DIETRICH, Idaho – After a quarterfinal loss to Kendrick last season, the Dietrich Blue Devils are among the favorites for the 2024 1A football state championship and are also the next team on our Countdown to Kickoff.
After losing only three graduates, Dietrich wants to participate in the state championship for the first time since 2022.
This season, the Blue Devils boast nine older players, which will help them tremendously in the 8-man league, as many schools are forced to play with younger players.
One of those returning seniors is starting quarterback Connor Perkins, who detailed how last season’s experiences make the team even hungrier this year.
“Last year it was kind of heartbreaking not to make it to this game again because we knew we had the talent but we could never put it together. This year is different for us, we are braver and more determined than ever and this is almost our last year to do this so it’s really important for us,” Perkins said.
The Blue Devils’ top priority is to get back on track, but they’ll have to do that under new head coach Garrett Astle, who takes over the program from his father, Rick, who passed away in April. He spoke to KMVT about that transition.
“It was very tough taking over the farm and the head coaching job, but this is where he wanted me. And he told me, ‘Go get those guys a state championship,’ and I said I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. And those guys meant the world to him, so he left big shoes here and I’m going to try to fill them, and we’re being real, we’re trying to make it to the big game,” Astle said.
The Blue Devils will wear a special helmet decal featuring their late head coach Rick Astle’s high school number, 78, in green to raise awareness for kidney disease.
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