The West Elk Patriots closed their regular season with a loss to the Erie Red Devils last Friday, finishing with a 1-7 record under head coach Ian Denton.

The Patriots got out to a 16-0 lead after scoring on their opening possession and recovering an onside kick, but they couldn’t slow down Erie’s offense in the second half after taking a lead into halftime.

Denton says there were several positives in the contest, including the team’s execution of its game plan and its ability to force turnovers.

As the season neared its end, Denton says several underclassmen made great strides after being inserted into the lineup because of injuries, and that experience should carry over into next year.

West Elk concluded its season with a consolation game against Udall, earning the win by forfeit. The Patriots will now look ahead to 2027 and work to improve on their 2-7 final record. We'll have more on the Patriots next week with our season wrap-up story.