Stats: 15 Carries, 61 Yards, 2 TDs, 4 Receptions, 64 Yards

My Player of the Game was the senior RB for Hudson. Nearly 20 touches, put the ball in the endzone a couple times, set up scoring opportunities with big plays between the 20s. Hudson’s offense leaned on him. The conditions kept the ball on the ground most of the game until SPASH had to try and catch up, so Hudson went as Payton and Cooper went on the ground. Payton has developed well since we first covered him as a sophomore. He maintains the speed that has set him apart from the crowd of talented RBs in this state. Now he runs with a more balanced attack, though. He will stick his foot in the ground and get up field, run through arm tackles when he really drives his legs, and has the potential to wear down a defense over time. The senior also flashed big play receiving abilities with a great downfield catch and run to set up a score. The senior had a great night helping get the win.

Another athlete at the RB position who is going to shine this summer with his athletic abilities is Payton Pingel Payton Pingel 6'0" | 195 lbs | RB/ATH Hudson | 2026 State WI . The junior RB/ATH is a legit playmaker. From his one combine so far the junior already has posted a 4.62 40, 4.40 shuttle, and a 9’5″ broad jump. I expect him to match or beat those as he gets more into the flow of things this summer and gets more reps at each drill. On tape Payton is used all over the field and put into situations where he can get the ball at full speed or in space. Payton has a great feel and vision with the ball in his hands to find ways to create yards. Definitely keep a close eye on this kid.

Stats: 6 Carries, 104 Yards, 2 Rushing TDs, 2 Receptions, 10 Receiving Yards

Every time we cover Payton it seems like the junior RB is changing the game with only a handful of touches. In week 6 we saw him turn 8 total touches in 2 TDs while helping Hudson to a win over River Falls. Pingel is an explosive athlete that can be used to stretch the defense out laterally. Once he has them spread out the junior is able to carve them up with speed, vision, and physicality to break tackles and pick up the tough yards at the second level of the defense. It is impressive watching him stick his foot in the ground and show off how powerful his acceleration is as he can get to top speed within a couple steps. Payton is a big play waiting to happen when he is on the field.

Stats: 143 Rushing Yards, 3 TDs

This past offseason we talked about how exciting and explosive Payton was with his role as a sophomore that allowed him to have more limited touches. I couldn’t wait to see what he did with a more standard workload, and in Week 1 we got our first look. Speed and vision are the name of the game as Pingel attacks the edges of the defense, putting stress on their contain defenders. He does a great job getting to the edge, and has the patience out there to find blocks, let them develop and then trust his acceleration to beat the defense from there. Between the tackles we see that vision as well, finding the seams of daylight and again showing the burst to hit the hole and get to more open field where he can make plays. Payton is a sparkplug for the Hudson offense and was key to their Week 1 win to start the season off right.