The Sentinels fell to 1-2 with their 28-27 overtime loss at 3-0 Gaylord on Saturday, sending Marquette out of the top five in this early stage of the season.

Instead, a quartet of 3-0 teams and two more at 2-1 make up the top five — actually six because of ties.

The group includes 2-1 Negaunee, which slipped into a three-way tie for fourth place after losing 33-18 to now No. 3 Calumet (3-0) on Friday.

The two top vote-getters are also 3-0, surprise, surprise.

Marquette quarterback Ford Richardson, top center, takes a shotgun snap from center Bjorn Anderson, lower left center, during a high school football game played against Alpena at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Escanaba got four of the five first-place votes and is No. 1 with 24 polling points. The Eskymos stayed undefeated with a 27-10 win at Petoskey on Friday.

Menominee earned the other first-place vote and has 21 polling points after a 50-8 blasting of Westwood, also Friday.

While the Copper Kings are comfortably ensconced in third with 15 points, Negaunee joins Kingsford (2-1) and Bark River-Harris (3-0), all tied for fourth with 5 polling points.

No other teams received any votes.

Kingsford eased past Gladstone 25-13, while BR-H bounced West Iron County 42-14, both games also Friday.

In eight-player, Newberry is the only area team receiving votes.

The Indians (2-1) slipped from third into a tie for fifth place after suffering their first loss, a big 53-6 setback on Friday to unanimous No. 1 Pickford (3-0).

Despite the lopsided score, that’s the closest game Pickford has played this season, as the defending eight-player Division 1 state runner-up has outscored its three opponents by a combined 168-14.

As mentioned, the Panthers got all five first-place votes and 25 voting points, with Norway (3-0) second with 19 points, North Dickinson (3-0) third with 13 points and Bessemer-Gogebic (3-0) fourth with 11 points.

Norway dropped St. Ignace 40-6, ND blitzed Forest Park 58-7 and Bessemer-Gogebic slipped by Ishpeming 38-16, all on Friday.

Newberry is in its tie for fifth with Lake Linden-Hubbell (2-1) with 3 points apiece. And St. Ignace (2-1) was the only team in either poll with votes but not a top-five reservation as the Saints had 1 point.

LL-H knocked off Rapid River 62-14 on Saturday.

Associated Press state polls weren’t available at the time of this writing.

In games involving area teams this week, at 7 p.m. Friday will be Negaunee hosting Kingsford, Westwood entertaining Houghton and Marquette making a long road trip to play at Saginaw United, the relatively new school that combined the former Saginaw and Saginaw Arthur Hill.

At 1 p.m. Saturday will be Munising at Ishpeming.

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.