The Bellevue High School Wolverines, defending Washington State Class 3A state football champions, are seeking the school’s eighth state championship in football and seventh since 2001. The nationally-ranked Wolverines are used to tall tasks as is evident by their trek to Texas in 2009. In 2004, Bellevue knocked the biggest king in football history from its reign, ending Concord (CA) De La Salle’s winning streak at 151 games.

Location: Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue is situated on the East bank of Lake Washington just West of I-405 and less than 10 miles from Husky Stadium, home of the University of Washington Huskies, and Qwest Field, the home of the Seattle Seahawks.

Enrollment: 1,221 students in grades 9-12

District and Class: Bellevue competes in the state’s second-largest classification, 3A, which is limited to schools with enrollments between 919-1,280 students. The state of Washington (which divides schools from 4A-1A) includes 78 schools in 4A (largest classification) and 68 schools in 3A. The KingCo league includes the following 2A/3A schools: Bellevue: Interlake, Juanita, Liberty, Mercer Island, Mt. Si and Sammamish as well as 4A schools: Ballard, Bothell, Eastlake, Garfield, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Newport, Redmond, Roosevelt, Skyline, and Woodinville. The state’s five districts send varying numbers of schools to the playoffs (from 2 to 6). The 16-team bracket in 3A culminated in 2008 at the Tacoma Dome for the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Schwab Tires 3A State Football Championships. What is the difference between 4A and 3A in Washington? In 2008, one of Bellevue’s victories came against Bothell (38-19), a team that advanced the previous two seasons (2006 and 2007) to the 4A state championship game.

State Association: Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. The Tacoma Dome returns as host of the State Football Championships, and will host the WIAA games on December 4-5.

Head Coach: Butch Goncharoff arrived at Bellevue HS in 1995 as an assistant and became the head football coach in the fall of 2000. He has a career mark of 100-8. He collected state titles in 2001, ’02, ’03, ’04, ’06 and ’08. In 2003, the 44-year old Goncharoff became the first coach in Washington state history to win three consecutive state championships and topped that the following year in 2004 by becoming the first coach to win four consecutive championships. In addition to the 39-20 victory over De La Salle in 2004 to end the legendary school’s 151-game winning streak (the Wolverines never punted and rushed for 463 yards), Goncharoff also has a 30-16 win over Long Beach (CA) Poly in 2005 to add to the team’s out-of-state resume. In 2008 the Wolverines earned victories over Central Catholic High School of Oregon and perennial California powerhouse California High School. The Wolverines run the Wing T offense which was brought to Bellevue High School back in 1980 by then head coach Dwaine Hatch. Two of Coach Hatch’s former assistants are still on the staff to this day. Coach Hatch is now coaching professionally in Italy and his team has won the last three Italian “Super Bowls”.

Nickname: Wolverines

Colors: Blue and Gold

Home Stadium: Bellevue Memorial Stadium

Motto: None

2009 Opener: Prior to its trip to Katy, Bellevue will open its 2009 slate against ….

2008 Record: 13-0 as Class 3A state champions. Bellevue’s road to the 2008 state championship included a near tragedy hours before its scheduled semifinal game when a charter bus carrying 38 people, most of them members of the football team, overturned on its side on Interstate 5. The bus was one of two buses carrying coaches (including head coach Butch Goncharoff and assistant head coach Pat Jones), players and others to the Tacoma Dome, where the Wolverines were scheduled to play Capital High of Olympia. Eight people were transferred to hospitals from the accident, including six football players. The game was rescheduled for the following Monday, and Bellevue won 28-6.

History: The only game that kept Bellevue from winning the 2007 state championship was a 27-17 loss to O’Dea in the 3A state semifinals. Skyline, which was elevated to 4A after the 2007 season, came back to defeat O’Dea 42-35 for the 3A title that same year. Bellevue won its first state title in 1983, at the Class 4A level under then head coach Dwaine Hatch. Current assistant coaches Pat Jones and Neil Buckmaster were also coaches on that 1983 State Championship team.

Pipeline: The latest star is strong safety Jamal Atofau, who signed in February with Washington State University where he will reunite with former Wolverine Eric Block. J.R. Hasty, son of former NFL defensive back James Hasty, played at Bellevue and is at Central Washington after transferring from the University of Washington. Hasty rushed for 5,493 career yards, a KingCo Conference record, and scored 92 career touchdowns, third most in state history. Hasty ran for 2,519 yards as a senior, fifth most in state history, and scored a state-record 50 touchdowns as a senior at Bellevue. Parade Magazine All-American offensive lineman Stephen Schilling is approaching his third season as a starter at the University of Michigan. Linebacker EJ Savannah will be playing his senior year this fall for the University of Washington.

Offensive Firepower: Bellevue’s Wing-T offense can cause opponents fits. Less than 20 percent of high schools nationwide run this offense. In these days of the spread offense and throwing the football every down, the Wing T offense relies on faking, smart offensive lineman and the play action pass. Leaders in the backfield are coached by Lane Johnson and include a tandem of senior running backs including Will Fields, Freddie Levine, Sean Coley and David Nguyen. Bellevue’s offensive line returns a veteran group according to assistant head coach and lineman coach Pat Jones. Hank Thayer, Julious Moore, Sam Kenney, Jake Hiller, Connor Abramson, Nick Moyer, Marcus Henry and John Kanongataa all started multiple games last season and return this fall to power the offense. Quarterbacks coach Mike Fouts returns two outstanding quarterbacks in Jo Jo Conner and Kendrick Van Ackeren, both of whom started on either offense or defense last year. Receivers coach Jeff Razore returns this year to work with all league standout Brayden Van Ackeren and the rest of the Wolverines receiving corp.

Defensive Firepower: Defensively, the Wolverine’s focus on fundamentals is readily apparent. Defensive Coordinator Wes Warren utilizes both a 3 and 4 down lineman defense which relies on smart, quick linebackers. Former NFL stars Paul Moyer and Rick Gervais coach the secondary and alumni Lee Driftmier, a member of the 2001 and 2002 state championship teams, coaches the linebackers. Linebacker John Kanongataa and defensive lineman Julious Moore will be expected to anchor the Wolverine’s defense this year.

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