Comeback kid: Seton Catholic's Nick Wade breaks record 8 months after ACL surgery

Richard Obert
The Republic | azcentral.com
Seton Catholic senior Nick Wade completes in the 300 meter hurdles.

On the last play of Chandler Seton Catholic's preseason football scrimmage in August — a play he probably shouldn't have been on the field for — Nick Wade saw his senior season disappear from the 1-yard line.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound running back cut and fell to the ground, a non-contact play that left the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee torn.

Wade received a graft from his patella tendon to repair the damage on Aug. 21. There was no certainly that he would be able to return to athletics during his final year of high school.

Nick Wade, Chandler Seton Catholic, RB, 5-10, 175

"They didn’t want to tell me no, but they weren't telling me yes," Wade said of his doctors. "I wanted to do track. They said, 'I don't know about the hurdles, but you might run some track at the end of the year.' It was not the most encouraging."

But last week at the Hohokam Invitational at Mesa Westwood, Wade broke the Seton Catholic High School record in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.52 seconds. His previous best, which was a school record, was 40.57.

"He went after it with abandonment," said Mike Wade, Nick's dad. "A month and a half ago he didn't put any limits on himself. He told me he was going to break the record. I didn't think so and he did it."

Nick Wade is ranked third in the state in Division III with the state track and field championships two weeks away.

He told his dad he plans to be on the podium at state.

"I'm a half-second behind, but I'm right there," Nick Wade said. "My goal from the beginning of the season was, 'I have to make it to the podium.' I feel I could win state."

As bad as his senior year started, Wade had a few silver linings to reflect on.

— The injury happened before the first football game. Had it happened midway or late in the season, he would not have had a track season.

— The new Seton head coach, Mike Chiurco, with his ties, quickly got Wade in with the Arizona Cardinals' top orthopedic surgeon to do the procedure.

— Wade, who ran for 1,257 yards and 13 TDs as a junior, was told by Clarke University football coaches that they would still honor the scholarship offer after his knee surgery.

Recently, Wade signed his national letter of intent with the NAIA school in Dubuque,  Iowa.

Seton Catholic senior Nick Wade signed with Clarke University.

Wade still hasn't been cleared to cut and run from side to side — that isn't expected to happen until mid-May — but he's on track to play football in the fall.

And that's all that matters.

"I knew I would be playing college football," Wade said. "That wasn’t a question. The whole offseason training was for football. I was feeling the best I ever felt playing football. I thought I was twice the player I was my junior year. I thought this would be my springboard from NAIA to Division I. NAU was looking at me. I thought this be the year.

"When they were saying, 'Torn ACL,' I didn't hear a word they said."

Sometimes, it takes a fall to get back up twice as strong. That is now Wade's mindset.

"Mentally, I'm starting to feel normal again," he said. "It's crazy. But it's nice to feel super sore."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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