Boys' Varsity Soccer: Spartans Crush Warriors 10-1 in Regular Season Finale
By Boris Vanjicki | Sep 30, 2025 10:00 PM
South Knox came out firing earlier tonight, overwhelming rival North Knox 10-1 on the road in their final Blue Chip Conference and regular season match. The Spartans stamped their authority from the opening whistle. Just 45 seconds in, Tucker Mahan rattled the crossbar, and before the Warriors could recover, Kaiden Grumieaux slipped a ball behind the defense for Levi Loudermilk to bury the game’s first goal. Two minutes later, Ross Holscher pounced on a loose ball in the box, weaving through defenders before firing low to double the lead. South Knox’s relentless attack didn’t stop there. In the 9th minute, Grumieaux again found Loudermilk slicing through the back line for his second. Holscher then notched a near-carbon copy of his earlier strike, dribbling past multiple defenders to make it 4-0. Loudermilk added his third in the 20th minute to complete a hat trick, and nearly bagged another with a thunderous shot off the bar. Instead, he turned provider, setting up Joseph Ellerman to rifle a shot into the top corner that sent the Spartans into halftime up 6-0. The second half opened the same way the first had closed - with Spartan domination. Just 50 seconds after the restart, Grumieaux threaded a perfect ball to senior Jaxon Smith, who calmly netted his first of the season. Grumieaux’s playmaking continued in the 46th minute as he tallied his fourth assist, teeing up Blake Sutton for an 8-0 advantage. The Warriors pulled one back from the penalty spot with 24 minutes left, but South Knox answered swiftly. Freshman Kain Ellerman scored his first career Varsity goal off a Liam Valenzuela assist, and then Valenzuela found the net himself from a Holscher feed to push the score to 10-1. The IHSAA mercy rule called an early end to the rout. Keepers Sutton and Colton Westfall each recorded a save for the Spartans, who close the regular season with a 10-4-2 record (4-3 in Blue Chip). Coach's comments: "We wanted to finish the regular season on the right note, and the boys really came out firing tonight. It was great to see contributions across the board, from players breaking through with their first career goals to others stepping up with multiple scores and key assists. That kind of energy is exactly what we need as we head into Sectionals. If we bring this same focus and intensity, we’ll be a tough team to play against." Next up: South Knox travels to Northeast Dubois on Monday, October 6 for the IHSAA Class 1A Tournament, facing off against Washington Catholic in the first round. The match will kick off at 7:00pm.