Petoskey controls Big North destiny after 42-21 win over Gaylord

THE STRAITS — Petoskey took a firm grip on its Big North Conference hopes Friday, beating Gaylord 42-21, the Michigan High School Athletic Association reported.

The Northmen are 4-2. MHSAA.com said Petoskey controlled its destiny and could face Marquette in Week 8 for a share of the league title — or more, if Marquette slips beforehand. Cadillac was tied with Petoskey for second place.

The Petoskey News-Review coverage was cited by MHSAA.com for additional detail on the rivalry win. Gaylord fell to 3-3.

Marquette beat Alpena 34-21 the same week, MHSAA.com noted, improving to 4-2 as the Redmen chase a first Big North title after consecutive near-misses. For Straits-area fans, October football still runs through Petoskey, Gaylord and the bridge routes north.

Updated Oct. 12, 2026: Petoskey won 35-0 at Alpena on Oct. 9, MaxPreps results show, and is 5-2. The Northmen play Marquette on Oct. 16. Records above are as of the week of the game.

Sources:
MaxPreps, Petoskey Northmen 2026 football schedule and results, https://www.maxpreps.com/mi/petoskey/petoskey-northmen/football/schedule/
MHSAA.com, “1st & Goal: 2026 Week 6 Review,” Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.mhsaa.com/sports/football/stories/1st-goal-2026-week-6-review
WLUC TV6, “Friday Night Fever Week Six Highlights and Scores,” Oct. 3, 2026, https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2026/10/03/friday-night-fever-week-six-highlights-scores/
Photo: Michael Barera, “Highland Park vs. Royse City football 2017 23 (Highland Park punting),” Nov. 3, 2017, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Highland_Park_vs._Royse_City_football_2017_23_(Highland_Park_punting).jpg

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Tags: The Straits · Sports · Petoskey · High School Football