Jack Michael hears the refrain everywhere he goes.

Whether he is among peers in the hallways of Bellevue High School, talking with former football players or even just spending time with his family, Michael knows the expectations the Wolverines face whenever they step on the gridiron.

“Even my family is telling me we have to go all the way this year,” the junior safety said with a laugh. “There is some pressure, but we just take it one game at a time.”

All the way is now only three wins from becoming reality once again, as unbeaten and top-ranked Bellevue faces Peninsula on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Purdy with a 3A state semi-final spot on the line.

“There is a pride factor,” Michael acknowledged of playing for the five-time defending 3A state champions. “The guys who came before us got the job done.”

This group of Wolverines has done nothing but continue the legacy of a program that ended last year with a top national ranking from Sports Illustrated and has captured more state titles than any other in Washington history since its current run began in 2001.

Bellevue lost senior leaders in the linebacking corps and secondary from last year in Sean Constantine (UW) and Michael Carlson (UCLA), both all-league selections and anchors of a defense that allowed only a single touchdown to a Washington foe all year.

But after receiving extensive playing time in lopsided wins during their state title run in 2012, a host of players including Connors, Michael, Mustafa Branch and Rio Morales have made a seamless transition to starting roles, according to head coach Butch Goncharoff.

“He’s been awesome, probably the biggest surprise we had,” he said of Michael, who was also named KingCo Special Teams Player of the Year despite not returning punts or kickoffs. “We knew he was a tough kid and he played well as a sophomore. We couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Connors also spent last year waiting in the wings for major playing time, all the while analyzing the technique and more importantly, the intently focused practice habits of players like Constantine and  Myles Jack, who has made a name for himself on both sides of the ball this year at UCLA.

“They just taught me how to really contribute to this program,” he said of last year’s departed stars. “Work hard whether everyone knows you, or no one knows you.”

Michael had a similar take on the importance of classes past on the current team’s mindset and approach.

“Every day they were working hard and never taking plays off,” he said. “I want them to see me and go, ‘Man, that kid is tough.'”

The toughness of the Bellevue defense will have a chance to go on full display against a Peninsula squad that operates a run-heavy, Pistol attack on offense.

That unit is led by senior running back Avega Siolo, a 5-foot-9, 210 pound battering ram that tallied 212 yards and three scores in his team’s 30-7 win over Bonney Lake last week.

Bellevue is no stranger to the Seahawks and Siolo, after eliminating them from last year’s state tournament 40-3 in the quarterfinals.

“They are disciplined and well-coached,” Goncharoff said. “They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”

Not only would a win send Bellevue back to the state semi-finals against either Shadle Park or Kamiakin, it would break the state record for consecutive games without a loss.

That mark was set from 1956-61 by Lake Washington and included three ties, beginning nearly two decades before the WIAA held a state football tournament or crowned its first state champion in 1973.

Bellevue has won 51 straight games, including triumphs over nationally ranked Oaks Christian and Euless-Trinity squads the past two seasons. Its last loss came in 2010, a 28-21 loss to a Kasen Williams led Skyline team.

The 2013 team is likely placing little stock in that piece of prep football trivia. But there is no doubt the Wolverines have a healthy appreciation for their program’s own past and the opportunity to write their own chapter of the state’s lasting gridiron legacy.

“Oh man, it is a dream come true,” Connors said. “To have the opportunity is awesome. I can’t even describe it.”