Although Camp Verde High School came together as a team to eke out a 28-21 win at Mohave Accelerated Learning Center, one senior linebacker continues to help fight a greater battle after making his 100th tackle for the Cowboys [4-6].
“I didn’t have to, but she’s an older woman,” Jesse Etienne said of his aunt, Mary Walsh, of Rimrock, whom he helps on Sundays and at other times through her fight with Stage 4 cancer. “It was my decision to stay out here and just help [her] out.”
In the final game of his high school career Friday, Oct. 30, Jesse Etienne wrapped up 11 Patriots to lead the team in tackles for the season and finish among the top 10 tacklers in Division V.
“I just want to do my hardest every play, take all my emotions out on the field, just go for it [and] go all out,” Etienne said. “I used to not be so athletic. I had asthma, and I couldn’t even run a lap before practice, but I just kept trying.”
The Cowboys finished in third place in Section III as senior Trevor Heyer was the team’s statistical leader, catching four passes for 82 yards, completing three other passes for 63 yards, and leading the defense with 13 tackles to boot.
“I came right out here in August and wanted to get involved in the program right away,” Etienne said. “First day of school, I felt really welcome. It’s a really good community. I really feel like a family on this team.”
But the senior transfer from Sports and Medical Science Academy in Hartford, Conn., is helping Walsh in her fight against stomach cancer which has metastasized into her breasts and brain.
“I help out as much as I can around the house most Sundays,” Etienne said. “Mow the lawn, watch the kids, do whatever they need to be done.”
Etienne left his parents in Hartford to assist Walsh and her sister Katherine Mekrut — his grandmother — as well as two first cousins who are 3 and 5 years old, respectively.
For the full story and final standings, please see the Wednesday, Nov. 4, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
