Gavit High School - Futura Yearbook (Hammond, IN)

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feature flawless first-place football Fearsome freshmen Around right end sprints halfback Tim Cunningham to earn a first down against city rival Morton. The fearsome freshman football team, featuring a flashy offense and a formi- dable defense, finished with a first- place 8-1 record. The success of Cavit ' s frosh was due to their strength at every position, having virtually no weak spots in their squads. The 78 ' ers outscored their oppo- nents 160-18, the result of a potent offensive attack which balanced penetra- tive passing and running. The defense was also superb, shutting out seven of Gavit ' s nine opponents. However, the most outstanding quality exhibited by the freshmen was their hardworking dedication to their team. Willing to do all they could to be the best, Gavit ' s freshmen started double two-hour practices on August 12, nearly three weeks before most other ninth-grade teams met together, and they continued to practice for four hours six days a week during the hot, trying summer. Coaches Bud Ballou and Randy Kuechenberg never had any discipline problems, either, because the players would start practice on their own and would keep the group together by solving problems that arose by themselves. Their two man- agers, Marty Wielgos and Paul Hall, were great assets to the efficiency of the team. FROSH FOOTBALL - (FIRST ROW, FROM LEFT) R. Clark, J. Chenault, D. Danko, D. Baker, P. Gorney, D. Hollis, J. Hendrix, B Fatheree S. Powicki B. Wilkie, B. Kolbertson; (SECOND ROW) R. Whelan, T. Cunningham, R. Blastic, C. Klefeker, A. Lamb, B Wheeler, T. Turnbull, H. Perez, D. Kazmer, L. Dankenbreng, (THIRD ROW) Coach Ballou, F. Gavrilos, S. Felling, J. Con, Hj p reels, D. Pennington, C. Wright, S. Opasik, B. Sandoval, D. Reese, R. Russell, L. Jones, Coach Kuechenberg. Sports 21

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Reserve team is reservoir for talent Putting varsity strategies into practice, the reserve football team ' s underclassmen earned a respectable season record of seven wins and three losses. The reserve team consisted of two complete units of juniors and sophomores, each contain- ing offensive and defensive squads. Gavit was able to retain more sophomores than any other school because of the high-caliber assis- tance of Mr. Russell Radtke, a graduate P.E. student from Purdue. Mr. Radtke took charge of the tenth-graders, who gained experience and guidance on the field. The reserve offense, patterned after the var- sity ' s plays, ran the triple-option well and pass- ed occasionally to compile 150 points in ten games. Using the 52 Monster defense, Gavit held their opponents to 83 points for the sea- son. Head reserve coach Paul Brush was pleased with the performance of the 29 players who suited up each Saturday to play. Next year ' s ranks of reserve players moving up to varsity promise to make 75-76 an exciting season. John Almada, Tim Kolbert, and Rex Thompson get down on an aggressive Morton Governor. Proving he ' s a tough one to handle, Ralph Canale carries two Morton Gov ' s for a few extra yards. Frustrated by our opponents, Tom Moore loses control, while his offensive teammates move to recover the ball. Stretching for a touchdown, B-Team Quarterback Tim Puchley scores the winning points. Gavit won 8-6. 20 Sports

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GAA girls ' teams liberate themselves in the air, on the ground Girls Athletic Association added two extra-mural sports (swimming and tennis) and three intramural activities (handball, softball, and tennis) to its roster of sporting opportunities. Girls also participated in field hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, badminton, table tennis, and bowling. Flag football resembled tackle football in an unusually rough Powder Puff football game on October 1. The sophomores beat the freshmen on the gridiron 14-0, and the seniors ground to a 6-6 tie with the juniors. GAA ' s third annual Powder Puff basketball game brought in needed revenue by drawing nearly 150 spectators on January 3. Seniority superiority prevailed as the sophomores outscored the freshmen 14-8, and the seniors outplayed the Gavit 76 ' ers 13-8. Two com- bined — class teams of 17 players each concluded the evening with 16 minutes of exciting, fast-breaking play, as the white shirts edged by the blue shirts 18-16. GAA sponsored a rugby match between two semi- professional teams (Gary and Amoco) at Gavit ' s Witham Stadium on Saturday, November 9. Proceeds were used to help buy new uniforms and equipment. In December and January, about 50 girls competed in the badminton and table tennis tournaments. Doubles and singles winners in each contest received ribbons at the GAA banquet in the spring. 22 Sports