Manistique junior Jayce Goudreau (right) carries the ball during a game against Iron Mountain on Oct. 18, 2024 at AF Hall Stadium in Manistique. (Courtesy photo/Douglas Troyer)

ESCANABA — Three area high school football teams now know their playoff fate after Selection Sunday.

Bark River-Harris and Manistique are two of 32 teams left standing in the 11-player’s Division 8 playoff picture. North Central is one of 16 teams left standing in 8-player’s Division 2 field.

Here’s what went down.

Bark River-Harris

The Broncos finished the regular season at 5-4 and ranked 24th among all Division 8 teams with 27.556 playoff points. They will be the No. 3 seed in Region 1’s District 1 and hit the road for their first playoff game.

The opponent will be East Jordan. The Red Devils rank 14th in Division 8 with 34.264 playoff points. Their two losses both came at home, a 26-20 loss to Division 7 Charlevoix (6-3) and a 7-6 loss to Division 8’s Maple City Glen Lake (8-1).

Friday will also be the first ever matchup between Bark River-Harris and East Jordan. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at East Jordan’s Boswell Stadium.

A Broncos win over the Red Devils sets up a district championship game between two familiar names in the District 1’s other matchup.

Manistique

While a 4-5 record may not appear to be enough to make the playoffs, the Emeralds ranked 27th in Division 8 with 25.444 points. It’s also Manistique’s second playoff appearance in the last five seasons and third playoff appearance in the last 15 seasons.

Their opponent is none other than Iron Mountain (9-0), who ranks fourth in Division 8 with 40.556 playoff points.

The Mountaineers earned a 42-0 win over Manistique Week 8.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday in Iron Mountain.

North Central

After a 45-34 upset win over No. 1 Forest Park, North Central finishes the regular season at 8-1 and is the No. 2 seed in 8-play Division 2’s Region 1 bracket, ranking sixth in the division with 34.889 playoff points, good enough for a home game out of the gate.

The opponent will be Gaylord St. Mary (7-2), who ranks 12th with 30.653 playoff points. The Snowbirds fell to Ishpeming 50-23 in Week 3 and lost 50-8 to Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0, 8-player Division 1). This will be St. Mary’s fifth playoff appearance in the last six seasons and seventh playoff appearance in the last nine seasons.

Kickoff for the first ever meeting between the Jets and Snowbird is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday at North Central. The winner of this game faces the winner of Forest Park and Bellaire for a regional title next weekend.

The rest of the U.P.

Other U.P. football teams also learned their playoff fate on Sunday night.

No. 1 Kingsford (9-0) will be the No. 1 seed in Division 5’s Region 1 District 1 and will face Gladwin (6-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Flivver Field. A win over Gladwin sets up a district championship game against the winner of Ogemaw Heights (8-1) and Clare (7-2).

Division 6 is represented by two U.P. teams that will be hitting the road this weekend.

Negaunee (6-3) is the No. 3 seed in Division 6’s Region 1 District 1 and will face Boyne City at 7 p.m. Friday in Boyne City.

Calumet also returned to the postseason as the district’s No. 4 seed. The Copper Kings (6-3) will not have an easy opening matchup. They drew the district’s No. 1 seed in Kingsley, the reigning state champion in Division 6. The Copper Kings and Stags will kickoff at 1 p.m. Saturday inside the confines of Kingsley’s Rodes Field.

After reaching the state title game in Division 7 last season, Menominee is re-loaded and aiming to return to Ford Field in 2024. The Maroons (8-1) host Houghton Lake (5-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Menominee’s Blesch Stadium. This will be the first ever meeting between the Maroons and Bobcats. A win over the Bobcats sets up a district championship showdown between the winner of Charlevoix and Traverse City St Francis.

One U.P. team will reach the 8-player Division 1 semifinal round. Region 1 has four U.P. teams vying for a chance to compete for a state title in the Superior Dome.

No. 1 Pickford (9-0) hosts Munising (6-3) at 7 p.m. Friday. The undefeated Panthers earned a 64-8 win over the Mustangs in their week 9 showdown.

The winner of that game faces the winner of Norway and Ishpeming, a matchup set for 1 p.m. Saturday in Ishpeming. The Panthers also have regular season wins over the Knights and Hematites.

All playoffs tickets must be purchased at gofan.co.