The weekly U.P. polls as voted on by select members of the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association show Negaunee as the only 2-2 team to receive votes in the 11-player rankings, while Newberry is the lone team with a loss cracking the eight-player top five.

The Miners missed the top five by two votes and are the lone “others receiving votes” team in 11-player. Negaunee fell to 2-2 after its second straight loss to a top-five team, on Friday a 35-21 home setback to Kingsford (3-1).

The previous week, the Miners lost at home to Calumet 33-18 after having recorded wins over Marquette and Gladstone.

Kingsford is No. 3 this week and Calumet No. 4 as they trail Escanaba and Menominee in their neck-and-neck race for the No. 1 position.

After getting a handoff from Negaunee quarterback Kyle Waterman, top center in background, the Miners’ Mason Swenor looks for daylight and also to get tackled by Kingsford's Jack Olson, center, during their West PAC football game played at Miner Stadium in Negaunee on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

The Eskymos continue to hold down the top spot with four of the six first-place votes and 28 polling points. The Maroons received the other two first-place tallies and 26 points.

Kingsford is a distant third with 16 points, Calumet right behind with 14 while No. 5 Bark River-Harris (4-0) is fifth with 4 points, double Negaunee’s total.

In eight-player, the first four teams are all 4-0 while Newberry is fifth at 3-1. On Saturday, the Indians took out St. Ignace 42-28, with the Saints still making the “others” list at 2-2.

Newberry also has wins over Forest Park and Ontonagon while losing 53-6 to U.P. No. 1 Pickford, which is the Panthers’ closest game this season. In fact, Pickford has outscored its four opponents 234-14.

Needless to say, Pickford is the unanimous No. 1 team in the U.P., getting all six first-place votes and a perfect voting point total of 30. Norway (4-0) is second with 23 polling points, Bessemer-Gogebic (4-0) third with 16 and North Dickinson (4-0) fourth with 13.

Newberry has four points, just a vote ahead of Lake Linden-Hubbell (3-1) with three, while St. Ignace earned one point.

In Associated Press polls, which apparently are not coming out until Wednesdays this season, Negaunee was tied for 11th last week in Division 5 with 6 points, just six behind 10th-place Berrien Springs (3-0).

L’Anse (4-0), which hasn’t appeared in the U.P. rankings this season, is tied for 12th in 11-player Division 8 with five points, just two points behind No. 10 Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (2-1).

A number of other U.P. schools also appear in the AP rankings.

In 11-player, Escanaba is tied for 10th in Division 4, Calumet is seventh in Division 6, Menominee is sixth in Division 7, and BR-H is eighth and Iron Mountain 11th in Division 8.

In eight-player, Pickford is a unanimous No. 1 choice in Division 1 with Norway fourth and Bessemer-Gogebic tied for 13th, while in Division 2, North Dickinson is third and LL-H 13th.

Eight games involving area teams are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday — Sault Ste. Marie at Marquette, Gladstone at Westwood, Iron Mountain at L’Anse, Negaunee at Hancock, Ishpeming at Rudyard, Munising at St. Ignace, Manistique at Bark River-Harris and Newberry at Engadine.

At noon Saturday, Superior Central hosts Brimley.

Story contents based on email received from the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.