The Pilgrim football team has had its share of ups and down over the past few seasons.

With a new head coach in Blake Simpson, as well as a group that is full of juniors and seniors, the Patriots were optimistic heading into 2018 and felt that it would be the start of something special.

The Pats started out hot, cruising to a non-league win over Classical 36-6 to kick off the season. Pilgrim would go on to travel to Chariho and grind out a gutsy 14-3 win.

Then things got rocky.

The Pats would go on to drop their next three games against Ponaganset, Central and Tolman, respectively, by a combined score of 111-31. Things seemed to be in a free fall midway through the year, and it looked as though 2018 would be another forgettable season.

However, after topping North Providence 27-21 then stomping on Smithfield 42-0 this past weekend at the team’s senior night, it looks like there is still plenty of life left in the Patriots.

Part of the reason that the Pats hit their midseason lull was injuries. Of course, every team gets banged up, but Pilgrim got hit even harder than the norm with some of their losses, including quarterback Mike Borges. Like every team, it’s always a process adjusting to each season, and the fact that they had a new head coach probably made it a little bit tougher as well.

But from what I saw last Friday night at Pilgrim, this is a team that indeed has enough playmakers to be successful, and could absolutely make a run at this thing as they enter the home stretch of the regular season.

I get it, Smithfield is in last place and has had a dreadful season. But this wasn’t just a good team beating up on a bad one, this was a team that was well-organized, hungry, and made the most of its talent to thrash its opponent.

Borges looks to be 100 percent after missing some time under center. On Friday night he once again impressed with his dual capabilities, putting on a show with both his arm and legs. He rushed for a score and was very efficient in the passing game. Smithfield had trouble keeping up defensively all night.

Demitri Ayres was the most impressive player on the field last Friday in my opinion. He’s not the biggest guy on the field, but I actually think that may work to his advantage. His ability to weave between the tackles or hit the outside edge and take off, or his ability to contribute in the return game on special teams, he’s a special player that if used correctly could be a nightmare for opposing defenses. He rushed for two touchdowns in the win and came up with multiple big returns that set up the Pats’ offense deep in the Smithfield zone … he was truly productive in multiple phases.

Speaking of which, Ethan Laramee had himself another great night. The senior captain once again flashed on offense, and was a ball hawk on defense and hauled in another interception. He’s just another playmaker that the Patriots can brag about.

There are many others, but those three are the ones that come to mind when reflecting on what I’ve seen of this team. Overall, they are stacked with skill on offense, and have shown the ability to shut teams down on defense on any given night. It’s just going to be about putting it all together at the same time.

Simpson also deserves a great deal of credit. Although he has good credentials and experience, it is always tougher for younger coaches to step up to the plate and produce right off the bat. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Simpson and his staff have proven that they know what they’re doing.

Like I said, it will be a matter of whether or not the Pats can put everything together at once. It seems that the coaching staff is learning more and more about their team each week, which will only help them create game plans and get the most out of each player looking ahead.

What separates poor coaches from OK coaches from good coaches to great coaches, in my opinion, is the ability to maximize assets.

Bill Belichick for example, is the best NFL coach of this generation and it is because he so regularly takes players that are underperforming, or who have been undervalued, and has made them into productive football players. From what I saw last week, Simpson and his staff are clearly in the process of doing just that, and may have dug up some hidden gems for the rest of this season and hopefully for the next few years.

The high school football season is always a wild ride and is always unpredictable. There are always favorites that are at the top every year, there are teams that sit in the middle, there are teams that can’t pull themselves out of mediocrity.

I think Pilgrim is beginning to fall into the “breakout” category.

There wasn’t a whole lot of buzz surrounding the Pats this preseason. Sure, there were a few storylines and whatnot, but I don’t think a lot of people took them too seriously.

But after these past two weeks, things are really beginning to look up at Pilgrim, and we may be experiencing that special something that fans have been waiting for.