Firth senior Mitch Orme has more uses than a Swiss Army knife. Coach Keith Drake and the Cougars took full advantage, unleashing their ultimate weapon all over the field. And whether he was slicing through opposing defenses or locking down opponents’ best receivers, Orme left little doubt who was the best player between the sidelines every Friday night.

“What’s great about Mitch is that he does so many things so well,” Drake said. “Whether you need someone to tackle, cover, blitz, run, throw or catch, Mitch does it all as well or better than anybody.”

A sampling of Orme’s eye-popping statistics backs up his coach’s praise. As a running back, Orme racked up 1,417 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 11.2 yards per carry. He added another 965 yards and 13 TDs as a receiver and threw for 166 yards and four TDs as a wildcat quarterback. Defensively, he contributed 60 tackles, two sacks and 12 interceptions. He returned four of those picks for scores and, for good measure, returned two punts and a kickoff for TDs.

“It was a blast,” Orme said. “I got to be on the field pretty much the whole game. But I think when I look back on it, what I’ll remember most is how close we were as a team. We were like brothers, and we pushed each other to succeed.”

Orme was so good that opponents built entire game plans predicated on slowing him down. Orme still did his damage while simultaneously creating space and opportunities for his teammates to shine.

“Mitch is so fast and elusive when he gets the ball in space, everyone has to load up to stop him,” Drake said. “That was a key to our season, because it gave our other kids a chance to make plays.”

Orme plans to serve a two-year LDS mission after graduation, but he hopes to continue his football career afterward. He said he has no official offers, but is “looking for a school to play for.”