East Allegheny High School graduate Cory Estes leads the Bethany College men's soccer team with seven goals.

Estes, a sophomore forward, has played only 11 of Bethany's 19 games, but still leads the team in goals scored. Estes ranks fourth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with .70 goals per game.

As the regular season winds down and the matches become more important, Estes has delivered scores at critical junctures. On Oct. 10, he scored the first goal of the game in the 82nd minute, as the Bison came away with a 2-1 victory at Franciscan (Ohio) University.

Ten days later in a PAC match against Washington & Jefferson College, with the Bison down, 1-0, Estes evened the game with a goal in the 67th minute.

Bethany would go on to earn a 1-1 tie with the Presidents to clinch a berth in the PAC tournament.

Estes was at it again Oct. 24 in another conference match with Thomas More College. Midway through the second half of a 1-1 game, Estes got loose on a breakaway and notched his seventh goal of the season in a 3-2 Bethany victory.

PSAC honors Hempfield grad

Hempfield Area High School graduate Amber Santavy was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for her contributions in California University of Pennsylvania's 3-0 win over Clarion.

Santavy, a senior outside hitter, recorded a team-high 24 digs along with 13 kills and a .310 hitting percentage. She also totaled three assists and three of Cal's five service aces.

With the win the Vulcans clinched their first PSAC West title since 1992 and owned a 27-match winning streak. Santavy ranks third on the team in kills and digs. Santavy has 123 kills in 44 games for an average of 2.8 per game. She also has 170 digs for an average of 3.86.

GCC grad picks 'em off

Greensburg Central Catholic High School graduate Mike Baker recorded his fifth interception of the season in Grove City's 44-0 win over Saint Vincent.

Baker, a junior cornerback, ranks first on the team in solo tackles with 39 and fourth with 50 total tackles. He has also broken up nine passes and recovered two fumbles.

Area duo helps W&J volleyball

Two graduates of PG East area high schools have helped the Washington & Jefferson College women's volleyball team to a 17-10 record this season.

Greensburg Salem graduate Samantha Butler and Greater Latrobe grad Courtney Sherwin are starters for W&J. Butler is a 6-foot sophomore middle hitter, while Sherwin is a 5-11 freshman middle hitter.

Butler ranks second on the team with 150 kills in 80 games, which averages to 1.88 per game. She also leads the team in total blocks, with 87.

Sherwin has 97 kills in 54 games for an average of 1.80 per game. She also 66 total blocks and 16 serving aces.

No. 2 for Bearcats

Jeannette High School graduate Adrianne Groth ranks second in scoring on the Saint Vincent College women's soccer team with 19 points.

Groth, a junior forward, has scored seven goals, including three game-winners, and assisted on five others.

Saint Vincent has a 10-5-2 record.

Groth broke into the starting lineup as a freshman in 2005 and was the Bearcats' second leading scorer with seven goals, 10 assists and 24 points. Groth missed most of last season with an injury.

Central grad tackles foes

Central Catholic graduate Jon Scholl ranks No. 17 in NCAA Division III in total tackles.

Scholl, a 5-11, 190-pound senior cornerback from Coraopolis, has 88 total tackles in seven games for an average of 12.6 per game. Scholl has recorded 38 solo tackles and assisted on 50 others. He also has four tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles.

He runs to PAC title

Greensburg Central Catholic graduate Adam Smith won the Presidents' Athletic Conference men's cross country title for Saint Vincent College.

Smith, a junior who resides in Jeannette, ran the 8-kilometer course in a time of 26:20, besting his closest competitor, Washington & Jefferson's Matthew Rudzki, by 12 seconds.

He's a standout at CMU

Deer Lakes High School graduate Jonathan Bodnar was named the University Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in Carnegie Mellon's victory at Chicago on Oct. 20.

Bodnar, a senior linebacker, headed a defense that held Chicago to 73 yards rushing in a 21-0 victory.

He led the defense with six tackles and picked off a pass.