That’s because the rules sanctioning body only allows entry into four events at any one meet.

“I proved myself last year, so it’s a little more of a fun meet this year,” Peramaki said. “But it’s still important for me just to do good.”

And he was excellent again.

He led the Mustangs to the U.P. Finals team title in Division 3 with individual wins in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, while also running a leg on his school’s victorious 1,600 relay team. The rest of the unit included Kane Nebel, Zack Lindquist and his twin brother, Josiah Peramaki.

Munising’s Kane Nebel, right, hands off to teammate Joe Kelley in the 1,600-meter relay that was won by the Mustangs and included Micaiah Peramaki and Josiah Peramaki at the MHSAA Upper Peninsula Finals in Division 3 boys track and field on Saturday at Kingsford. Pekrul edged out Lingle for this title. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Munising won five events to finish with 103.5 points as Newberry was second with 81, followed by Bessemer with 52 and Rapid River 44. Superior Central finished 17th with 4 points while Baraga didn’t score.

Micaiah Peramaki won the 100 by one-tenth of a second in 11.29 seconds over Bessemer’s Tommy Trudgeon as Josiah Peramaki was third in 11.58. Micaiah Peramaki also won the 200 in 23.19 for a 0.57 of a second margin over Trudgeon, then took the 400 in 52.96 for a 0.22 of a second win over Thomas Caron of Watersmeet as Newberry’s Aa’Keem Jackson was third in 53.60.

“The 100, I was right next to my brother, Josiah; he ended up getting third,” Peramaki said. “That was really fun actually. We both did really good in that.

“The 400, I had Aa’Keem from Newberry to watch out for. He pushed it hard in the corner over here, I was prepared for it and I just ran hard from there.”

Josiah Peramaki also repeated with a win in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet-even to win by a foot and a half.

Newberry won a trio of events as Matthew Rahilly had a hand in two of them. He won the long jump with a leap of 19 feet, 10 1/4 inches for a 3 1/2-inch victory over Ian Sundling of Rapid River as Josiah Peramaki was another quarter-inch behind in third at 19-6 1/2.

Rahilly also ran with the Indians’ victorious 800 relay team in 1:35.57 that included Jackson, Marco Juarez and Kennedy Depew, who won by not quite a half-second over Lake Linden-Hubbell.

And Newberry got a win from Chris Hopson in the 300 hurdles in 45.21, just over a half-second win in front of Munising’s Nebel.

The Mustangs also had a runner-up showing in the 3,200 relay with Nebel, Dan Goss, Nolan Connaughton and Trevor Nolan.

Rahilly had a second-place finish in the high jump, actually losing on a tiebreaker to North Central’s Dylan Plunger after both cleared 5-10. Newberry teammate Liam Nalette was runner-up in the discus with 128-5, less than six feet out of first.

And the Indians’ 400 relay was also second in 46.34, just a tenth of a second behind Bessemer, with Juarez, Rahilly, Depew and Jacob Mohar.

Superior Central got its points from Lucas Swetich after he finished fourth in the 110 hurdles in 18.26.

Bessemer won the 400 relay and Dollar Bay the 3,200 relay, while the Blue Bolts’ Amos Norland, who was on the 3,200 relay winners, also took the 800.

Rapid River’s Kody Goldi won the shot put, Forest Park’s Samuel McKissack the 110 hurdles, Forest Park’s Gaven Rintala the 1,600 and Chassell’s Kalvin Kytta the 3,200.

Kytta wasn’t even sure he won the 3,200 at first.

“I got passed by the leader. I tried to stick on him through the rest of the race,” Kytta said of his 10:32.70 clocking. “He got a little gap on me the last 100 meters. I just felt that juice. I think I passed him.”

Paradise, which has just 22 students in its four grades at the high school, went home with a champion for the first time in school history — Seth Mills in the discus with a throw of 134-2.

Jason Juno is the sports editor of the Daily Globe of Ironwood. He wrote this account of the U.P. finals for the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s website at www.mhsaa.com.