The 2018 Puyallup High School football season is here and all eyes are on the team as they compete for a state championship.

Jacob and Luke Holcomb are both quarterbacks for PHS and their family has been part of sports for the last few years.

Harlan Holcomb, grandfather of the Holcomb brothers, has been involved in the football program. Harlan Holcomb played baseball and basketball at Mount Tahoma High School, similar to his grandkids who are also two-sport athletes for Puyallup.

“My favorite sport to play was basketball in high school,” Harlan Holcomb said.

Football is something that Harlan Holcomb says he can’t live without. He has been coming to PHS football practices for the last five years. He says he enjoys watching the competition in sports and to be able to watch his grandkids.

“I’ve always been a competitor. I just like the competition,” Harlan Holcomb said.

Almost every practice, you can see him in the stands as he watches the football team. Holcomb has watched most of the kids on the team grow up.

“I come out to watch Jacob and Luke but I get a chance to see the other kids and see how they are improving and growing up,”  Harlan Holcomb said.

The football team has found a lot of success these last couple of years by being the SPSL champions and making it into the playoffs last year.  Harlan Holcomb says he has noticed a lot of great things with the team.

“These guys look really close; they are all buddies. That is one of the reasons for their  success from last year,” Harlan Holcomb said.

Senior Jacob Holcomb has been the starting quarterback for the last two years and his grandfather has been supporting him ever since.

“Just to have him there at every practice and every game is like a support system for me,” Jacob Holcomb said.

Jacob Holcomb is the captain for the football team, leading PHS to victory over every team in the league last year and he is striving for a state championship this year. He already has 1363 pass yards and 14 touchdown passes.  

Harlan Holcomb is always encouraging his grand-kids after games and practices.

“He’s always the first person I go up to after a game, he’s always supporting me and without him things wouldn’t be the same,” Jacob Holcomb said.