In less than two years, Blake Hudson went from an unknown soccer commodity to a member of the Mississippi Under-13 Olympic Development team.

Next week, the 12-year-old Hudson heads to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to begin the USOD’s Region III camp. The weeklong camp is used to help select a Region III team that will be sent to the National Team tryouts in Concord, Mass., in August.

The St. Aloysius 7th-grader said he’s been surprised by the quick rise since coming to Vicksburg from Hammond, La., two years ago.

“I guess they like my potential. It’s fun,” Hudson said, who plays keeper for the Clinton Division I select team.

“Goalie is a physical position and I think the coaches like his size and his quickness,” said Blake’s dad, Michael, a manager of the Hampton Inn in Vicksburg. Blake is also the grandson of Carl and Cherry Hudson of Vicksburg. “Ever since his selection, I’ve seen his game elevate.”

Two years ago, Hudson was just a regular 10-year-old playing on the What-A-Burger club in the Vicksburg Soccer Organization. While he was new to Vicksburg, he was not new to the game, having played soccer in Hammond since he was 6 years old.

“He played with the What A Burger team for two years and that’s where the Clinton coach saw him and asked him to join them. Then he gets seen by the ODP coaches. From there he goes from one of 45 to try out to one of 20 that makes the Mississippi team,” Michael Hudson said.

Next up will be the Alabama camp. The Mississippi team will get to play several games against other ODP select teams.

“Region III is made up of 11 states and there will be 24 teams there, so it’s going to be a good week of competition,” Michael Hudson said.

“I just hope to get better and become faster,” Blake said.

When he returns from Tuscaloosa, Blake will start getting ready for football season, even though he’s been approached about joining some select squads in Jackson like the Jackson Futbol Club.

“We’ve talked about those kind of conflicts, but Blake wants to play football and basketball for St. Al (junior high) and try out for the varsity soccer team,” Michael Hudson said.

Soccer, though, has emerged as a favorite sport and that may have come about through getting to see Mississippi Brilla play its professional league games in Clinton over the past two summers.

“I got to be the ball boy for one of the Brilla’s games and I also went to see them play the Chicago Fire. I got a ball signed by all the Fire players,” Blake said.

He said he learned a lot more deom that game about how to play keeper.

“Those guys can think so much faster and they talk more to their teammates. They also react faster,” Blake said.

“I was impressed with how intense they were, for the whole time,” Michael Hudson said.