Senior midfielder Hudson Spikereit has grown up with a soccer ball at his feet, but it is the people around him at Webb City High School who have shaped the player and person he has become.

The senior says his biggest inspiration is his dad, who has been in the stands for as long as he can remember. “He is at every game of mine and it pushes me to perform well and try my best,” Spikereit said. That steady support has carried him through more than 13 years of soccer and helped him embrace the demands of playing in the middle of the field.

Spikereit describes center mid as the toughest field position because of the responsibility it carries. “You have to cover lots of ground and you are the heart and soul of your team,” he said. He also respects how difficult it is to play goalkeeper, especially as the shots get harder at higher levels.

What he enjoys most, though, is the bond he has built with his teammates. “I love to just be around my teammates and getting close with them to where they aren’t just teammates to me,” Spikereit said. “I love the grind of working hard together as a team.” Serving as a captain in his senior year taught him how to lead different personalities and sharpened the teamwork and social skills he believes will matter long after high school.

Away from the field, Spikereit’s favorite class is media, and he still remembers Mrs. Baker from his freshman year as his favorite teacher. He relaxes by fishing “it helps me just calm down and live in the moment” and by playing pickleball with friends, often followed by a postgame meal. He also looks up to former Webb City midfielder Luis Gallardo, now in college studying engineering, for his constant positivity and his ability to balance soccer and life.