New Wildcats QB Markovic Leads Wildcats in Playoff Quest

Drazen Markovic has been the do-everything man for the Mayfield Wildcats football team for a while – punting, returning punts and kick offs, playing safety, not to mention a little receiving, too.

But as Markovic enters his senior year, his prolific profile will be trimmed a little. After all, you can’t really throw passes to yourself when you’re the new starting quarterback, can you?

Markovic will lead the Wildcats into their season opener this evening at Nordonia with a 7 p.m. start.

Last year, his all-around exploits earned him the third-team AP All-District “athlete” award. This time, he’ll be in full control of an offense that will attempt to put the Wildcats back into the playoffs after a two-year absence highlighted by a pair of 6-4 records.

It’s clear Markovic is a little miffed at last year’s shortcomings and very much intends to make up for some tight losses to Hudson, Olmsted Falls and Willoughby South.

“We could have easily gone 9-1 in my opinion. We played well against Mentor (a 52-14 loss) in the first half, but the second half, they just took it to us,” Markovic said.  “But the other three games we lost, we definitely should have won those games. We were definitely a playoff team. It was just a disappointing year out here.”

Markovic talked with the Mayfield-Hillcrest patch during practice Thursday and gave us a brief look into the season and into his life.

Who is your favorite athlete?

I like Reggie Bush. I think he’s the most athletic person I’ve ever seen. I like USC as a college in general. I not a big fan of what happened there (being stripped of the Heisman Trophy for breaking NCAA rules), but it happened. It’s in the past. He’s still the athlete that he is.

What is your favorite personal athletic moment in your career?

Freshman year, we played Olmsted Falls. I was on defense. I was playing safety, and I had a one-handed catch over my back. I still don’t know how I caught it. We ended up winning (31-6).

What are your thoughts on how the team will do this season?

I think we’ll do well. There’s a lot of new receivers. We have a lot of returners. We have a lot of depth. Our defense is looking solid. Mayfield’s defense is always good.

The team hasn’t made the playoffs the last two years. How will you make it there this year?

We have a whole new offense, and we’re very explosive. We have a lot of speed as a team. Our defense is going to look to make people have turnovers and get the ball and score.

What’s your favorite video game?

I like Madden, the newest one that comes out. I like the updated rosters, the new players, just to see how they are. During football season, it’s nice after practice to go home and relax.

What’s your favorite food?

Mashed potatoes with steak by my mom. That’s definitely my favorite. That kind of tops it all off.