HUDSON - Gladbrook-Reinbeck put the ball in Walker Thede's hands, and he did the rest.
The Rebel junior scored four touchdowns by three different means and the second-ranked G-R football team pillaged No. 8 Hudson 43-5 in Friday's Class A District 5 showdown between unbeaten teams.
Thede tallied a 63-yard touchdown reception, a 90-yard kickoff return for a score and end zone runs of 17 and 1 yards to lead the Rebels (7-0, 5-0) into the driver's seat in their district. The loss was the first for Hudson (6-1, 4-1), and No. 9 Belle Plaine (6-1, 4-1) also suffered its first loss, 40-13, to BGM.
Article Photos

Thede finished with 260 all-purpose yards - 92 receiving, 53 rushing, 105 on kickoff returns and another 10 on a punt return for an average of 15.3 yards per touch - and was 5-for-5 kicking extra-points for the Rebels, who trailed 2-0 after Hunter Lott was sacked in the end zone midway through the first quarter.
That was the last time Gladbrook-Reinbeck was behind. Thede took a Lott pass 63 yards up the sideline for the go-ahead score, and Wes Geisler's 26-yard field goal for Hudson was the last time the Pirates got on the scoreboard.
Lott finished 12-for-17 passing for a career-high 286 yards and three touchdowns. Matt Roeding had a career-best 108 yards on four grabs with a 19-yard touchdown, and Erik Knaack had 86 yards on five catches, including a 45-yard scoring strike.
Matt Johannsen, Lott and Knaack each pulled down an interception to help the Rebels defense limit Hudson to 93 yards of total offense.