When most high school football programs talk about expectations, the discussion is a familiar one.

Coaches and players recite the familiar meme of, “one game at a time,” and the like, keeping the true expectations internal and up for speculation to media and fans.

That is never the case at Bellevue.

Since 2001, the Wolverines have been the measuring stick for 3A football in Washington and in recent years have ascended to the upper echelon nationally in the minds of most pundits.

This year, the goals are eerily similar to recent seasons: beat a heralded out-of-state foe, finish the regular season undefeated, win a fifth straight 3A state title.

“We made a pact freshman year,” senior running back and linebacker Myles Jack said. “We want to make this one of the best teams Bellevue has ever had.”

The Wolverines have what many believe is one of the strongest senior classes during head coach Butch Goncharoff’s tenure, which includes Pac-12 commits Myles Jack (UCLA) and Sean Constantine (Washington) in addition to backfield mainstays John Nguyen and Dakota Jones, playmaking defensive back Michael Carlson and returning lineman Nick Santa, to name a few.

While the Wing-T offense takes most of the praise, the defense has been the defining trait in recent seasons and again boasts a stout front and speedy back seven led by junior Budda Baker and Carlson.

After holding down Oaks Christian, Skyline and Lakes last season en route to a fourth straight state title, the Wolverines have the confidence and experience to replicate last season’s performance.

“They’ve been together a long time,” Goncharoff said, noting that several of this year’s seniors played prominent roles as sophomores en route to a state title in 2010. “They’re all good leaders.”

It will be anything but easy out of the gate, as Bellevue opens the season with a game against Eueless-Trinity (Texas) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Seattle Memorial Stadium. Goncharoff’s group will return to in-state play against Bothell in week two before opening conference play in week three against cross-town Sammamish.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in the non-conference schedule will be breaking in new quarterback Jack Meggs, who saw limited action last season as a backup, including in the win over Mercer Island when Hasty left with an injury.

The son of University of Washington baseball coach Kelly Meggs and an all-league performer on the diamond for the Wolverines, Meggs fits more readily into the traditional Wing-T quarterbacking mold than did the dynamic, explosively athletic Hasty.

How quickly he is able to adjust to starting duties in an offense known for its precision will go a long way in determining the early-season success of the team.

While no current 3A KingCo foe has been unable to earn a win over the Wolverines in the past decade, the league is still viewed as one of the most consistent in the state and will provide a host of difficult tests, including a visit from Mount Si.

But if Bellevue can avoid more injuries to critical pieces- running back Ari Morales has already been lost for the year- there is little doubt they will be on the way to another KingCo title and fifth straight state championship, a feat never before accomplished in Washington prep football.

“This year was the hardest offseason we’ve had. We ran every day, until we threw up.” – Bellevue senior running back and linebacker Myles Jack

8/30 VS Euless-Trinity (Texas), 6 p.m. @ Seattle Memorial Stadium

9/7 @ Bothell, 7 p.m.9/14 @ Sammamish, 7 p.m.

9/21 VS Lake Washington, 7 p.m.

9/28 VS Juanita, 7 p.m.

10/5 @ Interlake, 7 p.m.

10/12 @ Mount Si, 7 p.m.

10/19 VS Mercer Island, 7 p.m. 10/26 @ Mercer Island, 7 p.m.