In the classic 1980s sitcom “Married with Children,” the show’s lead character, Al Bundy, constantly reminds his friends and family about the night he scored four touchdowns. Kosciusko’s Lee Wade had his “Al Bundy” moment last year against Choctaw County. Wade showed his full potential as he scored four different ways in the game.
“It was one of those special nights,” Kosciusko coach Casey Orr said. “He ran for one touchdown, caught one, had a pick six and then threw for another one. I think it explains his versatility and the type of athlete he is. The pick-six gave us the lead, and then the last one was a halfback pass. That was probably a really dumb call on my part. It was third and 10 and everybody knew we were running the football and I called a halfback pass. They came downhill hard, and he made a great pass. If it hadn’t worked, it would have looked really dumb on my part. But that’s what good players do; they make coaches look smart. The next day, Steve Spurrier Jr., called me to ask about him."
Wade was Mr. Versatility for the Whippets. He was a quarterback when Orr arrived and has played receiver and running back on offense. Wade was 4-of-8 passing for 129 yards and had 22 rushes for 97 yards. He also caught 21 passes for 258 yards with four touchdowns.
“I thought Lee had a really good year,” Orr said. “He started on both sides of the ball and was really good on offense. We were off to a 4-0 start and then he got hurt. We were up 14-12 in the third against West Lauderdale and we lost 20-14. If he plays that whole game, I like our chance of winning that game. We ended up 6-3 so we were 2-3 without him. We lost to Louisville and then Caledonia without him. I really like our chances of beating both of those teams if we have Lee. He was a difference maker for us on both sides of the football.” Wade said he was having a good season until his injury.
“I only got to play about four or five games because I got hurt, but I had a pretty good year before that,” Wade said. “I had nine touchdowns and about 30 tackles and five sacks in the first four and got hurt in the fifth one. I broke my ankle. I got rolled up on against West Lauderdale. I didn’t like that I couldn’t help and had to watch from the sidelines. That was tough. I cheered them on, but I couldn’t help them physically.”
Orr said Wade is getting plenty of offers from the state’s junior colleges and a little Division I interest.
“He has several junior college offers right now and will probably have all of them before long,” Orr said. “I think the kid could play at the Division I level — somewhere like Memphis or Lafayette. Louisiana Tech has asked about him, and Lafayette has brought him down for a visit. He has had some attention of those schools. Austin Peay really likes him. I think one of those schools will eventually offer him.” Orr said Wade will be a big part of the offense this season.
“He will start at slot, but we will move him around,” Orr said. “He will take some snaps at running back. We may put him out wide at receiver. We will put him in motion and get him the ball on some speed sweeps. He started a game last year at quarterback when Ethan (Wood) was out. He is a kid that can really do it all.”
Wade is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and started at outside linebacker last year, where he recorded 26 tackles, and eight for a loss.
“We really have four starting linebackers coming back,” Orr said. “Defensively, he will start somewhere. Instead of outside linebacker, he may play safety out of necessity. At the next level, he is that swing safety that can roll down in the box or play the pass. He is going to tell you he is an offensive player, but most of the coaches that come through like him on defense.”
Wade said he currently has a 3.1 GPA and made a 19 on the ACT and plans to graduate in December so he can do spring training on a college campus.
“I know coaches say this all the time about their players, but Lee is a good kid,” Orr said. “He’s not one that you must worry about what he’s doing or where he’s at because he’s going to do the right thing. At times, I wished he was a little more vocal, but he is going to do it the right way and take care of his business.”
