FERRIDAY — Whenever the Ferriday Trojans are brought up in a conversation, names like Dare Rosenthal and Ja’Shon Foster tend to be the first ones mentioned.

But what about the football players that weren’t gifted with 6’9”, 280-pound frames? On a team with multiple players holding SEC scholarship offers, players like Delandrius Dunbar have to work twice as hard to earn playing time.

At first glance, Dunbar looks like a skill player. He’s roughly 6-foot tall and small enough to see the veins running up and down his arms. But Dunbar, who said he’s put on approximately 60 pounds since his freshman season, is a starter at right tackle. Ferriday head coach Dwight Woods said he earned that starting position.

“He’s one of those kids that works hard,” Woods said. “He’s not as physically gifted, so where he lacks there, he puts that effort in to make him a starter at right tackle.”

The motivation to put in that extra effort came naturally.

“What motivated me was to be a part of the team, to help make Ferriday better as a football team,” Dunbar said.

Dunbar puts in the work off of the gridiron, as well. With a 23 ACT and a 3.5 GPA, Dunbar has successfully juggled the life of being a Ferriday football player and excelling in the classroom.

Doing so has put Dunbar in a position to attend a college and follow his dream of becoming a psychologist.

“I’ve always liked being able to help a person out, talking to them and trying to help them get through their situation,” Dunbar said.

Those types of goals has made Dunbar an example Woods often time points to in the locker room.

“We put him up as a role model to other kids,” Woods said. “I tell the kids you can play football and still make good grades, and that’s what he’s done.”

Dunbar’s goals don’t end with the team or with going to college. He wants to make a mark at Ferriday High School as a student.

“After the season, I want to try to be valedictorian,” Dunbar said. “It’s basically between a few people, and I’m one of the top ones in my class.”