PENN LAIRD — Growing up, Rayne Dean remembers spending Sundays with his grandfather.
As early as he can remember, he recalled his grandfather tossing a football up in the backyard and letting Dean run under it to catch it.
He also remembered watching the Washington Redskins on television each Sunday and even painting his backyard to resemble a football field when his friends came over for a birthday party one year.
“I grew up, always had the ball in my hands,” Dean said. “My grandpa was the main reason I started playing. That was always a special thing we had. … It’s just been my whole life. He definitely got me into it. Football basically means everything to me.”
Dean, now a senior at Spotswood, admitted he developed a full-fledged passion for the sport.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is a multi-sport star for the Trailblazers, shining on the hardwood for the SHS hoops team as well.
But it is the gridiron where he said he enjoys himself the most.
“Rayne likes that spotlight,” Spotswood head coach Dale Shifflett told the Daily News-Record in August. “When the lights are on, he’s one you want on your side because he’s lights out in those moments.”
Dean’s personality off the field is just as bright as the one he displays on it each Friday.
Broadway’s Jayce Suters gets wrapped up by Spotswood’s John Myers, Rayne Dean and Levar Robinson during a game earlier this season.
Known for his goofy, constantly joking demeanor with coaches, teammates and friends, the standout defensive end/tight end has a switch he’s able to flip on when he’s between the lines.
“When Rayne walks in the room, he’s a bright light,” SHS defensive back Jackson Graves said. “He’s a funny guy, always cracking jokes. Everyone smiles when they see Rayne. He’s a hard worker and he loves to be social. … It’s very unique. When he gets on the field, he goes from a smile to a mean mug. It’s no more fun and games anymore and it really is special to watch.”
Dean was the Valley District Defensive Player of the Year last season and could win it again later this week.
But after sustaining a gruesome injury in basketball that ended his season early in his junior campaign, simply getting back on the field with his teammates was something he cherished.
“That was the first big injury I’ve ever sustained,” Dean said. “It was kind of a shock for me. I thought I was basically indestructible at one point — that I’d never get hurt that bad — but it was definitely something that will hopefully pave the way for me in the future. It showed me how hard you have to work to get back on the field. I was in a bad place when I got hurt because I’m always doing something. Staying home and laying in bed definitely sucked, but I had good people around me who were always supporting me and helping me get through it.”
Dean is one of the more physically imposing players on defense in the Shenandoah Valley.
With a unique combination of size and athleticism, he makes life hard on offensive linemen with 35 tackles and five sacks this season.
But offensively, he’s been just as dangerous, serving as the Trailblazers’ leading receiver with 40 catches for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
“I’ll do whatever it takes for us to win,” Dean said. “All I care about in the end is winning.”
Dean said he didn’t get much playing time growing up in recreational leagues and admitted he isn’t sure if he even deserved more because it took him a while to get a grasp of the sport.
Spotwood’s Rayne Dean makes a catch under pressure from Turner Ashby’s Beau Baylor during last week’s game.
Once he did, though, it took off and he’s been a standout on the gridiron ever since.
“My mom has been preaching to me that I could do it my entire life,” Dean said. “I didn’t get a ton of playing time and she always believed in me. Once I started playing, I found my groove and ever since then, my mom has been telling me that if I keep working, anything is possible.”
Dean’s passion for the game grew from when he was a child to now in his senior campaign.
In fact, it led him to getting involved with the local youth league now as a volunteer assistant.
“I love staying around the game,” Dean said about his work with the local youth. “I can’t really get away from it. …I’d just go out there and try to help out the best I can. I wasn’t really doing as much coaching as I was just preaching about being a good person on the field. I just tried to help build up their character as much as I could and at the same time, try to teach them some things about football and life. I just love the game and I can’t stay away from it.”
Dean wants to remain involved with sports beyond graduation, mentioning that he could see himself serving as a trainer or coach, but admitting it’s also something he’s still contemplating.
With a couple of offers in his pocket already, though, he’s still got one school on his mind.
“Hopefully I hear something back from JMU,” Dean said. “That’s a great school. I’d really love to go there. I’d love to go and be a hometown kid. I’d take any offer that they could give me.”
When Dean first started tossing the football with his grandfather as a kid, he never envisioned having as much success as he has experienced over the last four years at Spotswood.
He’s become one of the premier names on the Shenandoah Valley football scene and it has allowed him to now have a chance to play the sport at the highest level next year and beyond.
“It definitely came fast,” Dean said. “I kind of took it for granted, I feel like. This year’s been fun, man. I’ve just tried to enjoy it and enjoy the one last time playing high school football. I’m trying to help out younger guys and the coaches have all been there for me. It’s a great program at Spotswood and I love it. I’m definitely full-blown Trailblazer blue. It’s the place for me.”
Dean isn’t shy about his love for the game and just how much it has meant to him personally.
That’s why those distant memories with his grandfather and a ball just never seem to fade away.
“Family is the most important thing, but especially with my grandpa,” Dean said. “Me and him have been close my whole life. Ever since I was born, he’s been there. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be playing football. I might not be playing any sports because he pushed me to be the kid I am now and also the athlete. He’s just meant a lot to me my entire life.”
