Wade stumbled and basically tackled himself.

There was no slowing down Wade or BHS the rest of the first half. The senior tailback gained 206 yards rushing on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns -- all in the first half -- as the Purple Raiders rolled to a 59-0 rout over outmanned Rantoul in their home opener at Fred Carlton Field.

Coming off victories against Champaign Centennial and Normal Community, BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer didn't think his team looked particularly sharp or focused in practice this week.

Rantoul would have a hard time believing that. BHS, ranked No. 6 in the Class 6A state poll, recorded its 37th straight regular-season victory in impressive fashion.

"We knew our first two games were our hardest games. We figured after that we would be pretty much in the driver's seat for conference," said Wade. "We just knew if we came out here and basically played our 'B' game we would go ahead and be on top.

"We had that attitude. It wasn't a good thing, but at the same time we still came out here and executed well. There was no letup."

BHS improved to 3-0 overall and in the Big 12 Conference. Rantoul fell to 0-3 (overall and in the league) and now has been outscored 146-0.

The Raiders rolled up 388 yards of total offense in the first half while racing to a 46-0 halftime lead. About the only thing BHS didn't do was score its first touchdown quickly -- as in a one-play drive. That would come later.

After a Rantoul punt, it took the Raiders seven plays to cover 54 yards. Wade blasted off tackle for a 14-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead with 7:30 left in the first quarter.

"I wasn't really pleased with the opening drive, even though we scored. We kind of rebounded," said BHS coach Rigo Schmelzer, who started substituting in the second quarter. "We looked OK and a lot of kids got to play and we seem to be healthy."

BHS was a machine the rest of the first half. The Raiders scored on six of their next 10 plays, with four one-play drives. Wade, taking advantage of gapping holes, scored on runs of 55 and 40 yards. Fullback Justin Harrison shot through the line on a pair of 31-yard touchdown runs, while quarterback Jeremy Peden ran for a 58-yard touchdown and connected with Brandon Hughes for a 44-yard scoring play. That was the Raiders' only completed pass in three attempts.

Reserves Valshun Powe and Justin Grant scored on runs of 10 and 1 yards in the second half.

Harrison, a University of Illinois recruit who made some bone-jarring hits in the first half at linebacker, and his teammates made sure the reserves knew not to let Rantoul score.

"The last time we put them in against Centennial they gave up the shutout," said Harrison. "They practiced hard for the next two weeks and came out and showed the coaches they could play."

The Eagles, who played without starting quarterback Randy Koch (bronchitis), gained 124 yards of total offense. The best thing for Rantoul was knowing this was its last game ever against BHS. The Eagles move to the Corn Belt Conference next year.

"We give everything we have. We just don't have the speed and size to match Bloomington," said Rantoul coach Trevor Lehnen, a former Normal Community assistant.

Contact Jim Benson at jbenson@pantagraph.com.