After each having a week off, the Merrillville Pirates and the Hammond Morton Governors will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Merrillville is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Chesterton: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Pirates blew the Trojans out of the water with a 42-7 final score. The win was familiar territory for the Pirates, who have now won six matchups in a row.

Cameron Jordan
| 10/17/25 vs Chesterton | 161 |
| 10/10/25 @ Lake Central | 36 |
| 10/03/25 @ Valparaiso | 23 |
| 09/26/25 vs La Porte | 132 |
| 09/19/25 @ Michigan City | 24 |
| + 9 more games |
Cameron Jordan had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 161 yards and three scores on only nine carries, while also picking up 50 receiving yards. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in October of 2024. Michael Hill Jr was another key player, having thrown for 257 yards and onetouchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Merrillville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 243 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Merrillville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Warren Brown Lll and Keith Edwards. Edwards is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least eight every time he's taken the field this season. Stanley Freeman was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making four total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Hammond Morton took their contest last Friday with ease, bagging a 58-6 victory over East Chicago Central. The Governors haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Merrillville's record now sits at 7-2. As for Hammond Morton, their record is now 6-3.
Everything came up roses for Merrillville against Hammond Morton in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, as the squad secured a 55-14 victory. In that matchup, the Pirates amassed a halftime lead of 48-14, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps