MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — "This is what I've been waiting for my whole life and I don't plan on letting anything stop me."
Marshalltown Senior Deonte Dean is a bit of a surprise.
"I just can't tell you enough, his work ethic is amazing," Marshalltown boys track and field coach Doug Bacon told Local 5.
Dean is not a surprise because he works hard, nor is it a surprise he is currently the fastest 200-meter runner in the state. At least not to those who know him.
"It's true, the average high schooler probably doesn't have that extra bit of drive, but there's just something inside of him that doesn't want to fail," Bacon said.
It is not his success on the track that is remarkable. One of the best runners in the state is also one of the best singers in the state.
"I grew up watching a lot of The Jackson 5, you know, oldies and would just be singing in the kitchen and the shower and my mom couldn't stop me," Dean said.
That was until he went to high school, then his mom would not let him stop.
"I wasn't going to do it in high school but I lost my phone and she told me 'You're not getting a new phone unless you go out for choir,'" Dean said. "I don't regret that to this day."
If you ask though, he will not tell you flat-out if he likes track or singing more.
"Singing is like that hobby on the side and track is my passion. I've grown up singing so I do a little bit of singing and I do a little bit of running. Let's just leave it at that," Dean said.
He is an all-state singer to go with an all-state caliber sprinter. The dual-threat Dean has a chance to win Marshalltown’s first 200-meter state title since 1977.
Back then, it was the 220-yard dash.
"Being from Marshalltown comes with a lot of pride," Dean said. "We're not always a school that's the most looked at in this sport and I just try to go out there and prove a statement. No matter what logo you have on your back, we're out here to do our thing."
It is only fitting that Dean could win the school's first 200-meter state title since the oldies.
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