Nansemond-Suffolk Academy linebacker Cole Christiansen earned breathing room in some rarefied air over the holidays.

The junior was one of only 11 defenders in the state to be named to the 2014 American Family Insurance All-USA Virginia Football Team as put together by USA Today High School Sports.

He was also the only private school football player in the group.

“I was shocked, I mean, completely shocked,” Christiansen said. “It’s so awesome to be selected to an all-star team like that.”

He noted the group included Ocean Lakes High School senior linebacker Jahvoni Simmons, a University of Virginia commit, who recently played in the Under Armour All-America Game after helping the undefeated Dolphins win their first ever Group 6A state championship.

Christiansen saw he was also in the company of senior defensive back Nhyre Quinerly, an East Carolina University commit who helped propel Lake Taylor High School to a 15-0 season capped by a Group 4A state title.

The NSA standout mentioned a big question consistently asked about high school football players — can private school players compete with their public school counterparts?

“I think getting an award like that where I’m ranked up with kids in the best of the best playing in the Under Armour All-America (Game) certainly answers the question,” he said. “It’s a huge honor.”

Saints coach Lew Johnston said he was pleasantly surprised by Christiansen receiving the recognition, but not because his star linebacker is not capable of it. Rather, he said it was because “somebody finally got it right.”

“For USA Today to recognize the kid’s talents, to me, confirms what we felt all along,” he said. “This young man certainly deserves it, so I’m very happy for him.”

On a list including both public and private school players that had their statistics reported to MaxPreps.com, a CBSSports.com site, Christiansen ranked 10th in the state of Virginia for the 2014 season with 129 total tackles.

Ninety of his tackles were solo stops, 30 of his total tackles were for a loss and he also led his team with nine sacks.

Johnston praised Christiansen for his adaptability, noting he was moved from inside to outside linebacker after a teammate was injured and “he didn’t miss a beat.”

The coach said while he and his staff recognized Christiansen was only a junior this past season, they told him, “You’ve got to step up. You’re the veteran now.”

Christiansen reflected on his accomplishments that he was most proud of this season.

“I think I just made a lot more big plays this year than I ever have,” he said. “I’ve had solid seasons the past two years, but this year, I feel like I really just raised it up a notch. I just made more game-changing plays.”

“And as a teammate, I feel like I stepped up as a leader this year, and hopefully my teammates would say the same things, but I’m really proud of that also,” he continued.

“Obviously aside from the athletic ability, the character part of it is such a big part of who Cole Christiansen is,” Johnston said.

Christiansen was a first team all-state selection for the second consecutive year, and after his 2014 season, he was the unanimous choice to be the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II Defensive Player of the Year.

As a freshman, Christiansen had the second-most tackles in the state at the VISAA Division II level according to MaxPreps.com, finishing with 102.

He has gotten college interest and is already hard at work on preparing for his senior season.

“Obviously, I enjoy it more than anything, but I’m constantly doing football stuff,” he said. “It’s a whole year job.”