BLOOMING PRAIRIE — Bradley Simon wasn’t raised on a football field, but a lot of his early memories center around the game that chose him as much as he chose it.

Bradley, a sophomore safety and running back on the state-bound Blooming Prairie football team, grew up watching his uncle Elliott Herdina break every single BP receiving record and he was there after most games to throw on Herdina’s helmet and wobble around the field, alongside Bradley was his older brother Payton, who now plays football at Gustavus Adolphus — the same school where Herdina was a star.

Herdina is now one of Bradley’s coaches with the Awesome Blossoms and Payton, who initially pushed Bradley into lifting weights to prepare for football, remains his biggest role model.

“Football is a family affair. If you’re a Simon or in the Herdina family, you play football,” Bradley said. “We all love the sport and we’re crazy about it. It’s just that drive to want to be the best. We aren’t gifted with the height necessarily, so we’ve got to have the muscle to play with the big boys.”

While BP didn’t graduate a lot of players from last year’s team, which  advanced to the Minnesota Class A State Tournament semifinals, Payton left some giant shoes to fill as he was like a coach on the field for BP’s defense. Bradley, while less experienced than his older Payton, has stepped in and done many of the things his older brother did last year for BP, which will face Ada-Borup in the state semifinals at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

“Payton was probably my biggest role model growing up. I’ve never met someone who’s worked harder and wants to be better. He sets the perfect example of what you should be as a person and on  the field. He’s a great role model,” Bradley said. “It’s also been great playing for Elliott. I know that I always have someone who’s looking to get the best out of me and he’s going to push me harder than anyone else. He’s a great coach and he knows how to pick you back up.”

While he’s had his hands in his freshman season with the Gusties, Payton has followed Bradley and the Awesome Blossoms as close as he can. He’s quite proud of the things his younger brother has done this fall.

“I always tried to be the best leader I could be and teach (Bradley) as much as I could. He’s definitely taken off and he’s working hard. He’s definitely earned everything he’s getting,” Payton said. “I couldn’t be happier about BP’s season. All of the players have worked so hard. The biggest thing is coach (Chad) Gimbel. There’s not a single person who has put more time and effort into that program than him. They have a chance to finally win that state championship this year and it’s great to see.”

While Bradley put in plenty of work preparing for the state football tournament, he also had a big week in his second hobby as an actor. Bradley played Kurt von Trapp in the BP school play “The Sound of Music” and he appeared in shows on Thursday, Friday and Sunday of last week. The Sunday show took place less than 24 hours after the Blossoms defeated Springfield 42-20 in the state quarterfinals.

Bradley didn’t have a lot of speaking parts in the play, but he did do a lot of singing.

“There were some late nights last week, but it’s fun,” Bradley said. “Football and acting are two different experiences, but in the end they help each other out. You have a brotherhood as a football team and when you do a play, you have different friends and it lightens the mood. Football is my passion. Football is my love. Being on the stage (for plays) is fun for me, while the opening kickoff for football games gets my nerves going pretty high.”

Bradley also plays the saxophone in the jazz band, he is involved his church, he plays baseball and he plans on wrestling this winter.

Herdina, who played in BP from 2004-2007 had one of the best runs at wide receiver in MSHSL history. His 3,362 receiving yards ranks second all-time in state history, his 188 career catches rank fifth and his 40 career TDs rank sixth. He went on to tally 129 catches, 1,435 yards and 16 TDs at Gustavus.

While Bradley and Payton were two of his biggest fans in his playing days, Herdina is now one of their biggest fans.

“It’s one of those blessings that I can enjoy and our family is so tight. I’ve seen the ups and downs with those two over the years and it’s been a pleasure to watch it all come together,” Herdina said. “As an uncle, a coach and a friend, I couldn’t be more proud of those two kids, on and off the field. They are great kids and they are so humble. I’m very excited to see what the future holds for them.”