Bellevue High School Football Opens Season in California

The football program has become a nationally known over the last decade, constantly appearing in national top-50 polls and winning eight Washington State 3A titles since 2001.

In 2011, the Wolverines will be testing their mettle early and starting the season against a difficult out-of-state opponent.

Bellevue opens the season on September 3 in Mission Viejo against Oaks Christian School of California. Oaks Christian has a history of playing Washington State powerhouses, most recently facing off against Skyline in 2009 in Sammamish. That game featured two future Washington Huskies in quarterback Nick Montana and offensive lineman Erik Kohler.

The two teams have a national reputation. Oaks Christian is ranked 13th and Bellevue is ranked 22nd in the USA Today Super 25 Football rankings.

The Wolverines are coming off their third straight 3A state title, which was won in impressive fashion last season, with Bellevue surrendering only 21 points in the four games it took to take the state title. However, Bellevue lost several key players from that team, including quarterback/safety Kendrick Van Ackeren and the top rusher from 2010, Latrelle Dukes.

Oaks Christian is coming off an equally impressive season, in which it went 12-2 and captured the Southern Sectional title in California. The Lions won their final ten games behind a balanced offense led by quarterback Richie Harrington, who threw for 34 touchdowns. Harrington is now trying to crack the roster at Oregon State, but talented running back Ishmael Adams, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2010, will be back for Oaks Christian.

The schedule gets no easier for Bellevue in its second game of the season. The Wolverines will have to turn around on six days rest to play at 4A powerhouse Skyline on September 9 at 7 pm.