D8 State Title Standouts: Harbor Beach vs. Hudson

The Division 8 State Championship lived up to expectations. Two high-powered teams that dominated the bracket up to this point. Harbor Beach got out to an early lead and held on long enough to stop Hudson's comeback attempt. Watching the game on the field and in the press box, I got a great look at the best players on both teams. Here's who stood out!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standouts</h2>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   TE/DE/K | Skiler Kruse | Harbor Beach   Skiler is an extreme sleeper in the class of 2026. He's got the size, motor, and skillet to be a phenomenal player at the next level. In the first quarter alone, Skiler caught a touchdown, and ripped the ball straight from a ball carrier's hands. Offensively, Skiler is a good in-line TE. A good blocker, and a major mismatch as a receiver. I like his body control and ball skills on those 50/50 balls. He's also quite physical after the catch- which is actually rare for a High School TE. Defensively, Skiler has above-average bend and great motor. Really, a phenomenal all-around football player in Division 8. Size + effort + production = a super high-upside prospect. There's still room for Skiler to fill out his frame, and some colleges may be worried about the strength of schedule in D8. Though his size and production make me very confident about his trajectory and upside at the next level.   LB/G | John Learman | Harbor Beach   John was an absolute force for Harbor Beach. I mean, what a way to cap off your High School Football career. 11 tackles in the first half alone, and 16 total. John was a straight-up great off-ball linebacker. He did a phenomenal job of reading Hudson's backfield, working downhill, and filling the correct hole. Not too fancy of an evaluation- just a straight-up gamechanger for Harbor Beach's defense.   QB | Caden Bucholtz | Harbor Beach   Caden had several bright moments in this one. It became apparent to me as the game went on that Caden is a rock-solid athlete, with better open-field agility than most. On multiple occasions, he was able to dance around and make defenders miss in the open field. Caden totaled 149 rushing yards and a TD. He's one of the better rushing threats at QB I watched all season. A super tough QB who really stepped up in the second half. Caden was a massive reason why Harbor Beach won the State Championship.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   S | Bradley Pickford | Hudson   I had a close eye on Bradley for much of the first half. In that first half, he totaled 4 tackles and was pretty sticky in coverage. At safety. I thought Bradley did a good job of reading the run and working downhill. Especially against runs between the tackles, Bradley did a nice job of getting in on tackles. When Harbor Beach broke a big run, Bradley usually did a good job in pursuit. That said, Bradley is also a fluid, fast athlete who can cover ground quickly. Aside from a couple of penalties, Bradley had himself a good game.   RB | [player_tooltip player_id='1620823' first='Grayson' last='Bills'] | Hudson   Hudson's #1 RB. The senior used his experience to his advantage today, totaling 151 yards + 2TDs. 102 of those yards in the first half alone. Grayson was simply seeing the field better than anyone. From the press box, I watched several times as Grayson got the ball via pitch, and he did an excellent job seeing exactly where his hole was and hitting that hole. Additionally, his contact balance is above average. Additionally, Grayson made a few big-time catches. Better hands and ball tracking than most in D8. The #1 explosive play guy for Hudson, and he should absolutely continue his playing career in college.   DT/OT | Koen Hinzman | Hudson   Koen had himself a productive day on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he racked up 4 tackles and did a good job anchoring in his gap. Offensively, he served as a rock-solid tackle. A guy who simply did his job all morning. He played with good leverage and did a nice job getting his hands under his opponents' pads and driving. Considering his size, defenders struggled mightily to get through his blocks.

The Division 8 State Championship lived up to expectations. Two high-powered teams that dominated the bracket up to this point. Harbor Beach got out to an early lead and held on long enough to stop Hudson's comeback attempt. Watching the game on the field and in the press box, I got a great look at the best players on both teams. Here's who stood out!