First, a look at why St. John's will win: Staying power. It's Delphos St. John's, it's the best of the Midwest Athletic Conference...they need no further introduction, but for good measure they are the unbeaten defending state champions and have compiled a 26-1 record in 27 Division VI playoff games on their way to five state titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, and 2008. This is their stage.

The Blue Jays run the triple option, a fairly predictable yet successful offense. Why? Execution. I boasted many times this season that the common fan can tell you what play Edison was running from the triple option, but they executed it so well that it was difficult to stop, which was a large reason why they went 8-2 with two one-possession losses and made the playoffs. Between the quarterback and running back in the offense, the Blue Jays have 2,529 yards and 43 touchdowns...between TWO PLAYERS!

Why St. John's will lose: Because as great as the triple option can be, it's one of the highest-risk offenses around due to so many pitches and misdirection fakes...that can lead to many fumbles (again, ask Edison). The Jays have put the ball on the ground six times in their past two playoff wins, but escaped in overtime each time. The overall team speed of St. Paul will swarm to the football if it's loose and probably come up with one or two of them if it were to happen.

Also, if the Blue Jays elect to stack 8-9 defenders in the box to slow the equally-powerful St. Paul running game, I believe it will be costly as one of the best quarterbacks in Division VI (Eric Schwieterman) will make them pay. Having not seen the Blue Jays in person, I'll still take Justin Wilde, Brian Griffin, Dan Tracht and Schwieterman in the open field against anybody.

Why St. Paul will win: As mentioned above...Eric Schwieterman. The quarterback gives St. Paul an added dimension they haven't had in past title games. Remember the Dan Pugh-Mike Morrow connection in 1996-97? Sure you do. Imagine one of those two playing QB and being able to throw, and to a degree that's what you have in Schwieterman. With him under center, only one team has held them under 21 points in 35 starts. As great as St. John's defense is, it's fair to believe St. Paul can get three scores Saturday.

Another factor in St. Paul's favor is the overall breakaway speed. It's very comparable to St. John's, which is good enough considering not many have been able to match that Blue Jay speed throughout the year. If Schwieterman and the passing game is throwing the ball around successfully by choice as opposed to being forced to, then it could be all smiles in Norwalk come Saturday night.

Why St. Paul will lose: One of the most undersized interior lines in recent program history will meet it's match with the big powerful Blue Jays front four on both sides of the ball. On top of having a big size advantage up front, the Blue Jays top ball carrier goes 6-2, 208...he's tough to bring down. If the Blue Jay option attack gets going early, St. Paul may be in trouble.

Remember the Hardin Northern 2004 title game when the Bears simply pushed the Flyers back and used up most of the second half in a 20-8 win? If the St. John's option game gets moving, it could be a similar sight. The Flyers also wont' come out on top if they turn the ball over four times inside the St. John's 20-yard line, something they've done twice each in the past two games in wins over Bucyrus Wynford and Grove City Christian. You can bet if the Flyers turn it over twice inside the Blue Jays 20-yard line, they likley won't get away with it this time.

Final prediction: Tune in to the Cameo PIzza Fandy.com pregame show Saturday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. to find out!