THIS DAY IN REGION FOOTBALL HISTORY: 9/19

1958 – Bernie Krueger and the Wildcats of Hammond High move to 3-0 after a 20-7 win against Pete Rucinski’s East Chicago Roosevelt team. Krueger and crew would not be defeated in ‘58, posting a 8-0-1 record.

1975 – Tom Stokes brings his Valparaiso Vikings with their single wing offense to the Midtown section of Gary for a week four showdown with the Roosevelt Panthers. On their way to a perfect season and state championship, the Vikings run all over Leonard Douglas Stadium and come away with a 55-0 triumph.

1975 – The Andrean 59ers hand Hobart their first loss of the season, 14-7 in overtime at Father Eckert Field on the Holy Lands behind Andrean High School.

1975 – Maury Zlotnik and his Morton Governors ride the bus to Woodmar for a showdown with city rival Gavit. The Governors came away with a 26-7 victory. The boys from Hessville High won their first seven games in ’75, only to lose their last three.

1980 – For the first time ever, two future hall of famers – Leroy Marsh and Les Thornton square off, with Munster getting the better of Griffith 32-7 at Barney Hill Field on Columbia Avenue.

1980 – George Hall’s Hammond High Wildcats improved to 5-0 with a 21-0 shutout over the Roughriders of East Chicago’s Theodore Roosevelt High School.

1986 – Mark Hoffman’s Valparaiso Vikings head north on Campbell Street to Chesterton, where they have their way with the Trojans 42-7. Hoffy’s Green Machine made it all the way to semi-state in ’86.

1986 – Leroy Marsh and the Munster Mustangs have no problem with the Lowell Red Devils, downing Lake County’s southernmost school 39-7. Like Hoffman and the Vikings, Marsh and the Mustangs make it all the way to semistate.
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2003 – Munsters Leroy Marsh finally gets his second win against Hobart, who is now a conference opponent. Wally McCormack is the new Brickies coach. The final score is Munster 24 Hobart 8.

2008 – Russ Radtke and his Griffith Panthers halt an unheard of three game losing streak with a 41-14 win down on the Farm against the Kougars of Kankakee Valley.

2008 – On a dark and stormy night along the Erie-Lackawanna Trail, Kirk Kennedy and the Lowell Red Devils have their way with the Highland Trojans. Thanks to a big night on the ground from Brandon Grubbe, along with contributions from several others, Lowell cruised back to the Kennedy compound with an easy 55-7 Red Devil win. This was the sixth straight time Kennedy and company had conquered the Trojans – a winning streak that is still intact as of 2022.