The West Elk Patriot football team concluded regular reason play falling to the Red Devils of Erie, 24-62.
West Elk came out ready to compete against Erie last Friday, Oct. 23, putting together one of its strongest first-half performances of the season before mistakes and penalties in the fourth quarter allowed the game to get out of hand.
Carson Tindle opened the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run, followed by Ryatt Griesel, who broke free for a 38-yard run. Both plays were capped off with successful two-point conversions, with Tindle and Gage Cook providing the conversion runs.
The Patriots led 16-0 before Erie tallied three touchdowns of their own and the Patriots trailed 16-18, before Jaxson Bogdahn connected with Cook for a 50-yard pass play, followed by another successful two-point conversion run by Bogdahn. This would be the final time the Patriots found the endzone and Erie would add five additional touchdowns before the game concluded.
“We came out ready to go and played as well as we have all season in the first half,” the coach said. “We created a couple turnovers; we had a 14-play drive and a couple other explosive plays. The game got out of hand on us in the fourth quarter, too many mistakes and penalties,” stated Head Coach Ian Denton.
With the state playoff tournament no longer a possibility, the team now turns its attention to Week 9 and the opportunity to finish the season on a positive note. “It’s disappointing not making it into the state playoff tournament, as that was a team goal we had,” Denton said. “We are going to approach this week just like any other and prepare for our opponent and go play to the best of our ability.” The final game of the season also provides an opportunity to recognize the seniors who have contributed to the program throughout their high school careers.
“Ending the season with a win would be a nice send-off for our seniors and allow us to end with a positive result,” said Denton.
The Patriots will conclude their 2026 season this Thursday, in Udall. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m.
