THIS DAY IN REGION FOOTBALL HISTORY: 10/19

1907 – Hammond High shuts out Crown Point 21-0.

1912 – Gary High, coached by Jack Gilroy, falls to Hammond High 13-0.

1923 – Gary Froebel travels south to play tiny Morroco High School (now North Newton), where they fail to score any points and lose 7-0.

1934 – Gary Emerson and Horace Mann battle to 0-0 tie at old Gleason Park on the grounds of US Steel, Gary Works.

1962 – The Hammond High Wildcats down East Chicago Washington 26-0. The Wildcats were 10-0 that season and voted mythical state champs.

1973 – Gavit improves to 8-0 with a 21-7 victory over arch rival Morton. The Gladiators would go on to finish the regular season 10-0 and were the first team ever chosen to represent Northwest Indiana in the inaugural state football tournament.

1974 – Under the Saturday night lights, EC Roosevelt hammers Hammond Tech 34-0 on the field behind Hammond High.

1979 – Clark Labitan had a big night rushing and returning kicks for the Mustangs, who got the better of Calumet 23-8, in a game played in the Land That Time Forgot on the Ridge Rd between Gary and Griffith.

1979 – Unbeaten Hobart improves to 8-0 with a 22-6 win over LaPorte at Kiwanis Field.

1990 – Highland beats Munster 14-12 in week one of the sectionals. The Trojans tournament triumph was the second win of the year over their arch rival – the only time that’s ever happenend.

2001 – Under the direction of their fiery football leader Jeff Karras, the Andrean 59ers embarked on a playoff journey that would take them all the way to the Hoosier Dome, where they gave Indy Chatard all it could handle before losing by a score of 3-0.

2001 – Led by quarterback Jason Wren and wide recevier Jeff Samardizija, and with a packed house watching, the Valparaiso Vikings end Portage’s season with a 32-14 victory on the artificial turf at the Warpath on Rt 6. The Vikings would make it all the way to the Hoosier Dome, where they fell to Ben Davis.

2007 – The Merrillville Pirates shutout the Chesterton Trojans 21-0 in a Class 5A sectional one opening round game at Banary Field. The Bucs blasted the Trojans in week nine at Demarree Stadium 38-10, and finished the season 12-2, advancing to their second semi-state game under Zac Wells.

2007 – In the sectional opener, Lowell levels Logansport 54-13, en route to the Hoosier Dome.

2007 – Griffith beats Morton 37-34 in a thriller at the Governors Mansion.

2012 – The Merrillville Pirates make their first appearance at Munster since the 1982 season. Despite being outmanned, the Mustangs hang with the Bucs before falling 28-21 in the Class 5A sectional one opener. After barely escaping from the Town of Integrity, the Pirates make it all the way to Ft. Wayne for the semi-state.

2012 – Andrean whips Wheeler 63-16 in a Class 2A sectional opening round game to get a measure of revenge against the team that knocked them out early in 2011. The Niners went on to win their first regional under Phil Mason and finished the season at 12-2.

2012 – The Griffith Panthers lose to the Highland Trojans 20-18 at the Boneyard in the opening game of the Class 4A sectional. This was the first state tournament game for Griffith that wasn’t coached by Les Thorton or Russ Radtke.