Lake Taylor High School STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® Virginia FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (December 3, 2015) — In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Wayne Davis of Lake Taylor High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year. Davis is the first Gatorade Virginia Football Player of the Year to be chosen from Lake Taylor High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Davis as Virginia’s best high school football player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award announced in December, Davis joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Wes Welker (1999-00, Heritage Hall HS, Okla.), Terrell Suggs (1999-00, Hamilton HS, Ariz.), Anquan Boldin (1998-99, Pahokee HS, Fla.) and Jerome Bettis (1989-90, Mackenzie HS, Mich.).
The 6-foot, 188-pound senior cornerback and wide receiver has led the Titans (13-0) to 28 consecutive wins and a berth in the Class 4A semifinals against Courtland, scheduled for Dec. 5. Davis has recorded 43 tackles through 13 games and intercepted six passes, returning five for touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 651 yards and six touchdowns. The Conference 17 Player of the Year, Davis is a two-time First Team All-State selection.
Davis has maintained a 3.37 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a mentor for younger children at the Berkley Community Center.
“Davis is athletic, fast and he has great hands,” said Joe Jones, head coach at King’s Fork High. “He has tremendous skills and football knowledge, and he’s always in the right place at the right time. He’s just a pure playmaker.”
Davis has verbally committed to play football on scholarship at Ohio State University in the fall of 2016.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Davis joins recent Gatorade Virginia Football Players of the Year Noah Reimers (2014-15, Tuscarora High School), Andrew Brown (2013-14, Oscar Smith High School), Jonathan Allen (2012-13, Stone Bridge High School), Alex Carter (2011-12, Briar Woods High School), Demetrious Nicholson (2010-11, Bayside High School), Phillip Sims (2009-10, Oscar Smith High School), David Wilson (2008-09, George Washington High School) and Mike Glennon (2007-08, Westfield High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.
