ELK RAPIDS - The Elk Rapids Elks made senior night memorable, as they topped the Kalkaska Blazers 1-0 to clinch the Lake Michigan Conference championship for the 2023 season.
Jayden Hresko scored the lone goal for the Elks, and Koa West made it stand up, as he delivered a clean sheet to earn the victory in net.
The conference title is particularly sweet for a young Elks squad that had to replace a number of talented seniors that left after the 2022 campaign.
“That’s what drives you to be better. You know, we’re a young group, and like I said, we’ve had to fight for some victories this year,” Elk Rapids head coach Nate Plum said after the match. “It’s a credit to our guys, because they’ve scratched and clawed, and they’ve found their way here, and they’re undefeated in this conference right now.”
“I really think we play together well, move the ball quick in the midfield, use the width,” said Elks Senior Cooper Moore. “It feels good to be able to say it again, that we’re the conference champs.”
Elk Rapids (16-2-2, 7-0-2 in the Lake Michigan Conference) close out the regular season on the road at Charlevoix on Thursday. Kalkaska (10-5-3, 4-3-2 LMC) hosts Grayling on Thursday.