From left, Westwood quarterback Taylor Dellangelo hands the ball off to running back Chad Pohlman as Travis Uren looks to make a block in the fourth quarter of their high school football game played against Houghton at the Patriots’ field on Aug. 29. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

UPSSA High School Football Polls

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This week’s U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association poll (with first-place votes, if any, record, total votes and last week’s poll position):

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Large Schools

1. Escanaba (6) 5-1 34 3

2. Calumet (1) 5-1 26 1

3. Menominee 4-2 23 2

4. Negaunee 4-2 13 5

5. Westwood 4-2 6 —

Others: Marquette (2-4) 3

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Small Schools

1. Iron Mountain (7) 6-0 35 1

2. West Iron County 5-1 28 2

3. Ishpeming 4-2 18 4

4. L’Anse 4-2 16 3

5. Lake Linden-Hubbell 3-3 8 5

Others: None

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Eight Player

1. North Central (7) 6-0 35 1

2. Pickford 5-1 28 2

3. Forest Park 4-2 19 3

4. Engadine 5-1 15 4

5. Cedarville 3-3 5 5

Others: Rapid River (3-3) 3

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MARQUETTE — It sounds a bit like a square dance: “Swing your partner round and round …”

Or maybe musical chairs.

Either way, the five area teams that have been receiving votes changed positions with each other this week in the high school football poll conducted by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association and released today.

Negaunee, Westwood and Ishpeming were beneficiaries as each moved up a spot in the rankings, while Marquette and L’Anse took a fall.

In the Large Schools ratings, the Miners (4-2) moved up a spot to fourth and the Patriots (4-2) also up into the top five in fifth this week after each won on the road Friday.

Negaunee downed L’Anse 36-14 while Westwood took out Hancock 36-23. The Patriots were in the “others receiving votes” category a week ago.

Making room for them was Marquette (2-4), which lost at home to Alpena 28-25. The Redmen fell into the “others” list.

There was also movement among the top three in the Large Schools, with Escanaba (5-1) taking over the top spot after the previous top teams, No. 1 Calumet (5-1) and No. 2 Menominee (4-2), each lost.

Esky defeated the Maroons 26-20 on Thursday, while the Copper Kings took it on the chin 15-14 at home Friday to Iron Mountain (6-0).

In the Small Schools poll, now No. 3 Ishpeming (4-2) switched positions with No. 4 L’Anse (4-2) after the Hematites defeated Gwinn 36-30 in overtime and the Purple Hornets took their loss to Negaunee.

There was minimal movement among other teams, with the biggest change being Brimley no longer receiving votes in Eight-Player voting.

No area schools received votes in the Associated Press state polls also released today.

Among U.P. teams in the AP poll, Escanaba is seventh in Division 4; Kingsford (3-3) tied for ninth in Division 5; Calumet 11th and Menominee 12th in Division 6; Iron Mountain tied for sixth in Division 7; West Iron County tied for 11th in Division 8; and North Central second, Pickford fourth and Forest Park seventh in 8-Player.

Friday’s games featuring area teams include L’Anse at Westwood, Menominee at Marquette, Gogebic at Negaunee, West Iron County at Ishpeming, Norway at Gwinn, Lake Linden-Hubbell at Munising and Manistique at Bark River-Harris.

On Saturday it’s a pair of eight-player games with Brimley at Superior Central and Newberry at North Central.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.