DRESDEN — Another chapter in the tale of Leevi Wade’s torment of Sheridan was written Oct. 16 at Jack Anderson Stadium.
With Halloween around the corner, it was fitting the plot took a gory turn.
Wade had five touchdowns in a 38-carry, 362-yard night that shattered his own single-game, program record and fueled Tri-Valley’s 38-21 win in the Muskingum Valley League-Big School Division.
He had touchdowns of 74 and 86 yards as Tri-Valley built leads of 21-0 in the second quarter and 38-14 early in the fourth.
Both came on a stretch zone runs — one to the left and the other to the right — in which he avoided tackles at the second level and outran the defense.
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It has made all that speedwork in the offseason with former Scottie Matthew Amicone, a local trainer, worth every second.
He also had 252 yards on 42 carries in a double-overtime road win against the Generals in 2025.
“It's business once you hit the secondary," Wade said amongst a throng of happy Scotties in a postgame celebration. "Once you get into the secondary, it's more your stuff. Am I going to let the safety or corner tackle me? Being a running back, that can't happen.
"The secondary is a big part of the running game," Wade added. "You watch college guys, watch NFL guys, when they break the secondary, 99% of the time they don't get touched. So I am trying to build that now, so in the future I can just get better and build on that."
Tri-Valley coach Austin Jones, who held most of the Scotties' rushing records from 2010-12 before Wade came along, called him "phenomenal." Wade entered the night with 1,685 yards and 24 TDs, and his latest showing pushed him beyond the 2,000-yard mark for the second straight season.
He is the first player in MVL history to record three 300-yard games in a single season. His previous record of 345 yards, which came on 24 carries in a 57-28 win on Sept. 4 against Clarksville Clinton-Massie, eclipsed the 332 yards he produced in Week 1 against Meadowbrook.
Only Drew Cannon, who set the MVL's all-time rushing record from 1999-2002, has ran for more yards in game in league history. He had 427 in a shootout win against Morgan in 2001.
"And to be honest the line keeps getting better and he keeps getting better as well," Jones said. "He's a strong kid. He runs really low to the ground, and he fights for those extra yards. He can wear a defnse down. ... And he is the type of kid who wants to win. He doesn't (care) what his stats are. And we've got a bunch of kids like that."
sblackbu@usatodayco.com; X: @SamBlackburn TR
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Leevi Wade resets own Tri-Valley football record with 362 rushing yards