Written by: Will Hoenike
It wasn’t that long ago that Garrett Astle was wearing the Dietrich blue uniform, scoring 24 touchdowns as a senior in 2016 en route to first team All-State honors.
Now he’s the program’s head coach, taking over for his cousin, Brody Astle, who took the reins from Rick Astle, Garrett’s father, who guided Dietrich to a football state championship in 2020.
It’s a program that is accustomed to gridiron success – the Blue Devils have reached at least the 1A Division 2 (now 1A) semifinal six times since 2007 – and has reached the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons. Perhaps more impressively, in those eight seasons, against some of the best 8-man football competition they could face, Dietrich has won 14 of 21 playoff games played.
The 2024 crew has the looks of a team that should extend the community’s postseason streak. Astle has the comfort of two returning All-State performers in seniors Connor Perkins and Brody Torgerson. Though both earned the state-wide honor for their play on defense, the two are also dynamic offensive players. Perkins is entering his second season as the team’s quarterback while Torgerson could split time between offensive line and tight end to give the team another weapon when the Blue Devils have the ball. The team also returns junior Wyett Sneddon (RB) and Chase Norman (WR) to the attack and newcomer Eli Weber, a senior, will likely factor into the gameplan as well.
Though the Blue Devils were a playoff team a year ago, the experience and talent at the skill positions should lead to a more consistent offense this fall. In the team’s six wins, Dietrich averaged nearly 52 points per game. In its four losses, that number dropped to under ten, including a shutout loss to eventual state champion Kendrick in the semifinals.
Astle and assistant coach Mike Torgerson are hoping for continued development and growth along both the offensive and the defensive fronts. Junior Jason Hollibaugh figures into both mixes and he’ll team with senior Erick Chavez along the team’s defensive line in front of Torgerson and Sneddon at linebacker. Perkins and Norman will fill roles in the defensive secondary.
The 1A Sawtooth Conference will take on a new look this fall as Hagerman, a playoff team last year, has moved up to the 2A (formerly 1A Division 1) Snake River Conference. Meanwhile, Carey will return to the Sawtooth after playing the last two years in the SRC. The shift essentially replaces one strong program with another with Dietrich hosting its old rival on October 11 when Carey comes to town. The Blue Devils will also host Camas County, the defending conference champion, on September 13.
The format of the 1A playoffs is changing in 2024. Instead of a pre-determined bracket, each of the conference champions will get automatic bids into the playoffs. The other seven spots will be at-large, determined by a mathematical formula produced by MaxPreps.