AOW: Dunn transforms to ‘crazy person’ for RBHS

Those who know Devin Dunn will tell you he is a bit shy, extremely modest and humble. Rancho Bernardo High football coach Tristan McCoy calls his star senior linebacker an “old soul.”

“I think a lot of coaches and teachers really appreciate him,” he said. “There is no fluff about him. He is just ready to work hard and get the job done. Just an absolute pleasure to be around.”

Dunn is also an Eagle Scout, a Bronco Ambassador and a member of the choir. He is mature beyond his years. On senior night, part of his aspirations read “to be the greatest husband and father in the world.”

That’s Dunn ... until the lights are flipped off in the weight room and the Rancho Bernardo drum line starts to play just before the start of a football game. Then Dunn becomes somebody else for the next 48 minutes or so.

“When the lights go off it is time to focus,” he said. “That is when I envision kicking some trash and I just turn into a monster. I think in order to play defense you have to leave yourself and become a crazy person on the field.”

That crazy person has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Dunn has collected 116 tackles in 12 games this season. He posted a whopping 17 tackles against Mira Mesa in the San Diego Section Division II quarterfinals. He backed that up with 11 more in the Broncos’ 48-14 victory over Otay Ranch.

“First of all, he is a really smart football player,” McCoy said. “He understands what the offense is trying to do and he reacts very well. He is not one of those muscle guys, but he is football strong. If you watch him, he is patient and plays with leverage. He has really good instincts and does a lot of the things you just can’t teach. He just knows where he needs to be all the time.”

Dunn credits his 12 years of football experience for his superior awareness. He started out playing on the offensive and defensive lines in Pop Warner because of his size. When he was about 10, a coach asked him to make the move to linebacker.

“I told him no,” Dunn said with a laugh. “I didn’t even know what linebacker was. But I thought about it and I asked my older brother and he told me to do it, so I did it. And from there I just continued to do it.”

And at a high level. Dunn will need to be at his craziest on Saturday, when the Broncos face Mt. Carmel for the Division II title. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at Southwestern College. Stopping San Diego State-bound quarterback Lucas Johnson will be a priority.

“Our focus for our defense is not letting Lucas make the big play,” Dunn said. “We know that if we make them drive down the field then we will eventually come out on top. But we cannot let him scramble around for eight minutes to get a guy free in the end zone.”

Dunn was a starter for Rancho Bernardo when it lost to El Capitan in the Division II championship game last season. It was a crushing blow and he knows this is his final chance to bring home a title.

“It would mean the world to me to win,” Dunn said. “I have been dreaming of doing that with all of my brothers for a crazy amount of time. I have always wanted to win a banner.”

Dunn has not gotten any scholarship offers, but hopes to play at the next level. He wants to be a pilot, so that could factor into his choice of school.

“It is a dream for me to play in college, even if it is just a backup role,” said Dunn, who is interested in attending BYU or Southern Utah University. “But I want to be playing at the next level very much. It beats sitting and watching the games on a Saturday.”

And it’s always nice to be a “crazy person” every once in a while.