As the Explorers bested Nazareth, 41-33, thus setting up a rematch of 2010's semifinal with North Penn this Saturday, noon, at Northeast's Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium, Wade generated 259 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage, plus 55 more yards on a pair of kickoff returns.
Gettysburg, Susquehanna, Franklin & Marshall, Albright, Salve Regina (that's in Rhode Island) or Some Other Lucky D-III School will be getting a heckuva player.
"I'm looking at a lot of places," Wade said. "I won't know which one it'll be until after the season, or even much later in the school year.
"It doesn't really bother me that I'm not getting D-I looks. I like hearing about all the other teams that have a bunch of D-I players. I like it. I like it. We all do. It drives us to show that we can be better than them. That we can give them a test."
In 2009 and 2010, Wade served as the fullback in front of star tailback Jamal Abdur-Rahman (Villanova), rushing for 1,150 total yards. In 2011, 251 carries have produced 1,493 yards and 20 scores. Fifty-six of those yards came with 4:28 remaining, expanding a 35-33 lead and no doubt causing Wade's heart to perform several somersaults.
The Explorers faced fourth-and-millimeters on their 46. During a timeout, offensive coordinator Joe Wade, Tim's uncle, stood with the offensive unit while a short distance away head coach Drew Gordon talked things over with John Steinmetz, the defensive coordinator.
Gamble or punt?
"We all wanted to go for it," Tim Wade said. "We had trust in ourselves. It gave us a boost when the coaches showed they had trust in us, too."
Said Gordon: "I always believe in, 'Go win the game.' The only reason I hesitated at all was the third-and-2 we didn't convert [late in the third quarter] . . . I told Steinmetz, 'Be ready, John. We're gonna go for this.' He said, 'As long as you give the ball to Wade.' "
