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Dietrich High School capped off its flawless season Saturday afternoon with a ferocious comeback win, beating fellow undefeated foe Carey in the 1A DII state championship game 34-28 down in Twin Falls.

The Blue Devils (11-0) finished off a dominant playoff run that saw them win by margins of 52, 18 and 64 as they cruised to the state championship and a matchup against a Carey squad that had a similarly dominant playoff run.

“I don’t even know how to explain the feeling,” Dietrich Head Coach Rick Astle said. “I’ll probably wake up in the morning and try to remember if we actually won or not. It’s just awesome. It’s awesome.”

With Dietrich trailing 22-6 after a turnover-plagued first half, the Blue Devils received the opening kickoff of the second half. Staring a state championship loss in the eyes, one thing was pretty clear: Dietrich had to score and start chipping away at Carey’s lead before it was too late.

“I told them [at halftime] ‘Guys, this is huge’,” Astle said. “We get the ball and you have to score the first drive so we can set the tone. We were on our heels a little bit, but we get the ball [first] in the second half and now we have to go get in the end zone.”

And that’s just what the Blue Devils did. Dietrich marched down the field on the opening possession of the second half, and senior quarterback Brady Power capped off the drive with a goal-line quarterback sneak touchdown to cut the deficit to 22-14.

After forcing a Carey punt, Power and company went right back to work. Another long drive down the field, and this time Power found his younger brother, Cody, on a 24-yard strike down the middle of the field for a touchdown that cut the deficit down to just two points, 22-20.

A few minutes into the fourth quarter the Blue Devils finally completed their comeback. Power found junior receiver Jett Shaw in the end zone for a 21-yard score that gave Dietrich a 28-22 lead it never relinquished.

Dietrich tacked on an insurance score soon after when senior running back Wes Shaw scampered in from 10 yards out to pad the Blue Devils’ lead to 34-22.

Shaw’s score proved to be the game-winner, as Carey fought back 'til the very end. With less than 90 seconds to go, Panthers senior quarterback Hunter Smith scored on a one-yard keeper.

Without Shaw’s insurance, a 28-28 deadlock would’ve likely sent the game to a winner-take-all overtime.

“We felt like we were in a flow and we didn’t want to change anything,” Astle said. “We need to get a two-score lead because you know Carey, they’re good. We have to get this lead to two scores and it’s a good thing we did.”

Carey had set the tone early when Smith took a keeper around right end, breaking a tackle and outrunning the whole Dietrich defense down the sideline and into the end zone. Smith found senior running back Dallin Parke for the two-point conversion soon after and Casey took an 8-0 lead.

But the Blue Devils initially answered right back, scoring on their first possession of the game and setting the tone for a shootout.

The Power brother connection hooked up for Dietrich’s first score when Cody took a screen pass deep in Blue Devils territory 76 yards to the house.

Dietrich forced Carey into a fourth-and-long scenario, but Smith found Parke for a 16-yard completion and a first down. Just a couple plays later the duo connected again, this time on a 15-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-6 lead.

Carey added another score before halftime, but once the first half clock hit zeros it was all Dietrich from there on as the Blue Devils secured their first state championship in school history and denied the Panthers an opportunity for their third in the last four years.

“What a well-fought game from both said,” Astle said.