Football Game Preview: West Elk Patriots vs. Northern Heights Wildcats

West Elk is on a five-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Northern Heights a five-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Thursday. The West Elk Patriots will look to defend their home field against the Northern Heights Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. West Elk will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last.

West Elk got their first taste of in-conference action on Friday and they started things off strong. They walked away with a 36-26 win over Central. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Patriots as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

West Elk's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ryatt Griesel, who rushed for 117 yards and one TD. Jared Tucker was in the mix as well, providing the Patriots with two scores.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: West Elk was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 203 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Northern Heights duked it out with Lyndon on Friday. The Wildcats had to suffer through a 52-6 loss at the hands of the Tigers. The matchup marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Northern Heights' defeat dropped their record down to 2-5. As for West Elk, their record is now 2-6.

Everything came up roses for West Elk against Northern Heights when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 46-0 victory. Do the Patriots have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.