Class A #16-ranked South Knox hit the road Wednesday night and delivered a statement, blanking undefeated and #7-ranked White River Valley 3-0 in non-conference play. The Spartans drew blood In the 11th minute after Kaiden Grumieaux slipped a pass out wide to Tucker Mahan, who unleashed a curling strike from the wing that soared over the keeper and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later, Mahan was brought down inside the box to earn a penalty. Senior Ross Holscher stepped up and buried his spot kick into the top right corner, doubling the advantage. South Knox carried the 2-0 cushion into halftime, and early in the second half the Wolverines earned a penalty of their own as they tried to claw their way back into the match. But keeper Blake Sutton was up to the task, pouncing to his right to deny the spot kick and preserve the clean sheet, leaving WRV toothless. In the 59th minute, South Knox sunk their teeth in as Levi Loudermilk threaded a ball to Holscher, who sliced through the defense and ripped a rocket into the top left corner to seal the victory. Sutton finished with six saves to record the shutout, as the Spartans improved to 8-3-2 on the season — winning 8 of their last 9 matches in the process. Coach’s comments: “We came in knowing this would be a good test for us against a tough opponent. The boys executed our game plan really well. Tucker’s early goal gave us confidence, and Ross finishing both chances the way he did was huge. Blake’s penalty save was the turning point — that kept all the momentum on our side. I’m proud of how we defended as a unit tonight against a top-10, undefeated team averaging six goals a game. Handing them their first loss and shutting them out says a lot about the progress this group has made.” Next Up: South Knox travels to Wood Memorial on Friday, September 26, for a Blue Chip Conference showdown with the Trojans, kicking off at 6:00pm.