From overrated to underrated.
Maybe that's the long, strange trip that the Holy Spirit team has taken this season.
The Spartans were preseason No. 1 in The Inquirer Top 10. They dropped out of the rankings after losing games in October to St. Joseph and Hammonton by a combined score of 71-21.
But Holy Spirit has won three in a row by a combined score of 135-19, including a 62-13 victory over Montclair Kimberley in the semifinals of the Non-Public Group 2 tournament on Friday night.
"We're finally playing penalty-free football, dumb-free football," said Holy Spirit coach Chalie Roman, whose team has returned to the Top 10, in the No. 8 spot.
Holy Spirit is 6-3, but the Spartans are 7-2 on the field since one of those losses was a forfeit for using an ineligible player. The two losses were to teams that are a combined 17-1.
The Spartans have one of South Jersey's best ground games, powered by senior running backs Donta Pollock and Nigel Jones as well as a sturdy offensive line. Pollock ran for 227 yards and four touchdowns and Jones ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns on Friday night - all in the first half.
Holy Spirit's improvement will be tested Thursday in its annual Thanksgiving Day clash at Atlantic City (6-3).
"They present a major challenge," Roman said of Atlantic City.
Holy Spirit will finish this choppy season against Camden Catholic (9-0) in the Non-Public 2 state title game Dec. 2 at the College of New Jersey.
"We know how good they are," Roman said of Camden Catholic.
Big numbers. St. Joseph is hovering around several area records, according to South Jersey sports historian Chuck Langerman.
St. Joseph (8-0), the No. 1 team in The Inquirer Top 10, is averaging 48.9 points. The South Jersey record for highest scoring average is 48.4 ppg., set by Salem in 1996. The Rams scored 436 points in nine games that season.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania record is 49.7, established Springfield (Montgomery County) in 1970.
St. Joseph could maintain its average in the Non-Public 1 title game against St. Mary's on Dec. 3 at the College of New Jersey. The Wildcats beat the Gaels by a 40-0 score in the state title game last season.
But St. Joseph will face a major challenge in the annual Thanksgiving weekend game against Hammonton (9-1) on Saturday at noon on the Wildcats' field. It's the 50th game in one of South Jersey's best rivalries, with Hammonton holding a 26-22-1 edge.
