Written By: Sven Alskog
Residing in a conference where the top two teams played in the state championship game was a reality a year ago for Dietrich, which experienced three of its four losses against Lighthouse Christian and Carey last season.
The Blue Devils have been fairly young for the last two years, something which the teams hopes to reap the rewards of this time around.
“If we are a cohesive unit, we will be good,” said head coach Rick Astle. “The young guys have another year of experience.”
Some of the key returners include running back and linebacker Raygn Robertson, quarterback and safety Brady Power and Payden Zimmers.
Wes Shaw, Felipe Vargas and Jett Shaw were mentioned by the coach as some other players to watch.
“Senneth Hendrix, Wes Shaw, Jett Shaw and Felipe Vargas are all mentally and physically tougher,” added Astle.
On the offensive side of the ball, Astle says that the line of Zimmers, Lester Nance and Jake Hollibaugh should be the strength of the unit.
Defensively, the Blue Devils will rely on quickness to the ball and improvement from each individual player after a strong offseason of weights and conditioning.
There isn’t much question that Dietrich resides in the top 1AD2 conference in the state entering 2019, something which will present plenty of challenges, but also many opportunities. The program will not have to wait long for the tough games to start, with a week one date at defending state champion Carey right out of the chutes.
After a 7-4 season in 2018, the hope is that the program can continue staying towards the top of the conference. Eclipsing Lighthouse Christian and Carey in the standings will not be an easy task, but it is one that Astle and the Blue Devils will embark on starting on August 30.