Norwalk St. Paul vs. Delphos St. John's preview

Courtesy of OHSAA, December 02, 2009 4:20 p.m.

Norwalk St. Paul

Head Coach: John Livengood
Nickname: Flyers
2009 Record: 14-0
2009 Seed: 2
Wins in 2009 Tournament:
Semifinal: 6 Grove City Christian (52-7)
Regional: 4 Bucyrus Wynford (28-21), 3 Mogadore (48-7), 7 Berlin Center Western Reserve (45-0)
State Championships: None
State Final Appearance: 4th
All Time Tournament Record: 27-12

Delphos St. John’s

Head Coach: Todd Schulte
Nickname: Blue Jays
2009 Record: 14-0
2009 Seed: 1
Wins in 2009 Tournament:
Semifinal: 5 Maria Stein Marion Local (13-7,OT)
Regional: 2 Ada (34-31, OT), 4 Leipsic (34-7), 8 Arlington (56-0)
State Championships: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2008
State Final Appearance: 6th
All Time Tournament Record: 39-6

Two undefeated teams will square off in the Division VI final between Norwalk St. Paul and defending champion Delphos St. John’s. The teams are no stranger to each other in state titles games as they played for the 1997 and 1999 state championships, with Delphos St. John’s coming out on top in both contests.

Champions of the powerful Midwest Athletic Conference and winners of 20 games in a row, St. John’s has had a tough road to the state final game having won overtime games in the regional finals against Ada and again in the state semifinals against Maria Stein Marion Local. The Blue Jays’ triple-option attack is led by senior quarterback Wes Ulm and junior running back Jordan Leininger who have both rushed for over 1,000 yards. Leininger has scored 30 touchdowns on the ground while Ulm has rushed for 13 and thrown for another 13 touchdowns.

Norwalk St. Paul has reached the state finals with relative ease having won its previous four tournament games by a combined 138 points. The Flyers are led on the ground by senior back Brian Griffin, who has over 1,400 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Eric Schwieterman has returned from an early season injury to throw for 18 touchdowns to only four interceptions.

Both teams bring a stout defense into the game. St. Paul allows only 6.1 points a game while St. John’s is nearly as stingy, giving up only 9.4 a game. St. John’s will play for its sixth state title in as many tries, while St. Paul is looking to avoid its fourth runner-up finish to gain the school’s first state football championship.