Puyallup’s Dunayski content in waiting for an Ivy League offer

Puyallup High senior Gavin Dunayski is playing the waiting game when it comes to his college choice.

That’s okay, as Dunayski is a patient guy.

“As far as a commitment to a school, I’m not really in any rush to do that,” he said. “I want to take my time and weigh all my options ... ultimately make the best decision for my future.”

When it comes time for Dunayski to choose a college, he’ll likely wait until the last minute. The senior’s dream isn’t pie-in-the-sky high, but doable for the defensive end, as his dream is to play football within the Ivy League.

“They said (Ivy League schools) like to take things slower and wait a lot closer to the application time,” Dunayski said. “They don’t give you any money, but they give you guaranteed admission into the school.”

The top schools Dunayski has already talked to are Harvard, Yale and Columbia, but it’s not really his choice in the end — it’s each program’s.

He already has three Division I offers — Hawaii, Wyoming and Montana State — in hand, but Dunayski is willing to wait the recruiting process out and make the choice that he deems as the best fit.

“I’m not exclusively looking at offers from Ivy League schools,” said Dunayski, who wants to study mechanical engineering. “That’s what I’m good at — math and science. I just want to find the school that could give me the best opportunities beyond football.”

It’s not often the brains and brawn come in one package. But that’s exactly what Puyallup has with the 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive end, who owns an unweighted grade point average of 3.993, good enough to rank No. 10 academically in his 2017 graduating class.

With a knack for figuring out math equations — and the ability to bring down quarterbacks — it might not be long before this bright player gets his offer.

“Maybe if he gets us some more sacks,” said interim coach Ray Brussard, who was being cheeky about his defensive standout. “Where ever he goes, they’ll benefit from having a guy like him around.”

And Puyallup has benefited from Dunayski in big ways, much like what was on display in the Vikings’ win Friday night over over South Kitsap (0-4, 0-3). After picking up two sacks and a blocked punt in a 77-60 win, which lifted the Vikings to 3-1 on the year, Dunayski improved his season sack total to 5   1/2 through four games.

The Vikings are coming off back-to-back wins and looking at a big SPSL meeting with Sumner (4-0), which has a share of first place in league with Olympia, on Saturday (Oct. 2) at Sparks Stadium.

Dunayski knows there’s more needed from him this season, so a college decision isn’t necessary for him at the moment.

But after seeing Puyallup light up the score board each week, is it finally time for Dunayski to join his teammates with an end zone celebration of his own?

“I’ve only run limited reps with the offense as a tight end,” Dunayski said. “We don’t use the tight end much because we have better options on the outside for (quarterback) Nathaniel (Holcomb).”

But if there’s a chance, he’s not going to wait to snag it away from opponents.

“If he feels the best play is to throw it to me, I just have to put myself in the best position for Nathaniel to make the throw,” Dunayski said.

And in those cases, Dunayski is only biding his time.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Puyallup’s Dunayski content in waiting for an Ivy League offer."