Local Sports

Playoffs times 4: Quartet of area teams hit road to open football tourney

Quartet of area teams hit road to open football tourney

MARQUETTE -- Four area teams from Marquette and Baraga counties have qualified for the MHSAA football playoffs, three in 11-player and one in eight-player.

Statewide, there are 10 playoff divisions -- eight in 11-player and two in eight-player -- that will include 288 schools.

Eleven-player has 32 playoff teams in each of its eight divisions, while there are 16 teams in the pair of eight-player divisions. Numbers are based roughly on the total number of teams playing each sport.

Interestingly, statewide while about 84% of all schools playing football have an 11-player team, a small majority in the Upper Peninsula are actually playing eight-player -- 17 in 11-player vs. 23 in eight-player, a 58% majority.

Leaving the numbers aside, Marquette, Negaunee and L'Anse are the area teams advancing to the 11-player playoffs, while Ishpeming will represent the area alone in eight-player.

All four area teams will be on the road as they are either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in their opening four-team district or region.

While all qualifying teams are in action this weekend to open the playoffs, the eight-player state championships take place one week earlier than 11-player, since with double the teams it takes one more round to whittle an 11-player field down to one champion.

Northern Michigan University in Marquette will host the eight-player state finals in the Superior Dome on Saturday, Nov. 21, while Ford Field in Detroit hosts the 11-player championships over two days, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27-28. Last year's 11-player was held on a Friday and Sunday due to Michigan State University contracting Ford Field for a Spartans' game on the Saturday of that weekend.

As with the vast majority of the state's playoff games, all four area teams will be playing at 7 p.m. EDT Friday.

Here's a look at each area playoff team:

Marquette

As easily the largest enrollment school in the U.P., the Sentinels are traditionally the only team above the Mackinac Bridge in its entire division, let alone its playoff field, which for the past several years has been Division 3.

Marquette (6-3), which had its six-game winning streak snapped at Kingsford 42-26 on Friday night, is the No. 3 seed in Region 1, District 1 and travels to No. 2 seed Cadillac (7-2) this weekend.

The Sentinels have already played the Vikings, defeating them by six points in Marquette on Sept. 19. In fact, MSHS didn't lose a game while winning the Big North Conference with a 6-0 record as Cadillac was runner-up in the league at 5-1.

This will be the third Lower Peninsula member of the Big North that the Sentinels have opened the playoffs with over the past four seasons. In 2023, Marquette hosted Petoskey and lost 26-7, and after after missing the playoffs in 2024, a year ago MSHS lost at Gaylord 38-34.

Marquette opened this season with home losses to Negaunee 30-28 and Menominee 49-19 before going on its six-game tear. The Sentinels reeled off victories over Sault Ste. Marie 47-8, Cadillac 33-27, Escanaba 48-10, Alpena 34-21, Gaylord 49-13 and Petoskey 19-10.

In addition to its loss to the Sentinels, Cadillac fell to Portland 29-22 to open the season. Portland, about 15 miles west of Lansing, is in Division 4 but has compiled a perfect 9-0 record.

The Vikings also knocked off the rest of the Big North foes like Marquette did, adding victories over Division 3 Parma Western and Division 2 Greenville, both 2-7 squads.

If Marquette advances, it will play the winner of the other District 1 game between No. 4 seed Petoskey (6-3), another Big North team, and Mount Pleasant (8-1).

Looking ahead two weeks to potential opposition, the top teams in the partner District 2 are DeWitt (7-2) and Coopersville (8-1).

Negaunee

It might be a good thing, or maybe its a bad thing, that the No. 3 seeded Miners (5-4) avoided facing the No. 1 seed in its district to open the Division 5 playoffs.

That top squad is undefeated Kingsford (9-0), which instead hosts No. 4 Howard City Tri County (5-4).

Negaunee certainly gave the Flivvers a good battle in their regular-season meeting, a 21-16 victory by Kingsford at Flivver Field on Sept. 18.

Instead of facing Kingsford, the Miners as the No. 3 seed in Region 1, District 1 instead travel to No. 2 Shepherd (7-2).

Negaunee likely helped its playoff cause as its picked up extra points by knocking off three of the four largest schools on its schedule -- Marquette in Division 3, and Hancock and Houghton in Division 5.

The Miners lost 21-18 at Calumet, a team that spent the early part of the season in the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters weekly U.P. poll. They also lost to U.P. No. 1 Kingsford, mentioned before, U.P. No. 2 Menominee 38-28 and Iron Mountain 21-20. Those four losses came by a total of 19 points.

Wins were chalked up against Marquette, 30-28 to open the season, 42-6 over Gladstone, 40-0 over Hancock, 36-14 over Westwood and 38-8 over Houghton.

Negaunee finished at 3-3 in the exact middle of the pack in the West PAC's Copper Division, which is the bigger schools division.

Shepherd is located 10 miles south of Mount Pleasant and about 25 miles west of Midland. The Bluejays play in Division 1 of the Jack Pine Conference against Division 5 and 6 teams.

While beating a pair of 7-2 teams, West Branch Ogemaw Heights and Harrison, Shepherd also lost to two 5-4 squads, Midland Bullock Creek and Gladwin.

The Bluejays are on a four-game winning streak, five if you count a forfeit win, too. But unlike the Miners' rich tradition of playoff participation -- and success -- Shepherd hasn't been in the playoffs since 2022 and hasn't won a playoff game since 2004.

Of course, if Negaunee wins this weekend, a date at Kingsford likely awaits. Either that or it will face the team that knocks off the Flivvers.

In the partner District 2, home teams starting out are both 7-2 -- Muskegon Orchard View and Ogemaw Heights.

L'Anse

The Purple Hornets snuck into the Division 8 playoffs despite a 4-5 record and are actually the only team in D-8 with a losing record to qualify, though Beaverton is at .500 at 4-4.

As the No. 4 seed in Region 1, District 2, L'Anse drew No. 1 Bark River-Harris (7-2) to open play. The teams met in the regular season, also in Harris, with the Broncos winning 46-18.

Both play in the Iron Division of the West PAC, BR-H winning it with a 5-0 mark as the Hornets were 4-2.

L'Anse defeated West Iron County 54-6, Manistique 36-22, Gwinn 53-14 and Hancock 34-26, while losing to Houghton, BR-H, Calumet and Iron Mountain twice.

The Bronocs are coming off a 38-30 home loss to Menominee, while chalking up wins over the Purple Hornets along with Westwood, Gwinn, IM, Gladstone, Hancock and Manistique.

BR-H was ranked No. 4 or No. 5 in the UPSSA's U.P. polls in the latter part of the season.

The Broncos have been in the playoffs seven of the last eight years, most notably a run of three wins that got them to the Division 8 semifinals last year.

This is L'Anse's fourth playoff appearance in the last seven years, though it hasn't won a playoff game in that time.

The Hornets' most recent playoff win came in 2013, a 52-34 victory over Lake Linden-Hubbell.

If L'Anse advances, it will play the winner of Frankfort (5-4) at Maple City Glen Lake (7-2) a week later. In the companion district, District 1, Iron Mountain (7-2) and Beal City (9-0) await as the top teams.

Ishpeming

The Hematites have the best record of any area team at 7-2, but it still wasn't enough to earn home field in the first round of the playoffs.

It was a close call in Region 1 of the eight-player Division 1 playoffs. Ishpeming got the No. 3 seed with 32.111 playoff points, while its first-round opponent, Rudyard (7-2), is No. 2 with 33.569 points.

The Hematites are the only representative from the Great Lakes Eight Conference in the Division 1 playoffs, with LL-H and North Central making it in Division 2.

Ishpeming has won its last three games, beating Ironwood 64-18, Norway 42-26 and Munising 48-16. Earlier wins were over North Central 50-22, Stephenson 80-42 and Forest Park 38-22. And its losses were to LL-H and Ontonagon.

The Hematites finished 6-2 in the West Division of the Great Lakes 8, runner-up to LL-H.

Rudyard was part of the new Straits Division of the Bridge Alliance Conference with four other U.P. teams and Indian River Inland Lakes.

The Bulldogs were 3-2 in league play, downing Inland Lakes, Brimley and Newberry while losing to Pickford and St. Ignace. Outside its conference, Rudyard also defeated Stephenson, Cedarville, Onekama and Central Lake.

With its storied history in 11-player football, Ishpeming is also making its sixth appearance in the eight-player playoffs since 2018, winning six games in that span.

Its most recent appearance was in 2024, when the Hematites defeated Norway before falling to Pickford, which made it to the finals at the Superior Dome that year.

Rudyard is in its fourth playoffs since 2017, winning two games in 2021 to reach the semifinals in Division 1.

If Ishpeming wins this week, it will face the victor of No. 4 Mio (6-3) vs. No. 1 Pickford (7-2), the latter having won at least one playoff game each of the past three seasons.

Other U.P. qualifiers

Three of the four area qualifiers could run into another U.P. squad in either the second or third round.

Negaunee likely would face Kingsford (9-0) in another week in Division 5, unless the Flivvers are upset, while in the third round, Iron Mountain (7-2) could loom for L'Anse in Division 8.

For Ishpeming in eight-player, the Hematites may very well face Pickford (7-2) in the second round if they advance.

In other divisions, the U.P. doesn't have any qualifiers in 11-player Divisions 1, 2 or 4.

In Division 6, Calumet (6-3) hits the road for Traverse City St. Francis (6-3), with the winner likely playing Kingsley (9-0) next.

For Division 7, Menominee (8-1) is the No. 1 seed in its district and hosts Lakeview (5-4). With more playoff points than any team in its region, the Maroons are guaranteed to play three home games as long as they keep winning. The same is true for Kingsford in D-5.

In eight-player Division 2, three U.P. teams are in Region 1. No. 1 seed Lake Linden-Hubbell (9-0) hosts No. 4 North Central (7-2), while No. 3 St. Ignace (8-1) travels to No. 2 Gaylord St. Mary (9-0).

St. Mary looks awesome, having outscored its eight opponents 417-14, even though it only defeated 4-4 Calumet Copper Island Academy 15-8.

Of the state's 128 first-round playoff games in 11-player, just 10 will be played Saturday afternoon, but they include the contests that involve Kingsford, Calumet and Menominee.

Likewise, in eight-player there are 16 playoff games, with three to be played Saturday, including the LL-H vs. NC matchup.

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