SOUTH WHITLEY – The wait for well worth it for the Whitko football team.

The Wildcats posted their first win of the season Saturday by blanking Southwood 7-0 in the Three Rivers Conference opener.

The game was suspended due to weather Friday night in the third quarter with the hosts up 7-0.

The Whitko defense rose to the challenge by pitching a shutout versus the previously undefeated Knights. Whitko allowed just eight first downs and a total of 210 yards of offense in the win.

Zach Snep led the way for the winners defensively. Snep had a team-high seven tackles  to go with two sacks and three tackles for loss.

Cole Kessie had six tackles and Zach Baughn five stops for the Wildcats.

The lone score of the contest came in the first quarter. Whitko quarterback Garrett Elder raced 45 yards for a touchdown. Elder went 4-8 passing for 36 yards and had 18 carries for 40 yards in the win.

Tanner Hughes had 25 carries for 133 yards to lead the Whitko offense. Trace Killian had four rushes for 35 yards and Tanner Gaff had two receptions for 19 yards.

Southwood quarterback Nathan Hollars was just 7-24 passing for 97 yards. He also gained 94 yards rushing on 24 carries.

Whitko, which defeated Southwood 41-35 last year en route to earning a share of the TRC title, improves to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the league. Southwood drops to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in TRC play.

Whitko plays at Manchester and Southwood hosts Tippecanoe Valley in conference games next Friday night.