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Seismic movement: 11-Player high school football rankings still churn in final weekly Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association poll

Marquette’s Nate Benninger, right, gets a hand up but is unable to keep Clare’s Dawson John from catching this touchdown pass in the third quarter of their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Oct. 1. (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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11-PLAYER

Traverse City Central's Josh Klug, left, makes a tackle on Marquette's Owen Beauchamp with the Redmen's David Eberhard at far left during a game against Marquette at Thirlby Field on Sept. 2. (Traverse City Record-Eagle photo by Andrew Rosenthal)

1. Marquette (3) 7-2 23 2

2. Westwood (2) 8-1 20 T3

3. Kingsford 6-3 12 —

4. Negaunee 7-2 9 T3

5. Calumet 7-2 7 5

Others receiving votes: Menominee (5-4) 4

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8-PLAYER

1. North Central (5) 9-0 25 1

4. Lake Linden-Hubbell 7-2 15 4

3. Pickford 7-2 14 2

4. Munising

7-2 6 5

(tie) Forest Park 7-2 6 3

Others receiving votes: Rudyard (7-2) 5, Newberry (7-2) 4

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MARQUETTE — Things normally settle down by this late in the season in the weekly high school football polls voted on by the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

Like in the 8-Player poll, where undefeated North Central has been a unanimous pick at No. 1 the entire season.

But in 11-Player, the rankings were nearly flipped upside-down this week with Kingsford’s mild upset of Menominee in the final week of the season.

The Flivvers’ 34-27 win at Menominee not only knocked the Maroons from the No. 1 perch, but sent them tumbling out of the top five.

Menominee, which fell to 5-4, did receive four votes, one short of fifth-place Calumet (7-2).

That enabled Marquette (7-2) to take over the No. 1 position, though not without some pushback from No. 2 Westwood (8-1).

On Friday, the Redmen edged fellow MHSAA Division 3 team Petoskey 17-14 on the road while the Patriots dropped Negaunee (7-2) 32-14 at home.

Marquette moved up from No. 2 with three first-place votes and 23 votes in all, while former No. 3 Westwood earned the other two first-place votes and had 20 votes to take over second.

Kingsford (6-3) went from receiving no votes to moving into third after its win.

What the Flivvers win also did was create a tri-championship in the five-team Great Northern Conference between Marquette, Menominee and Kingsford, all with 3-1 league marks.

Negaunee, meanwhile slipped back from a tie for third into fourth alone.

Westwood’s victory allowed it to claim a share of the Copper Division title in the West PAC with Calumet as both sport 5-1 divisional marks.

In 8-Player, Munising (7-2) bumped up a half spot from fifth to a tie for fourth after outgunning Brimley 52-30 and taking the outright championship in the East Division of the Great Lakes Conference at 6-1.

Newberry (7-2) continued to receive votes after it snuck past Rogers City 44-36.

In the state Associated Press rankings, which like the UPSSA’s are released each Tuesday, Westwood is the highest-ranked area team in eighth place in Division 7 with 13 points.

Negaunee slipped into a tie for 10th with Grayling, each with six points.

In 8-Player, Munising received two votes and Newberry one as each are outside the top 10, which required seven votes to make.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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