Foosball memorial honors local hero

A tournament in Pocatello uses foosball to remember a fallen hero.

The tournament is named after Sgt. Blake Stephens, a Pocatello local who served in the army and was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007.

“He is one of those guys that everybody wants to be around. He was just happy. He was always positive, a go-getter, and people wanted to be around that,” Blake Stephens Foosball Tournament organizer Elaine Prokschell said.

The tournament raises money to fund a scholarship in Blake’s honor, given to student veterans going to Idaho State University.

Last year Tomarra Byington won the scholarship.

“Receiving this scholarship was a tremendous honor. It helps veterans at ISU take care of things they wouldn’t possibly be able to otherwise,” Byington said.

Blake was often seen at Hooligans Bar, usually with a few friends playing his favorite game, foosball.

“He loved foosball. He has a couple of buddies that always would come in and play foosball, every week,” Blake’s friend Evan Pruitt said.

Friends of Blake said the tournament dedicated to helping local veterans is the perfect memorial for Blake.

“He was always looking to help somebody, so I think he’d think it was a great thing. he was always down for a little competition and a good time, and it’s right up his alley. He would have loved it,” Clint Colling said.

The friends who helped organize this event, said it’s important to never forget someone like Blake.

“He was a great person. He did what he thought was the right thing, joining the army, serving our country, protecting the freedoms that we all love. And you have to remember people like that,” Pruitt said.