Long road ends in Tacoma for Bellevue seniors

Published 3:04 pm Thursday, December 1, 2011

When Bellevue and O’Dea meet tonight in the Tacoma Dome for the 3A state football championship, it will be the culmination of a season and a chance to once again claim the ultimate prize.

For many of the Bellevue seniors, it will be much more.

The graduating class of 2012 has never finished a high school football season without a state title. The program has gone 15-0 in state tournament games during their time and each knows that regardless of the result, tonight will be the end of a long journey as a Bellevue football player that extends well beyond high school.

“I’ve been playing games on this field since third grade,” linebacker Matt Gilbert said. “The last practice I’ll ever be out here is this week. It’s a weird feeling.”

Gilbert and defensive back Connor Foreman began playing together with the Junior Wolverines the same year, with Foreman’s father as the coach. Like many in the Bellevue program, they have grown up together waiting for their chance to lead the program to another state title and continue the legacy they admired as youngsters. Both talked about memories of the program from their youth.

The 39-20 win over De La Salle in 2004 that broke the Spartans’ 151-game win streak and propelled the Wolverines onto the national scene and the four state titles from 2001-04 that cemented the program as one of the best in the state stand out.

“Ever since I was little,” Foreman said. “I’ve looked up to the program and how amazing it was.”

Foreman elected not to play football last season, focusing instead of baseball. But watching his older brother Michael earn All-State honors and help Bellevue to a third-straight state championship had Connor squarely focused on getting back to the gridiron this season.

After missing a portion of the win over Lakes and the entirety of last week’s semi-final victory over Kamiakin with a head injury, the younger Foreman is eager for one last run with the group he grew up dreaming of being part of.

“It’s been special for me, I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” Foreman said of returning to football this season. “Now, we’ve got to finish.”

That will be no easy task against an O’Dea program that is unbeaten in 2011 and handed the Wolverines their last loss in the playoffs, 27-17 back in the 2007 state semi-finals.

Bellevue quarterback and defensive back Tyler Hasty knows the Irish better than most after spending the first two years of high school at O’Dea.

“I’ve still got a couple friends over there and we always joke around, saying, ‘I hope we see you in the championship,” Hasty said. “I had my birthday last week and we were talking a little smack.”

The Wovlerines’ senior said he remains close with Irish wideout and defensive back Kent McKinney and a few others, but has no regrets about switching allegiances for his final two prep seasons. But after being on the inside with the O’Dea program, Hasty knows capturing another title will be a stiff test.

“O’Dea is not a high scoring team, but they do the little things right,” Hasty said. “They’re not going to make any mistakes, so we’ve got to limit our mental lapses and not have as many penalties.”

But despite the familiar faces across the line of scrimmage and on the other sideline, Hasty said he has remained concerned on his own team’s execution more than one-upping his friends and former teammates.

“I’m trying to just stay focused,” Hasty said. “We just need to do what we do like every other week.”