It took until the last day of November for fall sports to finally finish in the region — and Menominee made sure it ended on a high note Sunday, winning the MHSAA Division 7 championship 34-6 over Schoolcraft at Ford Field, where the Detroit Lions play.

While it was the Maroons’ second appearance in the finals in the past three years, it was the first state title since 2007 and the first for an Upper Peninsula 11-player football team in a decade, since Ishpeming claimed the Division 7 championship in 2015.

It capped what has been an outstanding fall season for several teams in the region, on both sides of the border.

In eight-player football, the North Dickinson Nordics made it to the Division 2 state championship game in Marquette. The Norway Knights came up just four points short of the finals in eight-player Division 1.

In 11-player action, the Bark River-Harris Broncos got to the Division 8 state semifinals.

The boys weren’t the only ones to shine.

In volleyball, the Florence, Wis., LadyCats reached the WIAA Division 5 state semifinals in Green Bay and the Forest Park Trojans fought to five sets before falling to Fowler in the MHSAA Division 4 final four at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.

While all these teams but Menominee might initially have been disappointed the ultimate goal of a state championship wasn’t realized — understandable, especially for the seniors — hopefully they have come to take pride in what they accomplished, that they managed to stretch out their seasons for several extra weeks.

When it comes to state titles, only one team is left satisfied in the end. If it’s any solace for North Dickinson, Portland St. Patrick had previously come up short in three final appearances since 2017. To point out the obvious, winning a championship is difficult.

So our area teams that stayed in the mix into November should savor the seasons they had — as should the communities they come from. We should appreciate the work, sweat, practice, talent, coaching and commitment it took to reach such elite levels.

They all did us proud.