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Associate mug of Kenny Connolly, Anaheim reporter.

Date shot: 12/31/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

OCVarsity is starting something new this season to recognize the players who have done exceptional work on the field.

It’s our version of handing out a game ball or helmet sticker.

We’re calling it the OCVarsity Leaderboard Legends of the week.

Every team in the county can nominate a player (or players) for this weekly honor.

The only rule: the player(s) nominated must have current stats on the OCVarsity leaderboards. (Coaches and teams have until 4 p.m. each Monday to update their stats.) 

How do you nominate a player? It’s easy.

A coach or coaching staff can send a player’s name, grade and position via Twitter to Kenny Connolly (@KConnolly89). Please include the hash tag #ocvlegend.

We’ll announce the names of the weekly Leaderboard Legends on Monday evening. 

Here are this week’s OCV Leaderboard Legends:

LEADERBOARD LEGEND: RUNNING BACKS

Raul Balderas and Ben Jefferson, Pacifica

How about a tag team tandem for this week’s rushing legend? Pacifica running back Raul Balderas gave Garden Grove’s defense fits Friday night, reeling off a game-high 200 yards on the ground. But his backfield mate, quarterback Ben Jefferson, was equally as good, tallying 196 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 38-7 win over the Argonauts. Balderas and Jefferson come in at No. 4 and No. 7 in this week’s top-20 rushing leaders, the only pair of teammates featured in the top 10. Pacifica (2-2) is averaging close to 37 points a game on offense. Not too shabby.

Noah Rivera, Brea Olinda

He does a little bit of everything on offense, but last week Rivera tore up Diamond Bar’s defense for 240 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just 12 carries. On the season, the senior speedster is averaging a whopping 16.8 yards per carry.

RUSHING YARDS: TOP 20
1. Kenneth (K.C.) Carr, Tustin: 808 yards
2. Steven Hernandez, Los Amigos: 594 yards
3. Alex Jung, Sunny Hills, 592 yards
4. Ben Jefferson, Pacifica: 539 yards
5. Justin Osborn, Whittier Christian: 524 yards
6. Andre Cotton, Aliso Niguel: 518 yards
7. Raul Balderas, Pacifica: 512 yards
8. Garin Green, Capistrano Valley Christian: 502 yards
9. Connor McBride, Woodbridge: 501 yards
10. Alonzo Pineda, Kennedy: 490 yards
11. Brandon Castelo, Sunny Hills: 485 yards
12. Edgar Galindo, Los Amigos: 479 yards
13. Denilson Santamaria, Segerstrom: 422 yards
14. Noah Rivera, Brea Olinda: 413 yards
15. Chris Hernandez, Santa Ana Valley: 382 yards
16. Austin Whitsett, San Clemente: 377 yards
17. Blaine Riederich, Marina: 373 yards
18. Jordan Leonard, Brethren Christian: 368 yards
19. Trey Green, Santa Margarita: 357 yards
20. Jake Baldiviez, Dana Hills: 347 yards

LEADERBOARD LEGENDS: QUARTERBACKS

Nate Sorensen, Aliso Niguel

After missing week two due to injury, Sorensen returned to the field Friday night and more than made up for lost time. The junior quarterback completed 25 of 41 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-44 loss to Valley View. Sorensen connected with receiver Tyler Jones 14 times for 243 yards and two scores, and added 48 yards rushing on six attempts. In total, the Wolverines QB accounted for 418 yards of total offense.

Kevin Brown, Capistrano Valley

The Cougars senior completed 72 percent of his passes (21 of 29) for 256 yards and three touchdowns against an overmatched Esperanza squad in a 52-6 victory. Brown has been a model of consistency this season, completing passes at a 65-percent clip. He’s Orange County’s third-leading passer and has 11 touchdown throws to just one interception.

PASSING YARDS: TOP 20
1. Quinn Commans, Whittier Christian: 1,516 yards 
2. JT Daniels, Mater Dei: 1,492 yards
3. Kevin Brown, Capistrano Valley: 1,386 yards 
4. Cooper Jones, El Toro: 1,177 yards
5. Deshaun Harvey, Buena Park: 1,077 yards
6. Chase Garbers, Corona del Mar: 1,060 yards
7. Tyler Lytle, Servite: 1,001 yards
8. Tommy Germain, Trabuco Hills: 911 yards
9. Matthew McDonald, Mission Viejo: 872 yards
10. Griffin O’Connor, Edison: 853 yards
11. Curtis Harrison, Laguna Beach: 796 yards
12. Richard Wagner, Santa Margarita: 772 yards
13. Ben Jefferson, Pacifica: 752 yards
14. George Krantz, St. Margaret’s: 751 yards
15. Anthony Munoz, Western: 675 yards
16. Jack Sears, San Clemente: 646 yards
17. Christian Rodriguez, Kennedy: 620 yards
18. Eric Carrasco, Estancia: 610 yards
19. Nate Sorensen, Aliso Niguel: 609 yards
20. Ian Green, Marina: 583 yards

LEADERBOARD LEGENDS: WIDE RECEIVERS

Cade McGee, Whittier Christian

How much fun do you think McGee had as the primary target in a game where his quarterback broke the Orange County record for passing touchdowns? Probably quite a bit. The junior wideout caught 10 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns this past week apart of the Heralds’ wild 68-55 shootout win over Bell. Crazy thing is, this statistically isn’t even McGee’s best game of the season. In Week 0, he hauled in 15 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns against Bishop Union. Playing alongside quarterback Quinn Commans in a pass-happy system, McGee’s a must-start every week in fantasy leagues.

Joe Morenc, Tesoro

The Titans dove deep into the playbook last Friday night against El Toro, dialing up the old halfback pass not once, but twice. Morenc was on the receiving end of both passes running back Graedan Sharpe uncorked, which proved to be good enough for a 63-yard gain and the game-winning 80-yard touchdown score in the 25-21 win. Morenc notched five catches for 172 yards.

RECEIVING YARDS: TOP 20
1. Tae Le, Corona del Mar: 504 yards
2. Shaun Colamonico, Edison: 483 yards
3. Cade McGee, Whittier Christian: 476 yards
4. Austin Derrico, El Toro: 458 yards
5. Noah Holmes, Marina: 422 yards
6. Grant Calcaterra, Santa Margarita: 412 yards
7. Justin Osborn, Whittier Christian: 410 yards
8. E.J. Ginnis, Edison: 386 yards
9. Noah Aguilar, El Toro: 383 yards
10. Tyler Jones, Aliso Niguel: 380 yards
11. James Fatasia, Katella: 370 yards
12. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Mater Dei: 361yards
13. Matt Moslenko, Pacifica: 356 yards
14. Osiris St. Brown, Mater Dei: 338 yards
15. Jacob Huff, San Juan Hills: 324 yards
16. Kyle Ford, Servite: 320 yards
17. Nico Albertini, Whittier Christian: 313 yards
18. Jeremiah Hawkins, Buena Park: 301 yards
19. Delon Hurt, Servite: 293 yards
20. Victor Bates, Buena Park: 282 yards

Our leaderboard rankings are based on the stats in our system as of each Monday at 4 p.m. Coaches are asked to take part in making sure their team’s stats are up-to-date so that players can be ranked and evaluated based on the published stats.