In a weekend jam packed with six state championship football games, it would be foolish to label one as the most intriguing matchup.

    But if someone did point to No. 1, 11-0 Firth vs. No. 2, 11-0 Declo, it would not make for a bad choice.

    The Cougars and Hornets kick of at 3 p.m. today in Holt Arena.

    Firth reached the title game for the second year in a row by beating Valley 63-14, Wendell 70-6 and West Side 22-14.

    After winning by an average of 56.5 points in the first two playoff games, the Cougars had all they could candle against the West Side Pirates.

    In the winning effort, Firth lost senior staring quarterback Jake Orme at the end of the second quarter to a broken collarbone that required surgery this week.

    Mitch Orme, his cousin, slid in for Jake after halftime and spurred a second-half comeback, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another 104 yards and one score.

    Against Declo today, Firth is facing a defense that has pitched five shutouts through 11 games. Head coach Keith Drake can turn to Mitch or the junior varsity starter, Jackson Thompson, a sophomore, to fill in for Jake. But he does not want to give away any secrets.

    “We’ll probably do a little bit of everything, but Mitch will probably get most of the snaps,” he said.

    Mitch is not the only weapon for a Firth offense that averages 43 points a game, but he is certainly the leader.

    “Mitch just has mental toughness. He wants to win,” Drake said. “He doesn’t care (how he has to do it) and that’s the way the team thinks. Whatever we have to do to win.”

    To claim the school’s fifth state championship, and the first since 2006, Firth will have to beat an opponent that has come tantalizingly close to a state championship for years.

    Declo lost in the title game in 2008 and 2009 and in the semifinals in 2010. Last season, the Cougars traveled to Declo and beat the Hornets 18-15.    

    “It was cold, I remember that,” Drake said.

    Not only is Firth familiar with Declo’s team from that quarterfinal matchup one year ago, but the Cougars spent the previous week preparing for a semifinal opponent, the West Side Pirates, who use a similar grinding, ground-and-pound offensive system.

    “They’re very versatile in what they do,” Drake said, referring to Declo’s Wing-T and double-wing offensive sets. “They get off the ball and hit their blocks well. So we have to tackle well.”

    Against Marsing last week, Declo ran roughshod over the Huskies, accumulating 502 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Kai Garner had 111 yards and two scores, but the leading rusher was 6-foot-1-inch senior running back Jason Gillette. He finished with 133 yards and two touchdowns.

    “They’re a great ball club, well-coached (and) they do a lot of things well,” Drake said. “They get in and out of sets. They’re big. They’re going to be a very formidable opponent for us.”