HOUGHTON - The marquee matchups for Week 2 are two games, one locally, one on the road, one in Eastern time, one in Central, one nearly novel, the other a conference fixture.
Tonight, Calumet hosts Negaunee in the first regular-season match-up between the teams since 1958. Negaunee also won playoff games against the Copper Kings in 1995 and 1999.
The Copper Kings suffered a painful home defeat to Northland Pines (Wis.) on a last-second field goal and are seeking to avoid an 0-2 start for the first time since 2001.
The Miners didn't get off to a great start either last Friday, falling behind Manistique 14-0 after a quarter, but scored four times in the second frame to take control and roll to a 42-20 road victory.
Friday, Lake Linden-Hubbell will attempt to double its win total against long odds in Hurley, Wis.
The Midgets are 2-0 and return nearly everyone from a team that had an undefeated regular season in 2011. Hurley mowed down local rivals Ironwood 49-7 in the Border Bowl last week, putting it away with 24 third-quarter points and allowing just five first downs and zero offensive points (the lone Ironwood TD was on a fumble recovery in the end zone).
Hurley has won the last two meetings 34-6 and 14-6, with the second taking place in a wind-blown deluge in Hurley in 2010.
Ontonagon also finds itself out west, meeting Ironwood in non-conference play Friday.
Like Calumet, Houghton is trying to get a non-league win tonight. The Gremlins will visit Westwood, which lost its opener 36-18 to Stephenson.
In the only WestPAC?game, L'Anse hosts defending champion West Iron County tonight.
The only local/local match-up on the field this week is Friday in Hancock, where both the Bulldogs and the Baraga Vikings will look to even their records.