One of the main reasons Kendric Pryor chose Wisconsin was the team's desire to try the Homewood-Flossmoor athlete on both sides of the ball. And two days after announcing his commitment on Twitter, the three-star recruit showed why the Badgers are going to have plenty of options on how to use him.
Pryor caught four passes 109 yards - including a 49-yarder while draped in triple coverage - and intercepted a pass in the end zone just before halftime in the top-ranked Vikings' 43-29 win over No. 5 Stevenson. Pryor also recorded five tackles and broke up a pass late in the fourth quarter of HF's second road victory to begin the season.
Pryor said his performance Friday night was helped out by announcing his commitment to the Badgers, who lost Saturday night to No. 3 Alabama.
"Knowing I was going to Wisconsin took a lot of stress off me. I can come out here and ball out," he said after the game. "Now I can finish focusing on this year trying to get back to state.
"Over the weekend I talked about it with my mom and dad. I just felt it was the right decision for me because (Wisconsin) wants me to play offense and defense. That's good for me. They're losing a lot of DBs and a couple receivers, so when I get there I'll have the opportunity to play as a true freshman and it's a good program, so that helped me make my decision."
[#DriveVikings: HF offensive 'maching' hitting on all cylinders]
Head coach Craig Buzea expressed his excitement over Pryor, a third-year varsity starter, finding the right fit.
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"I'm extremely happy for him. I think it's a great fit. He came in on Monday to talk to me about it and I said, 'If that's what you want to do, let's get it done,'" Buzea said. "And I think Wisconsin got themselves a heck of a steal because I think he can play with just about anybody in the country. I'm very happy for Kendric and his family and really look forward to watching him, but we're going to keep him here for another few games."
In two games this season Pryor has caught eight passes for 261 yards and a pair of scores, all team-highs. The Vikings (2-0) travel to Stagg next Friday night.