Iron Mountain held off a second-half rally from Negaunee to win 21-20 on Thursday, Oct. 22, in the regular-season finale for both teams.
The Mountaineers scored all their points before halftime. They led 7-0 after the first quarter and 21-8 at the break, according to MaxPreps. Negaunee scored six points in each of the final two quarters but fell one point short.
Iron Mountain finished the regular season 7-2. Negaunee finished 5-4.
WBUP/WJMN’s game report identified Negaunee as the No. 3 team in the Upper Peninsula.
The victory capped a turnaround for Iron Mountain, which started the season 1-2. Its subsequent wins included a 41-0 shutout of L’Anse, according to the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Iron Mountain entered Week 9 ranked No. 14 in the MHSAA Division 8 playoff-point standings with a 31.500 average. Negaunee was No. 21 in Division 5 with a 41.000 average, according to the Detroit Free Press’s Oct. 19 standings.
Those standings preceded Thursday’s game. The top 32 teams in each 11-player division qualify for the playoffs.
In its Oct. 16 report, the Iron Mountain Daily News noted that Negaunee’s first three losses, against Calumet, Kingsford and Menominee, came by a combined 18 points.
The MHSAA had highlighted the matchup in its Week 9 preview.
The playoff field and matchups will be announced Sunday, Oct. 25, during the MHSAA’s 5 p.m. Selection Sunday show on the NFHS Network. The broadcast is free for registered users, according to the association. District semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 30-31.
