VHSL announces Class 3 All-State team

Pulaski County’s Gallimore named Second Team All-State at running back

Liberty Christian Academy’s Gideon Davidson selected offensive POY; Lafayette’s Peter Cook selected defensive POY; Liberty Christian Academy’s Frank Rocco named Coach of the Year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia High School League announces its 2023 Class 3 all-state football team. LCA junior running back Gideon Davidson is the Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year, and Lafayette senior defensive end Peter Cook is the Class 3 Defensive Player of the Year. LCA head coach Frank Rocco is the Class 3 Coach of the Year.

The 6’0”, 185-pound Davidson rushed for 2,716 yards for a whopping 13-yard average per carry, with 46 total touchdowns for the Bulldogs this season. Davidson is the 76th player nationally and the No. 4 running back in the country from the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings, committed to Clemson in June. In three seasons for the Bulldogs, he has rushed for 5,343 yards and has totaled 87 touchdowns. In the state championship game against Lafayette, Davidson rushed for 302 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard run for a score in the 28-14 win.

The 5’0”, 190-pound Cook led a stingy Lafayette defense that only allowed 119 points, including six shutouts and allowing only one touchdown in four other games. He finished his senior year with 124 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, three forced fumbles, and recovered seven fumbles, along with two touchdowns. In the state title game, Cook recorded five tackles (3 solo/2 asst.). He remains uncommitted.

Head Coach Frank Rocco led LCA to a 14-0 record and the school’s first-ever VHSL state football championship with a 28-14 win over Lafayette in the Class 3 finals played at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium. Rocco has guided the Bulldogs to a 175-32 record, taking over the program in 2004, stepping away for a few years, and returning in 2015. He has a career record 266-84-2, including six state championships in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISSA).

The all-state football team consists of 32 players  (Offense: one quarterback; four linemen; one center; three running backs; three receivers; one tight end; one kicker; one kick returner; one all-purpose offensive player (Defense: four defensive linemen; five  linebackers; four defensive backs; one punter; one punt returner; one all-purpose defensive player).

Only those players selected to the all-region first-team are eligible for selection to the all-state team. The all-state selection committee comprises eight coaches, with two from each region.