Photo By Kelly Magee - #15 Brady Power
Written by Will Hoenike
The Dietrich Blue Devils lost three football games in 2019. Two of them came to eventual state champion Lighthouse Christian. The third came to runner-up Carey.
The 1A Division 2 Sawtooth Conference has been tough for years.
Lighthouse Christian has moved up a classification to 1A Division 1 this year, but Carey remains, as does Dietrich. And, with Dietrich comes senior quarterback Brady Power. Power was an all-conference selection last fall as well as second-team All-State after a strong junior season.
In the Blue Devils’ two losses against Lighthouse Christian (one in the regular season, one in the playoffs), Power combined for 315 yards passing and four touchdowns along with 270 yards rushing and two touchdowns. That’s nearly 600 yards of offense and six touchdowns against the top team in the classification last season.
The team has some holes to fill with the departure of productive seniors like Raygn Robertson and Payden Zimmers, but returning an experienced quarterback like Power – who earned all-conference recognition at three positions – is a great start. The team also returns all-conference receiver/safety Jett Shaw for the upcoming campaign.
Dietrich averaged more than 43 points per game last fall, including a season-high 70 points in mid-October, and yielded just 21 points per game on defense, including two shutouts. Breaking that number down even further, in the three losses to the state’s elite teams, Dietrich surrendered 45 points per game. Against everyone else? Just over ten points per contest.
With Lighthouse Christian (and Murtaugh) moving up a classification, it creates opportunities for other teams within the Sawtooth to challenge Carey for the top spot. Football is certainly not a one-man sport but, with a playmaker like Power on the roster, Dietrich seems primed to make a run toward the postseason in the 1A Division 2 classification.
Check back with IdahoSports.com for updated Dietrich scores and schedules throughout the season.