By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team lost its third consecutive game to end the regular season in Westbrook Wednesday, Oct. 20.Playing Westbrook-Walnut Grove in a game that would determine which team would draw the fifth seed for the Section 2 Nine-Man Playoffs, the Patriots fell behind early and couldn’t recover during what ended as a 26-12 setback.The loss capped H-BC-E’s 3-5 regular season, and it left the Patriots with the sixth seed for the section tournament.H-BC-E opened the playoffs in Brewster Tuesday, where it took on No. 3 Southwest United in a quarterfinal-round game. Look for a game story on the contest elsewhere in the sports section.A combination of mistakes and turnovers set the stage for H-BC-E’s 14-point loss in Westbrook Oct. 20.Two fumbles stalled H-BC-E drives deep inside W-WG territory during the contest. Another drive was derailed when a penalty led to a failed fourth-down conversion."It was the little things that hurt us," said H-BC-E coach Dan Ellingson. "We had some changes to take the lead, then we hurt ourselves with mistakes."W-WG returned the game’s opening kickoff to the H-BC-E 29-yard line. The Chargers took advantage of their great field position to gain a 7-0 cushion when Dominic Madson scored on a seven-yard run and Victor Vondracek added the extra point two minutes into the game.The Patriots pushed the ball deep into W-WG territory before their first offensive possession came to an end with a fumble on the five-yard line.The Chargers converted the turnover into a 13-0 lead with a 95-yard drive that was capped by a one-yard plunge by Madson one minute into the second quarter. W-WG’s pass for a two-point conversion failed.H-BC-E trimmed W-WG’s lead to seven points (13-6) with its second offensive possession.An extended drive ended with senior tailback Zach Wysong, who carried the ball 23 times for 132 yards in the game, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown jaunt. H-BC-E’s extra-point attempt sailed wide-left of the uprights.The score remained 13-6 until the third quarter, when the Patriots closed the gap to one point.H-BC-E received the kick to start the second half and moved the ball to the W-WG 11, where Wysong completed the drive with an 11-yard scamper.The ensuing extra-point attempt sailed wide-left, keeping the Chargers in front by a 13-12 margin.H-BC-E received an opportunity to gain its first lead of the game when W-WG fumbled the kick following Wysong’s second touchdown and Patriot Jon Klaassen recovered the loose ball on the Charger 35.The H-BC-E offense moved the ball inside the W-WG 10 before a fourth-and-five pass attempt fell incomplete in the end zone.W-WG put the game away by scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.Jake Wahl scored on a five-yard run early in the final stanza, and Vondracek added the extra point to make it a 20-12 game.Wahl scored the final points of the game with a 45-yard run with three minutes remaining.Ellingson said H-BC-E’s chances of a fourth-quarter comeback were lessened when Wysong went down with an injury. Wysong, who returned to the field Oct. 15 after missing four games with broken bones in his foot, re-injured his foot late in the third quarter and missed the final stanza. Ellingson isn’t sure if the senior running back will return to the field this season.Team statisticsH-BC-E: 228 rushing yards, 94 passing yards, 322 total yards, 16 first downs, four penalties for 30 yards, two turnovers.W-WG 220 rushing yards, 14 passing yards, 234 total yards, 12 first downs, seven penalties for 40 yards, one turnover.Individual statisticsRushing: Wysong 23-132, Tom LeBoutillier 12-65, Kerry Fink 4-15, Travis Broesder 3-16.Passing: Cody Schilling 12-19 for 94 yards.Receiving: Broesder 4-39, Greg Van Batavia 4-25, Chris Nuffer 3-23, LeBoutillier 1-7.Defense: Schilling 12 tackles, LeBoutillier eight tackles, Brian Gacke 10 tackles, Klaassen one fumble recovery.