From left for North Dickinson in the white jerseys, the Nordics’ Nathan Conery eyes a block for ball carrier Jason Graham as ND quarterback Brady Jungwirth follows the play after making a handoff during the Upper Peninsula team’s 44-28 win over Onekama at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Saturday. The lone Upper Peninsula representative remaining in the eight-player football playoff field, North Dickinson faces Portland St. Patrick for the Division 2 championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Superior Dome in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Dawn Larson via The Daily News, Iron Mountain)

MARQUETTE — The governing body of Michigan high school sports will hold the first two of its 10 state championship football games at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday.

The eight-player football finals in two divisions starts at 11 a.m. with the Division 1 final, then continues with Division 2 slated for 2 p.m.

Tickets are available online at the Northern Michigan University online ticket seller, NMU Tickets, at nmu.universitytickets.com.

Admission is $10 per person that covers both games, the Division 1 final between Blanchard Montabella and Martin and the Division 2 title game pitting Portland St. Patrick and the Upper Peninsula’s lone representative in the eight-player finals, North Dickinson.

Tickets will also be available for walk-ups, though with the influx of fans, lines could get lengthy, according to a Superior Dome ticket sales representative.

The National Federation of State High School Associations Network, a venture between that group and PlayOn! Sports, is broadcasting all 10 title games, including the eight-player ones this weekend.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association states on its website, mhsaa.com, that NFHSNetwork.com has exclusive video rights to these games, and that a subscription costs $13.99 per month and is available at www.nfhsnetwork.com/.

There are 10 on-air broadcast personalities scheduled between all the games, which will include Upper Peninsula native Dave Ellis — he has worked most of the Northern Michigan University-Michigan Tech telecasts for WLUC-TV6 and Fox-U.P.

But Ellis isn’t scheduled for the U.P.-based games; instead listed on them are Sean Baligian for play by play, Grant Perry as analyst and Patti Cesarini as the sideline reporter.

The games are also scheduled to be carried in an audio-only format — basically, radio — on MHSAANetwork.com, which links to https://www.meridix.com/channel/?liveid=mhsaanetwork#/.

It wasn’t clear whether there is a charge for that, though there isn’t anywhere on that site stating a payment is necessary in advance of the events.

Matt Tjapkes is scheduled to work behind the microphone on both eight-player games in that format.

The 11-player football playoffs continue with its eight divisions reaching the semifinals this weekend. All games, which in this round are being played at neutral sites, are set with start times between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, with the only remaining U.P. team being Menominee in Division 7, facing Pewamo-Westphalia in Gaylord at 2 p.m. that day.

Semifinal winners advance to Detroit to play in state finals games next Friday and on Sunday, Nov. 30. The usual schedule of playing on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving had to be altered this year with host site Ford Field hosting a Michigan State college football game on Nov. 29.

The Division 7 state final that could include Menominee will be played at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 30.

Story contents based an examination of the MHSAA website at mhsaa.com. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.