Standing 5-8 and weighing 160 pounds, Caleb Dean has never been the most physically imposing player on a football field.
Despite the perceived limitations, Dean emerged as Lakeside's go-to receiver with 111 catches for 2,096 yards and 25 touchdowns over the last two seasons.
"I looked at my size as an advantage, being a little quicker than most guys and really focusing on running good routes," Dean said. "To me, the most important part about being a receiver is route running. They'll look at the tall guys and they'll look at the fast guys, but you don't know how good a receiver is until you see him run some routes."
Leading the Rams to a 6-5 record and their second-straight share of the 5A-South championship with 64 catches for 1,214 yards and 16 touchdowns, Dean is the offensive player of the year on The Sentinel-Record all-Garland County team.
Dean proved a consistent option for two quarterbacks this year, senior Fisher Alexander and sophomore Taylor Gillham.
The senior accounted for more than 53 percent of Lakeside's completions this season, saying he shared a special bond with Alexander both on and off the field.
"It really started our sophomore year," he said. "Neither of us were playing as much as we would have liked, but we knew the shoes would have to be filled the next year. The summer before our junior year, we spent a really good amount of time at the field working together. We've grown into really close friends and we have a great relationship, especially trust over football."
Through the first six games of the season, the Rams and Dean were not playing to their high expectations. Lakeside was 2-4 and Dean was held to under 100 yards in four games.
That began turning around in Week 7 at Hope, Dean with seven catches for 167 yards and two scores in a 53-27 Lakeside win. The Rams closed the regular season with four straight wins, sharing the league title with White Hall, while Dean hauled in 25 passes for 578 yards and seven touchdowns.
"Having a guy like that on the outside meant a lot to our offense," Lakeside coach Jared McBride said. "Whether it's route running, catching the football, running after the catch or blocking down field, he does everything well for us. He's a guy that we always want to get involved and we know defenses have to focus on him."
Lakeside is no stranger to elite receivers with Maurice Bradford and Ajalen Holley each receiving all-state honors in recent years. Dean was especially proud to be mentioned alongside Holley, a two-time all-Sun Belt performer at Louisiana-Monroe who finished his college career with more than 2,000 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.
"It's a great honor to stack up next to somebody that's as great as he was and still is," Dean said. "I've watched him on TV and seen what he can do, and it means a lot that people put me in the same conversation as him. I realize that I've worked for this and I've put in the hours, so to see it finally pay off is the best feeling."
With countless options to choose from, Dean said a play he made against crosstown rival Hot Springs in the last game of the regular season embodies his Lakeside career.
Early in the third quarter, Alexander rolled to his right and found Dean across the middle for a 20-yard gain, Dean spinning off one defender, making another miss and outrunning the others for a touchdown.
"I would definitely say that play represents how I played in my career," he said. "I just love the opportunity to be able to run after the catch. There's nothing to lose at that point. I had already gotten 20 yards on the catch, so I just wanted to have fun and see how much I could take it for and I ended up scoring on it."
After avenging its 2015 loss to Hot Springs with a 39-7 rout in the regular-season finale at Austin Field, Lakeside's season ended abruptly to a familiar foe just one week later. Little Rock McClellan eliminated the Rams for the second year in a row, holding Dean to his lowest output of the year with three catches for 33 yards.
Despite the disappointing end, Dean has solidified his place as one of Lakeside's greatest offensive playmakers and knows how he wants Ram fans to remember him.
"When people think about Caleb Dean, I want them to picture a humble leader who beat the odds against himself," he said.
Holding a scholarship offer from Lyon College and a preferred walk-on from Arkansas State as well as interest from other schools, Dean said he hasn't decided whether he'll pursue a college-football career.
"I wanted to take some time off and see how I felt without the game I love in my life for a few weeks," said Dean. "I'm going to sit down with one of my friends who plays golf at Arkansas State and hear his take on being a college athlete. I love football, and I know what it takes and I believe I have that. No matter what I decide, I know I'll be happy with it."
Sports on 01/11/2017