The next Huard quarterback is coming to Puyallup. But, he’s looking to beat the Vikings

Luke Huard had to work his way through a tough outing one evening in 1997.

Then a quarterback at Puyallup High School, Huard was favoring a sore ankle, and struggling early against a scrappy Woodinville team in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs.

But, even on an off day, he managed to connect with Todd Elstrom on a 75-yard strike for a touchdown, and finished with 282 passing yards to lift Puyallup to a win.

That was the last time a Huard played in a high school football game at Sparks Stadium, ending an era during which all three Huard brothers — Damon, Brock and Luke — played quarterback for the Vikings.

And it was the last game their father Mike Huard, who spent 17 seasons with the program and led Puyallup to its only state title in 1987, coached there.

“Everybody has to have a place they call home,” Mike Huard said. “I grew up in one spot, but certainly Puyallup is my home.

“The kids all went to school here, my wife (Peggy) and I both both worked in the Puyallup School District for years, and we still live right down by the stadium, a few blocks away. It’s our home. It’s our community.”

Friday night, more than two decades after the Huard era ended at Puyallup, the next generation in this family of talented quarterbacks will make his debut at Sparks Stadium.

Kennedy Catholic sophomore quarterback Sam Huard, the son of Damon, will try to lead the Lancers to a win over the program his family knows so well.

“I’m excited to play in that environment, that stadium where obviously my family has a lot of history,” Sam Huard said.

“But, at the end of the day, it’s just another team we have to play, and we’re going to prepare for them.”

Though this is the first time in his high school career Sam Huard will have to stare down his family’s legacy at Puyallup, he has already started to carve out his own at Kennedy.

In nine games this season, he has thrown for 3,639 yards and 37 touchdowns, with a 62.9 completion percentage. He leads the state in passing for the second consecutive season.

He averages more than 400 yards per game through the air, and has three targets — Jabez Tinae, Junior Alexander and Justin Baker — who have more than 1,000 receiving yards this season.

In his season opener against Chief Sealth, he tied the all-time state record for single-game passing touchdowns with 10, and is already making big gains toward several career passing records.

Last year, in his first season at Kennedy, Sam Huard was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year, finishing with 3,432 passing yards and 34 touchdowns.

“Sam is a real natural thrower,” Mike Huard said. “He has a great release. He’s only going to get better as he gets stronger and more experienced. ... I think he’s kind of like his dad in that way — born to be a quarterback.”

Considered the top pro-style quarterback nationally in the 2021 class by 247Sports.com, Sam Huard already has offers from Boise State, California, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas Tech and Washington State.

He appears to be on a similar path as his father and uncles toward a Division I college career.

“If you want to be quarterback, which I did, it’s probably a good family to be in,” Sam Huard said. “They’ve all been supportive, no matter what I want to do.”

Damon and Brock both had such productive careers with the Washington Huskies, that both went on to play in the NFL. Luke played college ball at North Carolina, and is now the co-offensive coordinator at Sacramento State.

Each of the three brothers were one of four quarterbacks Mike Huard’s program sent to NCAA Division I programs in a decade between 1989-1998. Billy Joe Hobert, who quarterbacked the Huskies to a national championship in 1991, was the fourth.

“Puyallup, at that time, was one of the best programs in the state. My dad (had) it rolling,” Damon Huard said. “So many guys (were) going to play D-I college football. The pipeline to UW was crazy. ... It’s a storied program, storied place, and a great stadium.”

Those years — long before Sam Huard was born — are when the Huard name became prominent around the state and country.

Damon Huard remembers moving to Puyallup when his father got the coaching job in 1981. He was a third-grader at Meeker Elementary then.

He remembers being a ball boy for the Vikings before he started high school, jumping the fence at the stadium to throw the ball around, and the excitement that surrounded Friday night games.

He remembers rushing home to try to catch a clip of the game on the news, and looking for scores in the next morning’s newspaper.

And he remembers the after-game parties his parents would throw at their house, and how his favorite Friday nights came early in the fall, when the Puyallup Fair was in session just down the street.

“It always just felt like the valley was alive for those home games when the Fair was going on,” Damon Huard said.

During that golden era of Puyallup football, Mike Huard led the Vikings to nine 4A SPSL titles, three state title-game appearances and the program’s only title.

“There’s a lot of legacy there for myself and the boys,” Mike Huard said.

More than 20 years later, Mike Huard is proud to sit in the opposing grandstand, to see his grandson play on the same field, and against the team that has meant so much to the Huard family.

“We have a real strong tie,” he said. “From the very beginning, when he was a little kid, I’ve said, ‘You make me so proud when I see you out there playing like that.’ He’s just special.”

Sam Huard said he values the relationship he has with all four of his grandparents, including Mike, who he talks football with.

“He just tells me to always go play hard — and he’s with me win or tie,” Sam Huard said, smiling. “That’s what he always tells me before every game. He’s always supportive, just as all of my grandparents are.”

Sam Huard has been on the field at Sparks Stadium once before, throwing routes with Alexander when the two were in seventh grade, but Friday will be his first time there under the lights.

And, though plenty of family history surrounds the venue and the team the Lancers are playing, Damon Huard just wants his son to enjoy the experience.

“It’s cool you get to play in the same stadium where your grandpa coached, and your uncles and dad played, but don’t make it bigger than it is,” Damon Huard said. “Just go have fun. That’s really my advice to him.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 8:54 AM.