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Star Correspondent

Senior running back/defensive back Jamie Esterline scored three touchdowns in Happy Valley’s 46-0 victory over Unaka on Friday night in the Clash for Compassion game at ETSU’s William B. Greene Stadium.

Esterline scored on a 65-yard run on HV’s opening play, and on Unaka’s first play, he picked off a pass from Connor McKinney and returned it for a touchdown. He later caught a 28-yard scoring pass from Gabe McDougald.

About the fast start giving his team a boost, Esterline said, “That gave us a big boost, especially with the big crowd. The crowd helped, but those two plays gave us a spark, and we just flew on from there. Our offensive line is one of the best parts of our team. They work their tails off in the weight room and open lots of good holes for us to run through.”

Esterline’s season has helped HV to a 6-1 record (3-1 conference), and the Warriors take their high-powered run offense to Mosheim on Thursday to face West Greene in the season finale.

“We feel confident but not overconfident,” Esterline said. “We’ll treat it like a business trip and hopefully come back with a win.”

Warriors head coach Jason Jarrett said of Esterline, “Jamie is a special player, and he is a do-it-all kind of guy. He plays about three different positions for us defensively. We move him around on offense, and he is a key special teams player. He’s a senior who has been a phenomenal leader for us this year. Last year he had 895 all-purpose yards, and we knew coming into this season that he was a special player.

“Our offense has kind of opened up a little bit more, and that lets us spread the ball around a little bit more.”

Esterline’s mother, Michelle, and grandmother, Debbie Esterline, are extremely supportive of his academic and athletic endeavors, and he is grateful for their love and support. After graduation, he plans to attend technical school to pursue a career as an electrician.

For now, he is focusing on helping Happy Valley secure a victory to ensure a home playoff game.

“That will be big for us,” Esterline said. “It hasn’t been done here — a one-loss season — in a while, and that will get us the home game we want. We are going into this last game knowing it’s a conference game and one we have to win.”