Some teams hand out game balls or helmet stickers on Mondays during the football season.
At OCVarsity.com, we select Leaderboard Legends.
Every team in the county can nominate a player (or players) for this weekly honor. (To find out more about the award, click here.)
The O.C. stat leaders are below, and here are this week’s Leaderboard Legends:
RUNNING BACKS
Jahquon Speed, Valencia
Valencia’s offensive game plan was a simple one against Cypress in the regular-season finale: hand the football to Jahquon Speed. The Tigers senior workhorse ran for 358 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries, leading his squad to a 28-26 victory that captured a share of the Empire League title and punched Valencia’s ticket to the Division 4 playoffs. The Tigers did not complete a pass, and only went to the air three times. Speed accounted for all but 21 of the Tigers’ offensive yardage, and in the last two weeks he has rushed for 565 yards on 65 carries.
Connor McBride, Woodbridge
Like Speed, the Warriors 6-foot-2, 225-pound bruiser also racked up 40 carries last Friday night in a must-win Week 10 game. McBride’s 233-yard performance against University helped Woodbridge take a 24-21 victory, which locked up third-place in the Pacific Coast League, securing a playoff spot in Division 9.
O.C. RUSHING LEADERS
1. KC Carr, Tustin: 2,320 yards
2. Cole Kinder, Newport Harbor: 1,853 yards
3. Steven Hernandez, Los Amigos: 1,705 yards
4. Connor McBride, Woodbridge: 1,434 yards Jordan
5. Josh Avila, Westminster: 1,392 yards
6. Jordan Leonard, Brethren Christian: 1,382 yards
7. Chris Hernandez, Santa Ana Valley: 1,366 yards
8. Alex Jung, Sunny Hills: 1,335 yards
9. Jahquon Speed, Valencia: 1,333 yards
10. Cade Henjum, Saddleback Valley Christian: 1,273 yards
11. Brandon Castelo, Sunny Hills: 1,177 yards
12. Raul Balderas, Pacifica: 1,158 yards
13. Justin Osborn, Whittier Christian: 1,142 yards
14. Edgar Galindo, Los Amigos: 1,101yards
15. Dillon Keefe, El Modena: 1,069 yards
16. John Stamos, Villa Park: 1,062 yards
17. Francisco Pineda, Katella: 1,045 yards
18. Raymond Serna, Anaheim: 1,042 yards
19. Ben Jefferson, Pacifica: 1,013 yards
20. Alonzo Pineda, Kennedy: 1,012 yards
QUARTERBACKS
JT Daniels, Mater Dei
A 458-yard, six-touchdown performance in Week 10 put the Monarchs super-sophomore atop the Mater Dei and Orange County record books in several statistical categories. Daniels’ 3,561 passing yards are the most in school history, topping Matt Barkley’s 2007 season (3,560). His 53 touchdown passes are the most in county history, topping Rancho Alamitos’ Nick Brown (52 in 2014). With an entire postseason left to play, Daniels realistically could set new records for passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage in Orange County and state history.
Joey Gutierrez, Brethren Christian
Gutierrez and his teammates went into last weekend’s matchup with Carnegie of Riverside knowing they wouldn’t get into the playoffs, a stunningly unfair outcome for a one-loss team. The Warriors went out and showed their heart, trouncing the Wolverines, 49-0. Gutierrez tossed three touchdowns for the fourth consecutive game, and finished the year having completed 74 percent of his passes.
O.C. PASSING LEADERS
1. Quinn Commans, Whittier Christian: 3,777 yards
2. JT Daniels, Mater Dei: 3,561 yards
3. Cade Henjum, Saddleback Valley Christian: 3,115 yards
4. Chase Garbers, Corona del Mar: 2,896 yards
5. Cooper Jones, El Toro: 2,772 yards
6. Nick Sipe, Villa Park: 2,705 yards
7. Kevin Brown, Capistrano Valley: 2,474 yards
8. Tyler Lytle, Servite: 2,421 yards
9. Joey Gutierrez, Brethren Christian: 2,294 yards
10. Griffin O’Connor, Edison: 2,286 yards
11. Blake Culbert, Rancho Alamitos: 2,208 yards
12. George Krantz, St. Margaret’s: 2,196 yards
13. Matthew McDonald, Mission Viejo: 2,132 yards
14. Alex Ashcraft, Cypress: 1,967
15. Matthew Robinson, JSerra: 1,895 yards
16. Richard Wagner, Santa Margarita: 1,858 yards
17. Ben Jefferson, Pacifica: 1,850 yards
18. Nate Sorensen, Aliso Niguel: 1,809 yards
19. Jack Strouse, El Dorado: 1,746 yards
20. Luke Wilson, Yorba Linda: 1,738 yards
WIDE RECEIVERS
Stan Berryhill, Orange Lutheran
The Lancers senior speedster hauled in a county-high 13 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns against a talented St. John Bosco defense in a 47-28 loss Friday night. Orange Lutheran enters the Division 1 playoffs on a two-game skid, but has the talent to upend unbeaten Rancho Cucamonga in the opening round.
Tyler Jones, Aliso Niguel
Jones wrapped up a stellar junior campaign with a 10-catch, 196-yard performance in a 22-21 loss to Laguna Hills. The Wolverines’ go-to target is third in Orange County in receiving yards with 1,072.
O.C. RECEIVING LEADERS
1. Cade McGee, Whittier Christian: 1,166 yards
2. Austin Derrico, El Toro: 1,102 yards
3. Tyler Jones, Aliso Niguel: 1,072 yards
4. Jack De Avila, Saddleback Valley Christian: 1,023 yards
5. Tae Le, Corona del Mar: 961 yards
6. Justin Osborn, Whittier Christian: 921 yards
7. Osiris St. Brown, Mater Dei: 916 yards
8. Auston Locke, St. Margaret’s: 884 yards
9. Grant Calcaterra, Santa Margarita: 849 yards
10. Kyle Ford, Servite: 838 yards
11. Nico Albertini, Whittier Christian: 837 yards
12. Ryan Cragun, St. Margaret’s: 827 yards
13. Noah Aguilar, El Toro: 812 yards
14. Cayden McCluskey, San Juan Hills: 806 yards
15. Logan Montgomery, Laguna Hills: 802 yards
16. Stan Berryhill, Orange Lutheran: 797 yards
17. E.J. Ginnis, Edison: 772 yards
18. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Mater Dei: 749 yards
19. Connor Leech, El Dorado: 730 yards
20. Jackson Greene, Saddleback Valley Christian: 730 yards
*Coaches are asked to keep their team’s stats updated in the OCVarsity system so that their players appear in the O.C. leaderboards. These leaderboards reflect the information in the system as of Monday at 4 p.m.
Contact the reporter: kconnolly@scng.com
