calendar Year

The football team's return to respectability isn't the only thing that made 2015 a great year for Mary Star Of The Sea High School... in the winter, after such a terrifying start, coach Shain Rossi righted the ship and the girls soccer team claimed a Santa Fe League championship, its first league title since 2012. Then the Stars would literally spring two more league crowns in both baseball and softball during the spring semester, with the softball team also opening the CIF-Southern Section Division V playoffs on their brand-new on-campus softball diamond on May 21, christening it with a 4-0 victory over Morro Bay which featured a vintage Marina Vitalich shutout in the circle, and a two-run home run by now-senior Gigi Gentile. If that wasn't enough, the girls volleyball team repeated their success of 2014 by claiming a second straight share of another Santa Fe League title with a rousing sweep of fellow co-champion St. Genevieve in the 2015 season finale. Out of that sequence, the Stars were paced by Vitalich and two more eventual News Pilot Prep Sports MVPs in Derrick Edwards (baseball) and Ally Spillane (girls volleyball).

5. POLA Baseball Making Another Run At A Championship

It was supposed to be a rebuilding stage for Port Of Los Angeles High baseball, and their 2015 season got to a horrifying start with a mercy rule loss to Mary Star and a devastating setback to Rancho Dominguez Prep in a CIF-LACS Division III semifinal rematch. However, coaches Brian & Dennis Emerson would will the Polar Bears to another solid year, a perfect Crosstown League championship and yet another spot in the CIF-LACS Division III championship game in late May, where Los Angeles CES denied the Polar Bears a repeat championship. In spite of that setback, now-senior pitcher Fernando Rivas was brilliant during POLA's playoff run, including guiding the Polar Bears to a 4-2, 9-inning win over Rancho Dominguez Prep in yet another semifinal victory.

6. Drama Doesn't Stop San Pedro Girls Soccer From A 'Perfect 10'

Off the field issues almost threw the San Pedro High girls soccer team for a loop, but they managed to overcome them all and win a tenth consecutive Marine League championship. Possible candidate for the team's savior was now-junior midfielder Maddie Villela, as she was the only one to score in the Pirates' two grueling games against Narbonne of Harbor City which ultimately decided the championship, one came in a 1-0 road victory in January, and the other tied the Gauchos 1-1 in the rematch at San Pedro in early February. Now-junior forward Ryann Lozano and now-sophomore goalie Carlene Luna also played pivotal roles during the Pirates' season, which ended in the CIF-LACS Division I quarterfinals.

7. POLA Softball Posts Another 30-Win Season & Brushes With Greatness

It wasn't the kind of ending that co-coaches Melissa & Moe Espinoza wanted on the way to Arizona, but the amazing husband-wife tandem guided the Polar Bears to a 31-win season in 2015, coming up short in an 8-6 slugfest to eventual champion Chatsworth in the CIF-LACS D-I semifinals. Still, the final go-round for Miranda, Ramirez, Rose Garcia, Briana Valencia and three more eventual Class Of 2015 graduates, combined with now-junior pitcher Analise De La Roca, sparked POLA to a perfect Coliseum League championship, and two near first-place tournament finishes in the El Segundo and Las Vegas Spring Jamboree Tournament victories. Now Jesse Espinoza & Gabriel De La Roca takes over the program who have won three CIF-LACS Division III titles in Melissa & Moe's tenure with POLA softball.

8. Postseason Hoops Return To Mary Star

Needing a victory in their final regular season battles... Mary Star boys and girls basketball would both deliver on the final week of the 2014-2015 season. The boys would edge St. Paul on February 11 as they would get that 10th victory they needed to be playoff eligible for at least an at-large bid, then on the next day, the girls would rout St. Pius X/St. Matthias and knock them out of a tie for first place. In fact, both teams would win a playoff game, with the boys reaching the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division V-A playoffs, which shocked a lot of people. The girls were bounced in the second round of the CIF-SS Division V-AA playoffs. However, performances by News Pilot Players Of The Year Justin Rodriguez & Neil Green (boys), along with the usual scoring displays by another News Pilot Player Of The Year Angela Pisano (girls), highlighted the amazing runs of the Stars' hoops teams.

9. Another Year, More Championships For San Pedro Cross-Country

It's not just becoming commonplace for San Pedro High, but it also seems like it's their birthright. Coach Bruce Thomson would once again produce championship success in the Marine League for San Pedro boys and girls cross-country, and both would also make another run at CIF-LACS dual championships, with the girls finishing second behind eventual champion Palisades and advancing to the CIF State meet in Fresno once again, and the boys placing fifth. 2015 Homecoming King Mitchell Marino was the boys league champion, while Cynthia Kelso was the girls league champion. Bronwyn Bunnell also finished with a personal best time in the CIF State meet for the girls team, and rising sophomore Maya Richardson is being molded into the next great cross-country runner in a stable full of past greats.

10. Tournament Champions Galore

Also in 2015 there were some teams that found championship success via regular season tournaments. The POLA girls soccer team won the Division II region of the Los Angeles Valley College Valley Invitational with a dramatic 1-1 tie with nemesis LACES in early January. The San Pedro girls soccer team overcame POLA on December 23 to win their very own Lady Pirate Cup Tournament for the first time in six tries, and on Wednesday, Mary Star girls basketball would win Firebaugh Tournament with a rousing 49-22 victory over Jordan of Los Angeles.

Look for the new year of 2016 to be just as good, and likely better to the Pirates, Stars and Polar Bears.