The second annual Watermelon Cup lived up to its billing Saturday night as South Knox and Lincoln renewed their intense rivalry. The Spartans, winners of last year’s inaugural Cup, made it back-to-back titles thanks to a dramatic last-second strike that sealed a 3-2 victory. The match was physical from the opening whistle, with the Alices pushing hard early before South Knox found their rhythm. In the 15th minute, Joseph Ellerman’s curling free kick found the head of Levi Loudermilk, but his effort drifted painfully wide of the post with the keeper beaten. Four minutes later, Jakob Graman was brought down in the box, earning a penalty. Ross Holscher stepped up and coolly buried the spot kick to put the Spartans ahead 1-0. Lincoln equalized with 10 minutes left in the half, sending the teams into the break locked at 1-1, and the intensity rose further after halftime. In the 58th minute, Holscher’s corner was bobbled by the goalkeeper, and Collin Ellerman pounced on the loose ball to restore South Knox’s lead at 2-1. But the Alices again fought back, leveling the score with 14 minutes to play to set up a tense finish. With the match seemingly destined for a draw, South Knox had one last chance with a free kick just inside Lincoln’s half and only 10 seconds on the clock. Joseph Ellerman lofted the ball into a crowded box, where it bounced around before falling to Holscher. He calmly slotted it into the bottom right corner right before the clock hit 0:00, breaking Alice hearts and sending Spartan players and fans into pandemonium as South Knox claimed the Watermelon Cup for the second year running. Goalkeeper Blake Sutton finished with six saves for the Spartans, who improve to 7-3-2 on the season. Coach’s Comments: "That’s the kind of ending players and fans never forget. This was two tough teams going at it, and I'm so proud of our boys for showing resilience to find a way at the very end. South Knox-Lincoln is a special rivalry and it showed tonight - both teams left everything on the field. Winning such a game in the manner we did, in front of our home crowd, is an amazing feeling.” Next Up: South Knox travels to unbeaten White River Valley on Wednesday, September 24, to take on the Wolverines at 5:30pm.