Gorman: McKeesport's Hudson triumphs over tragedy
They call Khaleke Hudson the Hit Man because of how the McKeesport junior strong safety tackles.
“He has the speed and the tenacity,” McKeesport coach George Smith said, “and he hits like a train.”
Hudson, however, has made his greatest impact on offense.
Through the first two games, the 6-foot, 205-pounder, was leading the WPIAL in rushing at 582 yards and ranked second in scoring, with nine touchdowns.
“We expected it out of him, but he's done it over and above the limits,” Smith said. “He doesn't get tired. He can carry the ball every time. Like we tell him, it don't weigh too much.”
More impressive, Hudson is averaging almost 16 yards per carry and 42.4 yards on his scoring runs, including six of 40 yards or longer.
“You want to try to get into the end zone every time you touch the ball,” Hudson said. “You want to try to score.”
Since former McKeesport coach Jim Ward inserted him into the starting lineup at middle linebacker two years ago — believed to be the first freshman to start in McKeesport history — Hudson has shown the potential to become the next star at a school that has produced 14 NFL players and one of the best players in Western Pennsylvania.
That Hudson has already arrived at the latter status is a story of triumph over tragedy.
Hudson's father was killed just a week before the start of Khaleke's sophomore season.
Carlos Hudson and his cousin, Jana Randolph, were found dead, with gunshots to the head, after their car careened over a McKeesport hillside in August 2013.
Khaleke refused to allow his father's death to have a negative effect on his future.
“I just stay focused school-wise and on the football field,” Khaleke said. “There's a lot of things that are going to happen to you in your life. You just have to keep moving on.”
Where Khaleke could lean on his older brother, Carlos — who played running back and linebacker for the Tigers last year — he doesn't show much emotion about his loss.
“He's one of those kinds of guys who never gets too high or too low,” Smith said. “Even though things might bother him in his life, he always keeps a pretty level head on things. That helps out.”
But Khaleke used his father's death as inspiration on the football field.
Now, Khaleke talks and prays to his father daily, paying tribute by writing messages on his taped wrists before every game.
“When you lose someone like a parent, it's a hard thing,” he said. “You've got to just keep moving forward and know that that person is still with you and play for him on the field because he's not really gone. He's still here. That's the way I think of it.
“You play for that person. He'll always be in your heart. He'll be pretty proud of what I'm doing right now.”
After rushing for 191 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, Hudson rushed for 346 yards and five touchdowns in the season-opening 36-7 victory over Connellsville.
“When the first game happened, I was surprised I had that much yards but I wasn't because I worked so hard in the offseason to do those things and to get to this point,” Hudson said. “It's a surprise, but it isn't.”
If anything, Hudson proved last week that it wasn't a fluke.
He ran for 236 yards and four touchdowns — fourth-quarter scores of 11, 40, 77 and 14 yards — in a 33-17 comeback victory at Altoona.
“He is fast, physical and really good,” said Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane, whose Warriors visit McKeesport at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Quad East Conference game. “I'm impressed at how many roles he has on their team.”
That's because Hudson can play fullback or wingback in the Tigers' flexbone offense, safety or linebacker on defense and return kicks on special teams — which is why he already has a handful of Division I offers.
“This offensive success might start making me get recruited for offense,” Hudson said.
“Wherever they put me, I'll work my hardest.”
This is for sure: Whatever happens in life, Hudson is focused on being a hit.
Kevin Gorman is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
