AKRON — Garrett Elder was masterful yet again.

The Whitko football team went on the road to take on rival Tippecanoe Valley and returned home with a 44-20 victory.

The visiting Wildcats jumped out to a 22-0 lead behind rushing scores from three different players before Valley finally found the end zone. The Vikings scored on a pass from Alec Craig to Jarod Duzenbery. But Whitko would score twice more after that to keeps its rival a safe distance away.

The Wildcats were able to control the game behind a stellar performance from Elder. The senior tailback rushed for 360 yards on just 10 rushes. That’s an average of 36 yards per clip. That’s not a typo.  Elder also scored four touchdowns to help lift his team.

Whitko rushed for 455 yards as a team. Hunter Reed added 63 yards and a score to that tally. Robby Owsley also scored and had 35 yards on the ground.

Valley was led statistically by Craig who threw for 178 yards and three scores. Duzenbery had four receptions for 63 yards and three scores.

Cole Cmar and Robby Owsley each had an interception for the ‘Cats. Conner Sherwin recorded 10 tackles to lead the winning team. Valley was led defensively by Austin Vining’s seven tackles. Wes Melanson, Cameron Parker and Camden Tucker all had fumble recoveries for the Vikings.

Valley falls to 0-5 overall and 0-3 in Three Rivers Conference play. The Vikings travel to play Manchester next week. The Squires are also 0-5 and 0-3 and fell 27-7 to Northfield Friday night.

Whitko improves to 5-0 overall and now boasts a 3-0 TRC mark. The Wildcats host Southwood next week. The Knights (3-2, 1-2) defeated Wabash 54-29 Friday evening and will be the first opponent the Wildcats have played with a winning record this season.