• Wes Bloomquist •
• Originally published July 29, 2008 at 12:16 a.m., updated July 29, 2008 at 12:16 a.m.

His dad wants him to keep playing football, but Stephen Pridgen has been bitten by the rodeo bug.

“It’s a rush,” said Pridgen of rodeo. “It’s fun when someone in front of you gets a good time and you know you have to beat them. You have to go out there and have a good rope.”

That wasn’t the case in the past. Pridgen, who has watched his fatheir and brother rodeo all of his life was sick of rodeo not so long ago. He rode barrels as a kid, but decided it wasn’t for him. That was until he started seeing his brother, Jeffery, winning and once again got hooked.

Pridgen has been back in rodeo for two years and is already making his mark. He competed in Gallup, N.M. last season and has won enough buckles and prizes that they have all started to blend in with each other.

“I don’t even know what I’ve won,” Pridgen said. “It’s a lot. I know that.”

The incoming freshman at Stroman is torn. Does he continue to play football and work on his rodeo skills, or does he focus solely on rodeo. While his father, Eddie, insists football is going to happen, there’s still some hesitation from Stephen. Part of the blame for that is because of seeing his brother receive a full scholarship from Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde and his father roping with people like George Strait.

“My dad has roped with a bunch of famous people and my brother was always roping,” said Stephen of why he is back in rodeo. “I’ve just always had a rope in my hand and have been riding horses. I’ve been doing speed events since I was six and have just moved up since then. It was fun to get back into it.”

While his dad wants to continue watching him play football, seeing his son competing in rodeo isn’t disappointing at all.

“He’s a really good kid,” Eddie said. “It’s really fun to go to these rodeos and see him doing so great. He works hard at it and has improved.”

Pridgen competed in the Texas Youth Rodeo Finals last year, but said he is skipping out on it this season. He competed in the Burleson County Youth Rodeo last weekend in Caldwell, and is looking forward to the high school rodeo season which will start in September.

Football may miss out.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” said Pridgen. “I like football, but we’ll see.”

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