Ever since Parker Orms was a sophomore, Wheat Ridge coach Reid Kahl has been telling people how good he was on defense.

Back then, Parker's brother, Dylan, was the team's standout quarterback, while Parker's main role was as a safety who hit much harder than a sophomore should.

Now, Parker (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) does it all for the Farmers, who Saturday will try to win their second Class 4A state title in three years, after Dylan helped lead them to the 2006 title. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Parker, who committed to the University of Colorado last week, leads 4A in rushing, with 2,533 yards. He also still is delivering those crown-loosening hits at safety, as well as punting and returning kicks for the unbeaten Farmers (13-0).

"I've known for three years what kind of safety he was, but his offense has really surpassed my expectations," said Kahl, who was in his first year as the Farmers' head coach in 2006.

"He gets us going," said Eric Shannon, who plays wide receiver and defensive back for the Farmers. "He makes huge plays every game, and it is just amazing."

The Farmers will face a Greeley West team making its first appearance in a championship football game. The school opened in 1965, but the Spartans (12-1) never have been able to break through the semifinals until their 49-6 domination of No. 1 seed Pine Creek last week.

"The community and the school are all into this," said Greeley West coach Mark Roggy, who has coached the Spartans for 17 seasons. "It's a terrific honor, especially to play against a team like Wheat Ridge."

The Spartans have several players likely to play at the next level after high school, most notably Gavin Miller, a 6-2, 240-pound inside linebacker who leads Greeley West in tackles this season, with 194.

On offense, the Spartans have three standouts in junior quarterback Sean Blackmer, junior running back Steffen Bunting and 6-4 senior wide receiver Reed Miller. The Spartans offense reminds Kahl of a team with which the Farmers are very familiar.

"They can run and throw and they have a good athlete at quarterback," Kahl said. "I can kind of compare them to Dakota Ridge."

Greeley West's only loss this season was 6-0 to Class 5A Legacy. The Spartans offense has been running at a high level all season, and the fifth-seeded Spartans have absolutely excelled at taking the ball away from opponents in the playoffs. In each of its past two games, Greeley West has collected five turnovers.

"We hope that continues, but we'll just have to get in the game and find out," Roggy said.

The Spartans also will find out if they can do something about Orms, who, with 755 yards rushing, has been a wrecking ball in the postseason.

"He is an exceptional athlete," Roggy said. "It will take our best defensive game to slow him down."

Championship

Greeley West (12-1) vs. Wheat Ridge (13-0)

PLAYOFF ROAD

* First round: Greeley West 27, Littleton 14; Wheat Ridge 59, Rock Canyon 27.

* Quarterfinals: Greeley West 22, Montrose 8; Wheat Ridge 28, Fountain-Fort Carson 13.

* Semifinals: Greeley West 49, Pine Creek 6; Wheat Ridge 21, Dakota Ridge 16.

TROPHY CASE

* Greeley West: This is the first title-game appearance for the school, which opened in 1965.

* Wheat Ridge: The Farmers are 6-0 in state title games. Wheat Ridge won Class 3A titles in 1966, 1967 and 1973 and 4A titles in 1994, 1996 and 2006.

NUMBERS GAME

* Greeley West: It isn't often an unbeaten, top-seeded team loses 49-6 in the state semifinals. But that was how bad the Spartans beat Pine Creek last week, behind 498 yards of total offense. That's the sign of a team playing its best at the most important time of the season.

* Wheat Ridge: Almost all the Farmers play on both sides of the ball, but Charlie Land didn't play quarterback and cornerback full time until the playoffs. Land's four postseason interceptions lead the team, and his contributions have been key to the stout defense.

GAME PLAN

1 Former University of Northern Colorado head coach Kay Dalton calls the plays for Greeley West, and his use of quarterback Sean Blackmer and a running back corps led by Steffen Bunting have kept opponents off-balance all season. If football is like a chess match, the Spartans have a Master calling plays.

2 Farmers defensive end Eric Achatz has 12 sacks this season, and in the semifinals, he tipped a pass that ended a late Dakota Ridge drive. The Spartans will have to contain the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Achatz to allow Blackmer to be effective.

3 Stopping Parker Orms probably is not going to happen, but keeping 4A's leading rusher from breaking free for long runs might. Greeley West can take a page out of the Dakota Ridge defensive playbook. After allowing Orms a 56-yard run on the first play, the Eagles held him to 3 yards or fewer on 18 of his next 37 rushing attempts.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

GREELEY WEST

RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): Steffen Bunting 230-1,962-20; Max Morgan 72-425-13; Sean Blackmer 83-372-7; Brodie Peif 27-142-1.

PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Blackmer 116-208-1,680-14.

RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Reed Miller 49-706-9; Eli Swick 15-297-2; Morgan 17-183-1; Connor Roggy 13-163-0; Bunting 12-149-1.

TACKLES: Gavin Miller 194; Morgan 165; A.J. Frieler 93; Tyler Hornback 81; Peif 78; Eric Wentink 74.

SACKS: Frieler 8; Hornback 6; Alonso Ramirez 6; Wentink 5; Miller 4; Jesus Olguin 4.

INTERCEPTIONS: Erick Ghent 2.

WHEAT RIDGE

RUSHING (Att.-Yds.-TDs): Parker Orms 236-2,533-27; Austin Livingston 58-285-5; Kyle Mews 34-204-3; Taylor Aversano 12-174-2.

PASSING (Cmp.-Att.-Yds.-TDs): Charlie Land 66-103-1,158-18.

RECEIVING (Rec.-Yds.-TDs): Orms 15-260-1; Eric Shannon 14-321-5; Eric Achatz 11-204-4; Aversano 7-79-0.

* Wheat Ridge did not submit defensive statistics this season.

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