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state champions again!! Bellevue defeats Yelm 14-0 at Husky Stadium!!


State Champions !! Bellevue defeat Yelm 14-0 in a commanding performance!!


Max Preps Recap - Bellevue vs Yelm Championship Final

Bellevue defeats O'Dea Fighting Irish 21-17 and is heading to the 3A state final vs Yelm this Friday at Husky Stadium!!


Bellevue emerges from matchup of 3A heavyweights with 21-17 WIAA semifinal win over O'Dea


Bellevue vs O'Dea - Max Preps Recap


Bryce Smith interview, game highlights of Bellevue win over Arlington

Bellevue ends Arlington's perfect season, reaches WIAA 3A football semifinals

Sixth-seeded Wolverines give up first touchdown, then scored 21 unanswered points in 35-17 Class 3A victory

ARLINGTON, Wash. - For the 17th time in program history, Bellevue High School is headed to the WIAA football semifinals.

The sixth-seeded Wolverines handed third-seeded Arlington its first loss of the season in a 35-17 win Saturday afternoon.

Arlington struck first, but Bellevue rattled off 21 unanswered points in response before halftime. The Wolverines took a 21-11 lead to half and tacked on two more scores in the second half.

All five Bellevue touchdowns were scored by different players. Four came on runs by Blake Teets (5 yards), Bryce Smith (42 yards), Max Jones (13 yards) and Carson Rubin (11 yards). Quarterback Lucas Razore connected with Colin Miller for a 34-yard passing score.

Bellevue moves on to next week’s semifinal round where it will play second-seeded O’Dea.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

BELLEVUE FINDS A WAY TO SHUT DOWN ARLINGTON OFFENSE

Coming into the game, Bellevue coach Michael Kneip and the rest of his team knew how electric Arlington's offense could be.

The Eagles had scored at least 35 points in every game coming into their contest with the Wolverines, but outside of Arlington's first touchdown early in the game and a field goal, Bellevue kept the Eagles off the scoreboard until the end of the game.

"We just wanted to play physical – they're a good football team," Kneip said. "They're an awesome football team, they score a lot of points, but our defense is really good."

FIVE DIFFERENT PLAYERS SCORE FOR BELLEVUE

Every time the Wolverines found the end zone, it was a different player than the touchdown before.

Playing with five or six different running backs will allow that to happen, but that kind of depth in the postseason could be what keeps Bellevue chugging right along.

"We're really dynamic and our coaches have always done a great job," he said. "We spread the wealth and were able to play some (more) guys in the backfield."

BELLEVUE PUTS NAIL IN COFFIN...IN THIRD QUARTER?

Up by 16 points late in the third quarter, the Wolverines were facing a fourth-and-one from their own 10-yard line.

After initially lining up to punt, Bellevue opted to put the offense back out on the field and go for it deep in its own territory. The Wolverines picked up the first down and eventually scored on the drive, pushing their lead to three scores and put a grim outlook on the game for Arlington.

"We just trust our o-line and trust our running backs," Kneip said. "We knew what we had and had the look we wanted to get. I think if you can't get one yard you don't deserve to win the football game."

Bellevue piles on the points - Max Prep Recap

The Bellevue Wolverines entered their tilt with the Mountlake Terrace Hawks with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. Bellevue took their game at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 49-7 victory over Mountlake Terrace. Considering Bellevue has won seven matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Bellevue's victory was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 7-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.8 points per game. As for Mountlake Terrace, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-4 record this season.

Bellevue will be playing in front of their home fans against Monroe at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Washington (Monroe is ranked 33rd, while Bellevue is ranked 24th). Mountlake Terrace does not have any more games scheduled as of now.

Bellevue vs Hazen Game Recap on Max Preps

Bellevue Hammers Highlanders

With November around the corner, the weather has turned from a temperate Northwest fall to the chillier temperatures of early winter -- or as we like to call it at Bellevue, playoff weather! But before the playoffs can get underway, the Wolverines had one last conference tilt to see to.

As unique a setting as you'll find in the state, the roar of jet engine testing temporarily interrupts warmups to remind you that Renton Memorial Stadium shares a fence with Renton Municipal Airport and a Boeing test facility.  Aside from their senior night festivities, the Highlanders of Hazen had one other special surprise for Bellevue: they'd been running the classic Wing-T all year, and they aimed to beat Bellevue at their own game. 

Unfortunately for the Highlanders, any thoughts of out-Wing-T'ing Bellevue dissolved when senior Cal Zimmerman took the opening kickoff 85 yards for a Wolverine touchdown. The two offenses traded fruitless drives to close out Q1, but Blake Teets scampered 10 yards early in Q2 to extend the Bellevue lead to 14. After that, junior Johnny O'Connor recovered a fumble deep in Highlander territory that turned into a Max Jones TD run, and Lucas Razore completed a 58-yard pass to junior Bryce Smith, making it a 28-0 halftime lead for Bellevue. 

In Q3, junior Matt Reed got in on the action with a 20-yard TD run, and then Hogan Hansen blocked a Hazen punt that Cal Zimmerman recovered in the endzone for another Bellevue score.  Max Jones punched in one more score to start Q4 to put the Wolverines up 49-0 and finish out the game. 

Other top performers for the evening were Leo Ryals and Mathaias Kalepo, who both led the way with 4.5 tackles, Johnny O'Connor with two sacks, and Bryce Smith with 91 yards receiving.  

"Definitely a fun way to end the regular season" said Coach Kneip after the win, "but now the real work starts! One week at a time!"

Congrats to senior QB and three-year starter Lucas Razore on his commitment to play college football at Cal Poly.  

Go Blue!

Bellevue Takes The "Plaid Football" on Senior Night

For the second time in three weeks, the Bellevue Wolverines were active on a Thursday night, this time hosting the Lake Washington Kangs for Senior Night, and the battle for the "Plaid Football".  

What the hell is the "Plaid Football", you ask?  Back in the 1950's, Bellevue business owner Mel Norquist donated a plaid football to the Kirkland-Bellevue Rotary club, to be presented to the winner of the Lake Washington/Bellevue High football game.  The Plaid Football was in service as a trophy for the next two decades, but at some point was lost to time, and is now just a memory to the schools' most tenured alumni. This story comes courtesy of Bruce Bennett (LW, Class of 1960), and seemed appropriate to share in a year celebrating the BHS centennial.

On this particular day, the Kangs would do their alumni proud for approximately one quarter, thanks partially to an exceptional amount of yellow laundry on the field.  But on the first play of Q2, senior JJ Pendergast took an INT to the house, and it was all downhill for the Kangs.  A long drive culminating in a Blake Teets run, a flea flicker from Lucas Razore to Hogan Hansen, and a Lake Washington fumble (recovered by Cal Zimmerman) that turned into another Teets TD, combined for a Q2 onslaught that gave the Wolverines a 28-0 halftime lead. 

In the third, two more quality drives ended in TD runs from Matt Reed and Max Jones, to extend the Bellevue lead to 42.  Some late game heroics from the Kangs (plus a running clock) held Bellevue without a possession in the fourth quarter, but the game was already out of reach, and the JV squad was in. Final score: Bellevue 42, Lake Washington 21. 

Top performers in this year's Plaid game were Tate Hauser with 7.5 tackles, Mathaias Kalepo with a sack, Teets with 87 yards on the ground, Hansen with 71 yards receiving, and Razore with 94 yards passing.                  

Coach Kneip said in the post-game, "A lot to grow from this week.  We had some challenges early on with penalties, and let things get a little crazy at the end, but we just have to keep fighting.  Love these seniors, great night for them."

Congratulations to all Bellevue football, cheer, drill, and band seniors! Happy Senior Night!

The Wolverines have a Week 8 bye, before closing the season at Hazen on 10/27.  Neither Lake Washington nor Hazen were able to field JV teams this year, so Bellevue JV team's resounding win at Juanita this past Monday will serve as the cap for their season.

Go Blue!

Senior Night Game vs Lake Washington - final score 42-21

King 5 Seattle - HS FOOTBALL: JUANITA VS. BELLEVUE

Highlights of Bellevue's 56-7 win over Juanita

Quoth the Raven, Unbeaten No More

A confident and 5-0 Juanita Ravens team paid a visit to Bellevue Memorial Field on Friday night, to defend their 1st place position in Kingco 3A. 

But the Ravens' dreams of ruining the Bellevue homecoming were short-lived.  Ryken Moon started the scoring with a 37-yard TD, before Juanita completed a long pass to set up the equalizer. That score would be the last time Juanita would touch endzone grass, as the defense went into lockdown mode. 

Offensively, the scoring deluge was led by Moon, who added a second TD on the ground, en route to 105 yards on the ground. Blake Teets added his own TD, including 137 yards on the ground and another 22 receiving. Hogan Hansen, Max Jones, and Matt Reed all found the endzone on the ground, and Lucas Razore hit Bryce Smith and Cal Zimmerman for a receiving TD each. 

On defense, Smith and Colin Miller both had INTs, and senior JJ Pendergast led the way with 6.5 tackles. Hogan Hansen and Johnny O'Connor both registered sacks. 

Final score: 56-7, Bellevue. 

"This was probably the most complete game we've played all season," said Coach Kneip, "we're doing a great job of focusing on the challenge of each week, and battling some adversity to find success."

The Wolverines have another TNF-style game in Week 7, hosting the Lake Washington Kangs on Thursday. JV will visit Juanita on Monday. 

Go Blue!

Battle of Bellevue Goes Blue

"Thursday Night Lights" certainly lacks the panache of the Friday variant, but the Wolverines of Bellevue were ready for a brawl nonetheless!  The short drive down Richards Road might have taken more time than it took for BHS to get a comfortable lead. 

Two pass TDs -- one from Lucas Razore to Hogan Hansen, the other from Razore to Bryce Smith -- and a Smith punt return TD had the Wolverines out fast, 21-0 in Q1.  A Blake Teets TD in the second helped Bellevue to a 28-0 halftime lead.   

In the third quarter, Max Jones got his first TD of the night, and Hansen added his own TD on the ground, sealing a 42-14 Bellevue win. 

Other leaders were Ryken Moon with 7.5 tackles (including 3.5 for loss), and junior Demetri Manning with a sack. Offensively, Jones led on the ground with 65 yards, Hansen had 45 receiving, and Razore was a perfect 4 for 4 for 79 yards passing. Bryce Smith led all Wolverines with 100 all-purpose yards. 

Coach Kneip said after the game, "Super proud of these men, they're working hard every week to get better, which is all we can ask.  Our goal every week should be to get the young guys in, in the second half, and we did that tonight."

BHS will host the undefeated Juanita Ravens for homecoming next week, while JV has a week off after last week's 27-14 win at Mount Si.

Go Blue!

King 5 Seattle - HS FOOTBALL: MERCER ISLAND VS. BELLEVUE

Highlights of Bellevue's 56-21 win over Mercer Island

Bellevue Salts Away Snails

A highlight of any sports season at Bellevue High is the annual rivalry game with the school across the East Channel Bridge.  

On a clear night, it was a work of athletic art under the lights, as Bellevue took the field in all black, with Mercer Island wearing head-to-toe white. Unfortunately for our island-dwelling neighbors, the uniform combo would be the only good looks they got all night.  

While the Islanders hung tough for the first quarter, it was short lived, and they ultimately had to hunker down and weather the barrage. Scoring started with a short TD run by Max Jones, then came a 27-yard fleaflicker from Lucas Razore to a wide-open Colin Miller, a 46-yard run by Blake Teets, a 10-yard TD pass from Razore to Jackson Downs, and a 15-yard pass from Razore to Hogan Hansen, giving the Wolverines a 35-7 halftime lead. 

In the third quarter, Teets and Jones both added short TDs, before letting the JV take over and score a TD of their own (a 48-yard run by sophomore Trevin King), finishing off MI 56-21. 

Coach Kneip was short and sweet in the postgame, "Awesome night all around! Love to see the young guys find some success, we can't wait for next week!" 

Stat leaders for the defense were Leo Ryals (5.5 tackles), sophomore Mathaias Kalepo (1 sack), and Colin Miller (1 INT).  For the offense, Teets led the backfield with 166 yards, Hansen led receiving yards with 31, and Razore notched 70 in the air.

In Week 5, BHS heads to Newport for a Thursday night game, while the JV visits Mount Si following their 20-7 win against Liberty. 

Go Blue!

Wolverines Pummel Pats, Get Back on Track

Bellevue kicked off Kingco league play this past Friday night with a trip down to Renton, to visit the Liberty Patriots. 

Hungry for their first win after an intense week of practice, the Wolverines met strong initial resistance from a disciplined Liberty squad.  The two teams went back and forth, stalemating the first quarter of play; but as Q2 was winding down, the Wolverines capped a long drive with an 11-yard Blake Teets TD run, to take a 7-0 lead to half. 

At halftime, it was the seniors who lit a fire under the team, and that was all she wrote.  The Wolverines came out with a fury, and added three rushing scores from sophomore Max Jones, and another from Lucas Razore.  The defense kept the clamps on, and Bellevue chugged to a strong finish, 35-7.  Top performers for the night were Max Jones, with a massive 268-yard night on the ground, complimented by Blake Teets' own 100-yard night, and 7 tackles from Ryken Moon on defense.   

"Tonight was all about the seniors" said Coach Kneip after the game, "we put it all in their hands this week, let them dictate the direction this team would go, and they answered the call." 

The Wolverines will work to get back to .500 in Week 4, when they host the Mercer Island Islanders. 

The JV will get their shot at Liberty this Monday, after opening their season with a 39-28 loss at Eastlake.   

Go Blue!

Bellevue Falls to Lake Stevens in Stunning Comeback

Following a challenging Week 1 trip to play 6A Oregon powerhouse, Central Catholic, in Portland, the Wolverines hosted the reigning 4A State Champion Lake Stevens Vikings. 

Right out of the gate, the Boys in Blue looked ready to roll, racking up a 28-7 halftime lead on the shoulders of stifling defensive play and three Carson Rubin touchdowns (plus a fourth in the air, from Lucas Razore to Cal Zimmerman).

To quote Don McLean, the halftime air was sweet perfume for the Bellevue faithful, but the visiting Vikings and storied Washington high school coach Tom Tri had plenty of fight left (if only we could blame the marching band).  Lake Stevens scored on their opening drive of the third quarter -- thanks to several drive-extending penalties -- starting a landslide of scoring that would go unchecked for a quarter and a half.  

Despite the flurry of Lake Stevens points, Senior kicker Luke Scoma converted a 28-yard field goal to give Bellevue a 31-26 fourth quarter lead. That drive, however, would be answered with a touchdown from the Vikings, ultimately giving the Vikings a 34-31 win.  

Coach Kneip said of the loss, "We have to learn how to be finishers. We can't go out and put a good half of football together and expect great teams to just lay down. It's a huge improvement from last week, but we had too many penalties and too many small mental mistakes again. It continues to be on us as coaches. The standard has to be the standard."

Stat leaders included senior Tate Hauser with 6.5 tackles and senior Cal Zimmerman with two interceptions, plus freshman Diego Lewis and junior Johnny O'Connor each registered a sack. Offensively, Carson Rubin led the rushing attack with 225 yards, while Lucas Razore surpassed 100 yards in the air, Ryken Moon had 98 all-purpose yards, senior Hogan Hansen led the team with 61 receiving yards, and junior Bryce Smith shimmied and shook his way to 92 return yards. 

Bellevue kicks off Kingco 3A league play next Friday at Liberty, and the JV team will be active this coming Monday when they visit Eastlake.

Go Blue!

Wolverines Fall Short in Rose City 

With a long offseason of preparation under their belts, Coach Kneip and the Wolverines headed south to Portland, to face the 6A Rams of Central Catholic. 

It wasn't the 95-degrees that was forecast earlier in the week, but when the BHS football team took the field at Hillsboro Stadium for their first game of the season, it was a toasty mid-80s.  The Wolverines started off blazing in the midday heat, capping their opening drive with a TD pass from Lucas Razore to fellow-senior Hogan Hansen, and kicking off an afternoon that would feature almost 1,000 yards of combined offense.

On the Bellevue side, senior Carson Rubin and junior Matt Reed both passed the century mark rushing, with TDs coming from Rubin, senior Jackson Downs, and junior Bryce Smith.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep up with the over 540 yards that the CC offense and their senior QB Cru Newman amassed, and BHS fell 48-27.  Other standouts from the game were senior Leo Ryals who had a sack and 11 tackles, and junior Ryken Moon who collected 163 all-purpose yards between his RB and return duties.     

After the game, Coach Kneip said, "Central Catholic is a really strong team, and we didn't bring our A-game today.  We lost the turnover battle and made too many small mistakes.  This team has to thrive on the details, and we missed the mark today, and that starts with us coaches. We'll learn and get better from it though, I promise you that!"

The Wolverines were minus-3 in the turnover column for the day.

No rest for the weary -- Bellevue will host the defending 4A State Champion Lake Stevens Vikings next Friday. 

Go Blue!

2022 Season Archives

SBLive's 2022 All-State High School Football Team (Scoma & Kruger)

Placekicker: Luke Scoma, Bellevue, jr. (3A)

Emerging D1 prospect was big in 3A playoffs with perfect onside kick, game-winning 44-yard field goal to beat Lincoln. Also had 35 touchbacks on kickoffs in 2021.

Linebacker: George Kruger, Bellevue, sr. (3A)

Not the biggest guy around, but his sideline-to-sideline pursuit and steady tackling garnered back-to-back seasons as 3A KingCo defensive MVP.

Yelm goes length of field to end Bellevue's state championship reign, 28-27

Tornados drive 94 yards on 16 plays, capped by Damian Aalona's 1-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown, to win action-packed Class 3A semifinal game at Art Crate Field

VIDEO Game Highlights from Lincoln Playoff Game, 3A Quarterfinal

Amazing game and ending for Bellevue Wolverines, Great highlight video Luke Scoma wins it for Bellevue with his 43-yard field goal in Wolverines' 22-20 win over Lincoln of Tacoma in Class 3A quarterfinals.

Onside kick with less than 2 minutes to go to setup Scoma winning field goal

Onside kick with less than 2 minutes to go to setup Scoma winning field goal (Photo credit - Pete Caster / The News Tribune)

With Bellevue in need of a season-saving spark, Luke Scoma delivers - with his foot

Luke Scoma converts a must-have onside kick, then boots the game-winning field goal in the reigning Class 3A champions' 22-20 state quarterfinal victory over Gabarri Johnson-led Lincoln of Tacoma

Photo - Pete Caster / The News Tribune

Photo - Pete Caster / The News Tribune


A cadre of Lincoln defenders take down Bellevue running back Blake Tests during the first quarter of a Class 3A state quarterfinal game on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at the Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma, Wash. PETE CASTER Pete Caster / The News Tribune Read more

Bellevue tops 400 yards rushing to beat Mead in 3A state football playoffs

The No. 5 seeded Wolverines (8-2) walloped No. 12 Mead in the first round of the Class 3A state football playoffs 41-10 as Bellevue rode its potent rushing attack to a dominant victory that puts it just two wins from their second consecutive state championship game appearance.

CROSSOVER WEEK: STORM’S A BREWIN’

Under ominous clouds and heavy winds, the Wolverines took the field in their electric yellow uniforms, to face the visiting Snohomish Panthers in a Week 10 crossover game. 

Unfazed by the less than hospitable conditions, the Wolverine ground game got to work against a stout Panther defense. In their opening possession, Carson Rubin zigged and zagged, dicing the defense with a 29-yard touchdown run.  On BHS’s ensuing possession, junior QB Lucas Razore found Ishaan Daniels in the flat, and Daniels scampered 30 yards for the Bellevue score. 

The second quarter was the Carson Rubin Show, as he added 10- and 35-yard TD runs, and even a two-point conversion, helping the Wolverines take a 26-6 lead to the locker room. 

After the half, the BHS offense really got rolling, including a 44-yard TD run from junior Blake Teets, a 24-yard TD run from sophomore Ryken Moon, and a screen pass from Razore that junior Cal Zimmerman took 21 yards to pay dirt.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, Kaden Matsudaira was featured in a long drive, culminating in a 3-yard TD run to put an exclamation point on the game. Final score: Wolverines 53, Panthers 12. 

“We love the playoffs”, Coach Kneip said postgame, “this is the best time of the year, and we’re ready to get after it!”

Bellevue will host Mead High School in the 3A Round of 16, this Saturday at Noon.

Bellevue junior Cal Zimmerman (#8) scores a touchdown as Snohomish seniors Miles Lamb (#8) and Easton Leonard (#24) attempt to tackle. November 4, 2022. Courtesy of Stephanie Ault Justus.

Bellevue junior Cal Zimmerman (#8) scores a touchdown as Snohomish seniors Miles Lamb (#8) and Easton Leonard (#24) attempt to tackle. November 4, 2022. Courtesy of Stephanie Ault Justus.

SPOOKY NIGHT FOR HIGHLANDERS AT BHS

On the eve of a Halloween weekend, the Bellevue faithful showed up in droves (and costumes) to  celebrate another fantastic class of Bellevue High seniors. With the pregame celebrations and hugs finished, the Wolverines wasted no time getting down to business. 

 

Just one play into Hazen’s opening drive, senior Joel Schneider made an acrobatic interception, which moments later led to a sight that’s become the terror of KingCo 3A: an Ishaan Daniels long run and touchdown — this time from 63 yards. The defense continued their stifling business, while the offense added a 27-yard Lucas Razore-to-Hogan Hansen TD, and a 39-yard Daniels TD run, leading to a comfortable first quarter lead. 

 

In the second quarter, junior Carson Rubin got on the board with an thrilling 80 TD run, Razore completed his second TD pass of the day (once again to Hansen, of course), and senior DB Caymus Rooney took an interception 40 yards to the house.  All told, a 42-0 first half lead. 

 

In the second half, the Highlanders were haunted by a flurry of big plays on special teams and defense, by the Wolverines. Sophomore Ryken Moon took the opening kickoff back for a TD, junior Colin Miller had an interception, junior Luke Soma added a field goal, and junior Cal Zimmerman had his own pick-6.  Final score, 59-0, BHS.

 

Coach Kneip said, after the game, “What an awesome night to celebrate a group of guys who have given so much to this program! I’m so happy and proud of all of them. Now we have to keep the focus going next week for playoffs.”

 

The Wolverines will face Snohomish High School, at home this Friday, in the Week 10 Crossover round.

KING OF KANGS

Voted as the KING 5 Sports “Big Game of the Week”, the 4-2 Wolverines once again headed north on 405 for a KingCo 3A showdown, this time with the 4-1 Lake Washington Kangs. 

 

With the pregame pageantry and TV interviews done, the Wolverines got to work making the “Big Game” a big blowout. Junior Carson Rubin was the first to take the spotlight — two long runs and two TDs got BHS on the board in Q1. In Q2, senior Ishaan Daniels added his own long TD run, and quarterback Lucas Razore added not one, but two, TD passes to fellow junior Blake Teets (one for 19 yards, one for 43). An interception by Caymus Rooney sealed the first half, 34-7 in favor of Bellevue.

 

The second half saw more of the same stingy Wolverine defense, and scores being added by another long Daniels’ run, and a 30-yard TD connection from Razore to junior TE, Hogan Hansen. Final score: 48-14, Bellevue. 

 

In the post-game interview, Coach Kneip told KING5, “It’s really fun to come out here in this great environment, packed house, they’re a great football team. Our guys played pretty well, it’s just about getting better.”

 

Then, on Monday, the LW JV made the opposite trip, visiting BHS.  Following the varsity’s team lead from Friday night, the Wolverine JV got things going quickly with several big runs by sophomore Matt Reed, and the race was on. Sophomore Ollie Sharp, and freshmen Max Jones also found the end zone, en route to a 46-7 Bellevue win, capping their first JV tour in years. Coach Salonen said, “We feel incredibly lucky to have the numbers to support a JV program this year, we love seeing the additional reps these players are getting, and the improvement that comes with those reps.” 

 

Bellevue will be on bye this week, ahead of a Week 9 home game against Hazen to finish off the regular season.

SATURDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT

Thanks to state-wide referee shortages, the Wolverines had to reschedule their weekly Friday night appointment to Saturday.  Unphased by the change, the boys loaded up the busses on Saturday evening, and headed north to Juanita High School in Kirkland.

The Wolverines got off to their usual fast start, with a whopping three rushing touchdowns from Ishaan Daniels, another from Carson Rubin, and a passing TD from Lucas Razore to Hogan Hansen. The deluge culminated in a 34-0 halftime lead for BHS. Daniels got the second half rolling with his fourth house call of the game, and Luke Scoma added a late field goal to give the Wolverines a 44-13 win. Coach Kneip on the game, “We had a great, physical week of practice, and it really paid off. Now we need to do it again! Brick by brick!”

 

The following Monday, the Bellevue JV had their first home game of the season, hosting Juanita. On the first play from scrimmage, freshman Max Jones took a handoff 65 yards to the house, and the JV squad never looked back. Touchdowns from Sharp, Jones, Reed, and freshman Trevin King kept the Bellevue offense on top, for a 49-22 win. 

Next week, both teams face a tough and up-and-coming Lake Washington team — Varsity on Friday at LW (7pm), JV on Monday at home (7pm)

HAPPY HOMECOMING

Dinner and dancing may have been the order of the day on Saturday, but on Friday night, Wolverine students packed the stands to see the Bellevue High football team demolish their crosstown rival Newport Knights. The Wolverines found paydirt early and often, ending the first quarter with a 28–0 lead, eventually taking a 35-0 lead to half. 

The second half once again belonged to the youngsters and up-and-comers, who finished strong to the tune of a 56-14 victory. 

Coach Kneip said after the victory, “Amazing atmosphere tonight!! We love to see the kids have fun and play ball. Plenty of things we need to clean up for next week, though. Back to work tomorrow!”

 

Touchdowns by Daniels, Hansen, Rubin, Moon, Smith, and Matsudaira. 

Then, on Monday, the JV took the field north of the lake, against the Bothell Cougars. I’m typical Bellevue fashion, the JV Wolverines matched Bothell’s two big plays with long, methodical drives and stifling defense.

Final score: 20-14, bringing the JV to 1-1. 

 

Varsity takes the field this Saturday (10/8) at Juanita, at 7pm, while the JV will face Juanita at home the following Monday.

WOLVERINES ENJOY ESCARGOT

Have no fear, Bellevue Faithful, the East Channel Bridge rivalry is very much alive. Due to state-wide ref shortages, the Wolverines’ trip to “the jungle” at Mercer Island High School was moved from Friday night to Thursday. Despite the short week, the Wolverines came out fast against a spirited Islander squad, thanks to TDs from Ishaan Daniels, Carson Rubin, and Kaden Matsudaira, culminating in a 35-0 halftime lead. 

 

In the second half, Bellevue let their young guns get a taste of the MI rivalry under the big lights, and played out the remainder of the game under a running clock.  Final score 42-0.

The Wolverines will look to keep extend their conference win streak next week, at home, against the Knights of Newport. It should be a Homecoming to remember!

BACK ON TRACK! BELLEVUE REBOUNDS AT HOME VS LIBERTY

After two rigorous non-conference games, Bellevue kicked off KingCo 3A conference play this past Friday night against Liberty High School of Renton. The western-themed student section brought the energy all night, and the Wolverines did not disappoint.  On the shoulders of some hard running by junior Carson Rubin and sophomore Ryken Moon, a long reception by senior Ishaan Daniels, and a heaping helping of stingy defense, Bellevue took a 47-7 lead to the locker room at half time.  The second half would be spent in running clock, ending in a final of 54-13. Coach Kneip said after the game, “great to see our men get out and have fun tonight, energy on the sidelines was awesome. Lots of work to be done to get where we want to be, though. Brick by brick!”

 

After their work in the back half of the Friday night game, the Bellevue JV made the Monday drive to the Sammamish Plateau, to face off against KingCo 4A opponent Eastlake Wolves. A talented Wolves team got out to a very fast start and never looked back, and the Wolverines found themselves on the wrong end of a running clock in the second half. Final score, 49-6, Eastlake. JV Head Coach Danny Salonen was upbeat after the game, “we never like to lose games like this, there are plenty of fundamentals on both sides of the ball that need cleaning up, but I can’t imagine a better opportunity for our young guys and newer players to play a ton of football. I’m already excited for next week.”  JV plays at Lake Washington on Monday 9/26.

2022 3A Football Bracket

2022 3A Football Bracket

TOUGH START FOR WOLVERINES AGAINST TOP RANKED OPPONENTS

After starting the season in Sports Illustrated’s SB Live Top 25, the Wolverines found themselves on the wrong end of two tightly contested losses to start their 2022 campaign. 

The first loss came at the hands of back-to-back Oregon 6A state champions, Central Catholic, on a field goal as time expired, which gave CCHS the first lead they’d had since early in the second quarter. Of the 24-23 loss, Coach Kneip said, “They’re a really, really well-coached, high quality program. These are the kinds of challenges we look for.”

Then, this past Friday, the Wolverines made the long drive up to Lake Stevens High School, home of the preseason 4A #1 Vikings. It was a back and forth affair from the beginning that saw the Wolverines take a 21-17 lead into the locker room at halftime. But Notre Dame-bound RB Jayden Limar led a second half comeback, eventually closing the game out 37-28. After the game, Coach Kneip said, “Our job is to put our kids in the best position to win a state championship, and that means challenging ourselves against the best opponents we can possibly find for our non-conference games.”

In both games, seniors Ishaan Daniels and George Kruger were standouts,

The Wolverines will look to build on their learning from week 1 and 2 as they start KingCo 3A conference play against Liberty High School this Friday.

New coaching staff of young alumni lead Bellevue back to state football championship glory

The Bellevue grads on staff are Jake Hiller (2010, offensive line coach), Morgann Richey (2014, offensive line), Ryan Gilbert (2015, defensive backs), Jack Michael (2015, defensive backs), Matt Gilbert (2012, defensive coordinator), AJ Kneip (2016, offensive line/strength coach), Miles Carlson (2016, defensive back), Quinn Sullivan (2018, linebackers), Joe Razore (1997, offensive coordinator), Cam Johnson (1999, wide receivers), Peter Nguyen (2009, wide receivers) and Jojo Connor (2010, quarterbacks).

2021 - Back on top: Bellevue beats Kennewick to win 3A state title behind William Wang’s 243 yards

Senior running back William Wang rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns to lead Bellevue to a 3A state championship win over Kennewick on Saturday afternoon at Sparks Stadium. Wang’s 64-yard burst up the middle with four minutes left gave the top-seeded Wolverines (14-0) the winning margin. The win marks a return to the top for a former state juggernaut that won eight state championships from 2001 to 2011.

Former UW Lineman Is Lead Blocker in Returning Bellevue High to Prominence