The sixth and final year of crowning a 4A-I football champion in the state is here. Two teams that have etched their names as champions four of  five years previous get to finish out the era.

Canyon del Oro, the defending champ, and Saguaro, which has won three of the five titles contested in the division since it was formed in 2005, meet Saturday afternoon at 3 at Sun Devil Stadium for the right to take home the final trophy.

Canyon del Oro (13-0) brings a 27-game winning streak to the contest and hopes to complete a second-straight unbeaten season led by standout running back Ka'Deem Carey. Two of those 27 wins are against Saguaro -- 44-0 last year and 33-25 back in early October -- in a game where each was the better team for a half.

Saguaro (11-2), paced by dual-threat quarterback Teddy Ruben and 4,600-yard rushing and passing totals, wants the title back it held three years running (2006-2008). Saguaro has won its past eight games.

Canyon del Oro got the biggest scare to its current 27-game streak last week when Cienega held a 24-14 lead with under four minutes left that the Dorados miraculously managed to win, 28-24.

"We are fortunate to be here," Canyon del Oro coach Dustin Peace said of the great escape at Tucson High. "But we'll take it. You look at this matchup and No. 1 they have a great quarterback (Ruben). He's so athletic, a great leader. And they have other weapons, too. It's a challenge to our defense. To hear and see the kind of numbers their offense has put up. It's an extra test for us to see if we are the champs."

Saguaro is always in the talk of title contention, but in the middle of the regular season the conversation died down a bit. At 3-2 and a barrage of injuries slowing the Sabercats, they managed to overcome. They got healthier, got back intensity and the chip on their shoulder that normally defines them.

"The last few weeks, we've gotten down to playing Sabercat  football," Ruben said. "Our offense has been good all year . The defense is peaking at the right time. We want to play like we did the second half against them the first time. We can't afford to come out flat in the first half like we did."

Canyon del Oro hasn't gotten the same production out of Carey, who has committed to Arizona, as it got last year. An array of nagging injuries sidelined Carey for about four games of his team's 13 games. The players picking up the slack with Carey missing time has impressed Saguaro coach John Sanders.

"Carey is the best running back I've seen in Arizona the 10 years I've been here," Sanders said. "But they have more than Carey. Their quarterback (Jason McBrayer) is a very good athlete. He's not shy running it, and they have a great tight end (Blake Martinez) to throw to. They have a team with 32 seniors and a lot of them talented. It's no secret why they're here."

Saguaro has been buoyed by the return of two-way starter Brock Haman and running back Danny Clark in recent weeks to strengthen their lineup. Canyon del Oro welcomes back one of its top linebackers in Bobby Henkel. Henkel missed last week with a sprained ankle. Neither team wants to let this title opportunity slip away.

"I said to my teammates, 'Thank you so much for giving me another chance to play a football game'"," Henkel said. "We let down the second half last time and they almost came back. We have this chance and need to go out and win every play to win the game."

Even with all the yardage, accolades and heroic efforts of the season, equalling and surpassing brother Tim's 4,000-yard season in 2008, Teddy Ruben wants one thing more than any other.

"The things our offense has done are good, it feels great to be a part of that," Ruben said. "But my brother (Tim) has what I don't. I want that gold ball. He's got two. I've at least got to get one."