Another season is upon us, as the autumn air signals the return of those Friday night lights.
SAN PEDRO HIGH SCHOOL
In 2023, San Pedro High were determined road warriors, only playing three games in their friendly confines of Mike Walsh Pirate Stadium, with the lone home victory coming against Harbor Area neighbor Banning of Wilmington.
Overall, the Pirates managed a 5-5 record before bowing out in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Open Division quarterfinals at Garfield. In what was an unpredictable Marine League in 2023, San Pedro split their four league encounters.
Continuing San Pedro’s over-a-century-long history, the Pirates will have six home games in 2024, but third-year coach Corey Walsh will field a slightly younger team that graduated the most players of any team in the Marine League, which appears to be even more brutal than ever.
Narbonne, Banning, and Carson have reloaded with a slew of youthful talent and impact transfers, while Gardena aims to repeat as league champions after claiming their first league crown in 50 years.
Still, it wouldn’t be wise to underestimate the Pirates.
The quarterback position for at least the first five games of the season will be about returning All-Marine League senior Marcus Jeronymo, who normally split time and snaps with the recently graduated Santiago Rivera the past two seasons. Impact transfer sophomore quarterback Seth Solorio from St. John Bosco will join the team after the five-game transfer sit-out period.
The offense has some excellent returners around him in senior running back Pete Eneliko, junior wide receiver Elias Redlew, senior WR/DB Anthony Estrada, and a solid offensive line paced by 6’6’’, 325-pound senior Frankie Rivera, heralded as one of the top returning linemen in the entire City Section. Sophomore David Medina and junior Quincy Couch will also be counted upon to stabilize the offense on the front line.
Eneliko will also have a new backfield partner, senior running back Isaiah Kamalyan.
Defensively, San Pedro will be as opportunistic as possible, with the top returners including Estrada, senior defensive lineman Lorenzo Saluzzi, junior defensive back Isaiyah Banks, and senior defensive back Abe Radisic.
San Pedro’s 2024 schedule is filled with some competitive battles, including a rematch with Garfield on September 13 at San Pedro. Also on tap, the Pirates have home games with Lawndale, Eagle Rock, and Dymally of Los Angeles. San Pedro also has a San Fernando Valley road trip to Kennedy of Granada Hills on August 29.
The highlight of the Pirates’ schedule will be on Friday, October 18, when the Battle of the Harbor showdown with Banning (2023 CIF-LACS Division 1 champion) will be played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where San Pedro will be more than battle-tested after opening Marine League play with Carson (October 4 at Carson) and Narbonne (October 11 at San Pedro) in the first two weeks.
San Pedro starts the season on August 23 at Torrance, who last year won the CIF-Southern Section Division 10 title.
MARY STAR HIGH SCHOOL
SENIOR STARS: (front row l to r): Matthew Fuentes, Joseph Buscemi, Immanuel Quartey, Ryland Cabral, and Andrew Washington; (back row l to r): Johnny Moreno, Jordan Barber, Nico Spinello, Daniel Avila, Max Marinkovich, Dylan Neri, Theo Mason, Marcus Baccari. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
This season, excitement is in the air for Mary Star of the Sea High football fans.
With a revitalized coaching staff paced by first-year coach and 2014 alumni Tyler Sestich, high hopes abound for the Stars, who finished 3-7 overall, 3-3 in the Camino Real League.
With a vibrant bunch of young men full of promise, it might be that Star-studded kind of season the Mary Star faithful yearn for after narrowly missing the CIF-Southern Section playoffs last season.
“I think we have enough talent to beat anyone on our schedule, and our goal is to win the Camino Real League and make a run in the playoffs,” Sestich says. “We want the alumni, fans, and city of San Pedro to feel proud of our team and get excited about the future of Mary Star football.”
The future seems bright with returning junior left-handed quarterback Tanner Rollins, who has a sharp arm and an even sharper eye when going for his targeted receivers, and he’s going to love slinging the ball around to senior wide receiver Andrew Washington, an impact transfer from Lawndale. Rollins’ other go-to receiver this year will be returning senior Jeremy Coughlin.
Another senior primed for a breakout season will be RB/LB Jordan Barber, one of the better two-way players not only in San Pedro but in the entire South Bay. Joining Barber in the backfield is fellow senior RB Joey Buscemi, and they’ll both look to churn out yardage provided for them by an offensive line with a great mixture of youth and experience.
Pacing the offensive front for Mary Star will include senior Max Marinkovich, junior Sal Acetta, and sophomore center Ethan Mejia.
Defensively, the Stars will not only feature Barber, but also looking to provide some big hits and force turnovers are senior defensive ends Theo Mason and Marcus Baccari, junior linebacker Daniel Lomeli, and senior cornerback Ryland Cabral.
Also, keep an eye out for newcomers, such as junior linebacker Aden Sierra, sophomore wide receiver Dallas Christopher, and junior offensive lineman Nelson Melendez.
Sestich’s expectations for Mary Star this season are straightforward. “I expect our kids to play a physical, smart, and exciting brand of football and bring back the passion and tradition of Mary Star football,” Sestich says.
No longer having to deal with CIF-Southern Section powers like St. Paul, Cantwell Sacred Heart of Montebello, or St. Anthony in the Camino Real League this season gives the Stars a chance to excel in a competitive league with home games against Verbum Dei Jesuit of Los Angeles, Don Bosco Tech of Rosemead, and St. Bernard of Playa Del Rey.
On the road in league play, the Stars will travel to St. Genevieve, St. Monica of Santa Monica, and Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.
Mary Star’s four nonleague encounters this season will be the opener on August 30 at Eastside of Palmdale, at South Gate, and home games against Maya Angelou of Los Angeles and McFarland in the November 1 finale. spt
