MaxPreps Preseason Xcellent 25 team preview: No. 23 Bellevue

Bellevue enters the 2011 season after a 38-0 blanking of Kamiakin in the 3A state finals. The Wolverines return most of their key pieces from a year ago and have some impressive young talent poised to contribute. Head coach Butch Goncharoff has both impressive skill players and mobile linemen with size, a deadly combination in his methodical offense.

Tyler Hasty will take command of the Wolverines' offense. He's fast, athletic, and has great bloodlines, as his older brother J.R. was a star at Bellevue.

He'll be joined by a loaded group of running backs that features 2010 leading rusher Latrell Dukes, Ari Morales, John Nguyen, and Bishard "Budda" Baker, a sophomore who may be the team's fastest player.

The team's offensive line returns three starters, including 6-foot-5, 275-pound Jake Eldrenkamp and equally massive teammate Michael Kneip, both of whom are Division I-caliber players.



Defensively, although Hasty will be a big factor in the secondary, Sean Constantine should be the team's leader. The 6-2, 220-pound junior is already attracting Pac-12 interest and should be a force at linebacker for the Wolverines.

Bellevue will need to replace Marcus Henry on the defensive line as well as Kenderick Van Ackeren in the secondary. Nick Santa (defensive end) and Michael Carlson (safety), both part of Bellevue's stellar junior class, will assume more responsibility.

Despite all of the young talent on this squad, the pieces are in place for Bellevue to have a really strong year. The offense has the potential to be utterly dominant. If the defense plays as well as it did last season, the Wolverines might run the table.

Local look: "Every year the Bellevue football program seems to open the season as the favorite to win Washington's 3A classification and, in eight of the last 10 seasons, Goncharoff's Wolverines have claimed state titles. They have won three straight championships and are the favorites again in 2011 with a stable of talented backs running behind a very good offensive line. Given the nature of high school football, it would only seem natural for a program to have a few down seasons. Not Bellevue. The years go on. Players graduate. The Wolverines keep winning."
- Mason Kelly, Seattle Times

Continue to School Profile
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School size: 3A


Enrollment: 1,400 (approx.)


2010 finish: 13-1, 3A state champions




Head coach: Butch Goncharoff


Career record: 130-12


Years at school: 16 (11 as head coach)


Notable players coached:
OL Stephen Schilling (Michigan, NFL)
OL David DeCastro (Stanford)
RB J.R. Hasty (Washington, Central Washington)

Continue to Key Returners
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No. of returning starters: 9 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:
QB/DB Kenderick Van Ackeren
OL Marcus Henry
RB Myles Jack
LB Elan Richard

Key returners:
QB/DB Tyler Hasty
OL Jake Eldrenkamp
OL Michael Kneip
RB Latrell Dukes
LB Sean Constantine



Key newcomers:
OL Morgan Richey
ATH Bishard Baker




Continue to Season Outlook
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Toughest game: Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.). Bellevue will open the season against a talented Southern California team that has plenty of time to prepare for its complicated offense.

Question mark: Can this team handle the pressure of expectations that it could be one of the best squads in program history?

Local look: Skyline, the only team to beat Bellevue last season, loses all-American Kasen Williams but returns quarterback Max Browne and will be good again. 3A Lakes, which Bellevue beat in the playoffs last season, will be loaded with talent and should be very strong.

Overall outlook: There's no reason this team should not be excellent. Last year, Bellevue was young and got much better as the season went along, steamrolling through the playoffs and winning by an average of more than 38 points each game. Its performance against Oaks Christian may be the best indicator of how this team stacks up nationally in 2011.

Coach quote: "On paper we look pretty good. We have some leadership issues to work out, but we started 12 sophomores last year and won a state championship."
- Butch Goncharoff

Continue to Video of Returning Players
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