No. 4 Puyallup won another undefeated 4A SPSL title, and sealed it with a rivalry win

Puyallup High School football was looking to stay perfect in Class 4A SPSL play.

Not only were the fourth-ranked Vikings (8-1) looking to capture their second consecutive league title, but also become the first team in 4A SPSL history to complete perfect back-to-back league seasons on three separate occasions.

On Friday night at Sparks Stadium, facing their crosstown rival of five decades, Rogers, the Vikings did both. Puyallup built an early three-touchdown lead, and shut out the Rams in the second half, to capture a 27-3 win.

“Every game in this league is going to be tough,” Puyallup quarterback Jacob Holcomb said. “Rogers came ready to play. They’re a great team. We stepped up and we played hard tonight. We did what we needed to do.”

Led by a flashy, often daring signal caller in Holcomb, the Vikings were able to complete their league sweep.

Puyallup handed the ball off to senior running back Kyle Cramer on the first play from scrimmage, and he spun, juked and blew right by Rogers’ defense to immediately give the Vikings good field position.

A couple of plays later, Holcomb connected with Cramer, who made a leaping one-handed catch before diving into the end zone for the Vikings’ opening score.

“Yeah, it’s pretty exciting stuff. I’m proud of our kids. They’ve worked hard,” Puyallup coach Gary Jeffers said of the Vikings’ back-to-back undefeated league seasons. “This is awesome, but next week’s coming. ... It’s all about taking care of our business.”

“Not a lot has changed,” Cramer said. “Last year we really started as a team forming and getting better at going to the weight room together. So we carried on to this year and its working perfect for us.”

Later in the first quarter, Holcomb again demonstrated against the Rams why he has been a special player for the Puyallup offense the past two years.

He showed off the speed that makes him such an effective dual-threat quarterback, leaping through a tackle for a 21-yard score on a keeper that put Puyallup up by a pair of scores at 13-0.

“I think our team has a lot of experience now. With me, Kyle and all our receivers. Our (offensive) line is a little inexperienced this year, but throughout the year, they’ve proven they can handle what they need to do,” Holcomb said.

Holcomb finished 15 of 19 passing for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

He consistently fought through potential sacks, either scrambling — he rushed for 50 yards on eight carries — or connecting with an open target after a play broke down.

After making a jump throw to Cramer for a 9-yard gain and a first down on a Vikings drive in the second quarter, Holcomb fired a sharp pass to slot receiver Isaac Clark for a 20-yard score, giving Puyallup a 20-0 advantage.

“We like to mix things up, you know, confuse our opponents. We haven’t really ran tight-end much, so we wanted to give them a new look,” said Clark, who scored the first two touchdowns of his career in the win. “We went out there did what were taught.”

Rogers was able to respond late in the second quarter, as Makaio Gillespie and Alema Gago drove the Rams deep into Puyallup territory.

After the drive stalled, Austin Tugman connected on a 29-yard field goal to cut Puyallup’s lead to 20-3 with one minute, 14 seconds left in the half. But, the Rams didn’t get closer.

Gillespie was 11 of 17 for 89 yards, and added 54 yards on 12 carries. Gago finished with 77 yards on 20 carries.

Holcomb then hit a few quick passes to Justin Haase (four catches, 46 yards) to set up Puyallup at the Rogers 1. The Vikings quarterback tried to connect with Darius Morrison on a fade route as the half winded down, but Rogers defensive back Joseph Dwyer picked off the pass in the end zone.

“They’re a group that are winners. They fight through adversity. This was not our best game,” Jeffers said. “All the credit in the world to Rogers — they did a great job. They took us out of our rhythm, and our kids had to battle a little more than they’ve had to in the last couple of weeks.”

Both teams had trouble moving the ball beyond midfield in the second half, but Cramer set up the Vikings in the red zone during the final period, and Holcomb found Clark on a slant route for a 20-yard touchdown to cap scoring.

Cramer finished with a game-high 170 yards on 28 carries and the one touchdown.

“I think the one special thing about our team is our camaraderie. We are literally like a family,” Holcomb said. “We love each and every one of the players on our team. We love our coaches. The love we have for each other is unbreakable.”

“Once you see it in reality, with all the teams before us, just didn’t think it was possible. We changed that last year,” Cramer said. “We changed our mindset, and I feel like this mindset is going to carry on for a long time.”

Rogers (5-4) can still reach the playoffs after the loss. A Curtis win over Olympia on Friday night, and a Sumner loss to Graham-Kapowsin forces a three-way tie for third in the 4A SPSL.

With Puyallup and Graham-Kapowsin moving on as the league’s No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, Rogers, Curtis and Sumner will battle for the league’s final two playoff berths Tuesday at Art Crate Field in Spanaway.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity. Prepping for two teams is tough, because you have to be ready for both situations,” Rogers coach Gene Bowen said. “But we played them before, and as a team you just have to execute the plan because the 25-yard line is not that far.”

P – Kyle Cramer 6 pass from Jacob Holcomb (kick failed)

P – Holcomb 21 run (Hayden Lovett kick)

P – Isaac Clark 20 pass from Holcomb (Lovett kick)

R – Austin Tugman 29 field goal

P – Clark 20 pass from Holcomb (Lovett kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Passing: P – Jacob Holcomb 15-19-0-153. R – Makaio Gillespie 11-17-1-89.

Rushing: P – Kyle Cramer 28-170; Jacob Holcomb 8-50. R – Alema Gago 20-77; Makaio Gillespie 12-58.

Receiving: P – Justin Haase 4-46; Isaac Clark 3-42; Kyler Johnson 1-30; Cohen Cleek 2-16; Kyle Cramer 3-15; Darius Morrison 2-4. R – Joseph Dwyer 4-62; Michael Dougher 2-8; Josiah Drain 1-7; Devyn Greenfield 1-7; Alema Gago 3-5.