Estime’s Sensational Season Continues in Win over Cherokee

[player_tooltip player_id="27865" first="Audric" last="Estime"] has put on an absolute show for New Jersey high school football fans in the 2020 season. And with everything the 2020 season has brought through uncertainty and unpredictability, Estime’s play has been a constant on a weekly basis. The senior standout and Michigan State commit led St. Joseph of Montvale to its fourth straight win following Saturday’s 36-35 victory over Cherokee in a battle of North Jersey vs. South Jersey and private school vs. public school. The top-10 matchup came about over the week after both teams had to adjust following schedule changes. Estime delivered once again on Saturday, going for 296 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. The 27 carries were the most for Estime this season, the second being 26 against Seton Hall Prep in the second game of the season. The running back has been putting up video game numbers against some of the state’s top teams. In seven games of work, Estime has rushed for 1,621 yards and 21 touchdowns on 150 carries. Getting over 100 yards has been automatic for Estime. There were high expectations going in for the senior this season. He has exceeded all of them. St. Joseph led 20-0 after Estime scored on runs of 52 and 37 yards and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27908" first="Dorian" last="Nowell"] found Logan Rivera on a 4-yard touchdown. Cherokee rallied behind quarterback Billy Osborn and Dhante Johnson. Johnson ran for 65 yards and a score, and Osborn threw for 239 yards and four TDs. Osborn connected with Caden Burti six times for 88 yars and two scores, and Chima Opara was effective with six receptions for 74 yards. Cherokee took a 35-30 lead in the fourth quarter – despite Estime rushing for three scores at that point. St. Joseph just continued to feed Estime when it needed to, and that was what mattered. The senior finished off an 80-yard drive with a 5-yard TD with 8:08 to play in the fourth quarter, his fourth TD of the game, and that turned out to be the difference. Estime and a strong offensive line led St. Joseph in key situations. He ran for 217 of his 296 yards in the first half. Nuri Robinson caught two passes for 97 yards for St. Joseph, and Estime added a pair of receptions for 70 yards. James Mullen led the Green Knights with two sacks. Kicker Sebastian Tasko nailed a 40-yard field goal that gave St. Joseph a 30-21 lead before Cherokee rallied. Cherokee kicker Mike Fitzpatrick made all five PATs on the day. It’s unclear of Estime’s sensational season and career has come to an end or if the Green Knights will play another game next week. St. Jospeh is scheduled to close out the year against Delbarton, but a positive COVID-19 test has put the Green Wave on hold. Delbarton and Bergen Catholic was cancelled right before kickoff on Saturday due to a positive test.