Oct. 18, 2006

SEATTLE, Wash. - For the fourth consecutive year, Doug Jessup will be in a suite he has rented for the Wells Fargo Battle in Seattle for the Cascade Cup. But this time, he will not have just one son competing, but two.

The Jessup brothers, who are five years apart, face each other for the first and likely only time Saturday at 6 p.m. when arch-rivals Central Washington and Western Washington bring college football into Seattle's Qwest Field for their much anticipated showdown.

Josh, a senior, is a reserve linebacker for Central, and Caleb, a true freshman, is a backup strong safety for Western.

Josh has played in 33 career games for the Wildcats and is having his best season with 10 tackles and two fumble recoveries.

"I'd never have thought that I would be looking across the sidelines at my brother," said Caleb, who has played in seven games this season at Western with seven tackles and one interception.

Doug longed for the day when he would have a son and was overjoyed when he had two. He said the boys had a strong, healthy relationship growing up on the Eastside because they weren't close enough in age to compete and Caleb looked up to Josh.

Josh earned all-area and All-Kingco League honors at Inglemoor High School in 2000 and 2001. Last year, as a senior at that same school, Caleb also was an all-area and all-league choice, intercepting eight passes and posting 147 tackles.

For the first three years of the Battle in Seattle, there was a banner hanging from the Jessup family suite that read, "We love No.34, CWU."

Now, there will be banners for both players.

"I won't be cheering for a team, just for both of them," Doug said. "We're going to celebrate our boys."

The reason the Jessup brothers are facing each other at all is because Caleb is playing as a true freshman while Josh had a redshirt season.

"For 18 years of my life, he was half my size and now he is bigger than me," said Josh, who stands 5 feet 11 and weighs 190. "I am definitely looking forward to it."