To be the champs, St. Paul will have to beat the champs.

Delphos St. John’s, who are the defending state champion in Division VI, defeated Bascom Hopewell-Loudon, 34-14 last year in the state final.

On their way to another state appearance, the Blue Jays steam rolled their way through another 10-0 regular season and 4-0 in the playoffs for the second-straight year.

Now, the St. Paul Flyers, also 14-0, stand in their way, as the two teams meet Saturday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon at 3 p.m.

Delphos St. John’s has never lost a state championship game and have five titles to show for it (1997, ‘98, ‘99, 2005, ‘08). They even beat St. Paul, 42-28 in 1997 and 42-10 in 1999 to claim the state’s top prize. St. Paul will be hoping for that “third time’s the charm”.

Delphos will just be hoping not to go into overtime for the third-straight week. Delphos used an extra session to beat Ada, 34-31, along with conference foe Marion Local, 13-7, in two “instant classics”. Their other wins were a 56-0 shutout over Arlington in the regional quarterfinal and a 34-7 win over Leipsic in the regional final.

The Blue Jays compete in what some may consider the toughest league in Ohio. The Midwest Athletic Conference boasts teams such as Anna, Coldwater, Fort Recovery, Marion Local, Minster, New Bremen, New Knoxville, Parkway, St. Henry and Versailles. Delphos ran the table and won the conference for the second-year in a row. After a dismal 2-8 season in 2008, the Blue Jays have won 20 games in a row.

Delphos has been led by 6-foot senior quarterback Wes Ulm, who has completed 59 of 119 passes for 1,149 yards and 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He also can run with it, gaining 1,035 yards on 160 carries, which include 13 more TDs.

In the backfield is 6-2 junior running back Jordan Leininger, who has rushed for 1,494 yards on 203 carries, which include 30 touchdowns.

At wide receiver, Delphos has 6-2 junior Tyler Bergfeld, who has nabbed 18 receptions for 489 yards with six touchdowns. He also plays free safety on defense.

Defensively, Chris Pohlman and Joel Pohlman have a combined 237 tackles on the year. Chris has 124, including six for loss, while Joel has 113, including six for loss. Chris was named Division VI Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday.

Both teams have great defenses. Although St. Paul has only allowed 6.1 points per game, Delphos isn’t far behind, only allowing 9.4 per game.