Knee-jerk reactions more often than not, are ill-advised or inaccurate. Left many a writer with egg on their face, mine included.

A couple football teams, widely lambasted for a loss or string of defeats, fit that description and deserve kudos -- Perry and Higley.

Perry, which rolled to a 5-0 start, got hammered two weeks ago by Chaparral. Right away Perry was cast as a fraud. Shouldn't a 5-0 team give a decent account of itself when playing another 5-0 team, albeit one that's the favorite to win the 5A-II state title?

Next up for Perry and coach Preston Jones last week was unbeaten Marcos de Niza. Another legitmate 5A-II contender and the state runner-up last year to Chaparral. Perry was blasted by Marcos de Niza, 42-0, in 2009. Many expected something similar or at least a double-digit loss to the Padres given their fate vs. Chaparral.

Perry's 23-17 win this time around over Marcos erased the huge loss from the season before. It also puts the Pumas in the running for the 5A East Valley Region title with defending region champ Mountain Pointe and Desert Ridge still in front of them. Perry is currently No. 2 in the 5A-II power-point rankings

Higley, a member of the 4A-II East Sky Region, entered 2010 reeling from a 1-9 campaign the year before. Sister Higley district school Williams Field stole all the area thunder with its 9-2 season.

Higley opened 2010 0-3. Whispers of another bad year for the Knights were getting louder and louder. Those three losses were to Queen Creek, Liberty and Apache Junction, who sport a combined record of 15-4. Queen Creek and Apache Junction are in 4A-I and Liberty is one of only two unbeaten teams left in 4A-II. The losses to Queen Creek and AJ were by a TD or less; the loss to Liberty by 14 points.

Since that time, coach Jim Beall's squad has won three straight region games. Beating Tempe this week would put the Knights above .500 at 4-3, make them 4-0 in region and on a collision course with Williams Field on Oct. 22 for first place in the region.

The latest knee-jerk reaction: Perry and Higley are doing just fine.