In practice, Lincoln-Way West’s Chase Markowicz has been both friend and foe to his quarterback.
On offense, senior quarterback Grant Tustin loves how much Markowicz is his trusted receiver.
“If I throw the ball and it’s within three yards of him, he catches the ball,” Tustin said of Markowicz. “Sometimes I make mistakes — everyone makes mistakes — and I’ll throw the ball too high or a little bit too far and he adjusts and catches the ball really well.
“The other thing is that he is usually so wide open and he will shake a defender and all I have to do is put the ball out there where he can catch it.”
But when the coaches blow the whistle and it’s time for Markowicz, an Illinois State recruit, to go to the other side of the ball as a defensive back …
That’s another story.
“He’s not my friend on defense,” Tustin said with a smile. “I like to stay away from Chase’s side. He’s a very good defensive back. I wish we had a little more time with him on offense.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Markowicz also is the long snapper and returns punts for the Warriors, who check in at No. 7 in the Daily Southtown preseason rankings.
“The diversity of the player is what I like the best,” Lincoln-Way West coach Luke Lokanc said of Markowicz. “What really opened up a lot of college interest for him is how much he can do.
“The more you can do the better.”
The diversity also extends in the range of colleges that were interested in him.
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Markowicz visited a host of local Midwest schools, including Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Toledo and Ball State. He also visited Minnesota and Iowa, both from the Big Ten.
Although he didn’t make visits, Markowicz also picked up offers from Princeton, Cornell, Army and Air Force. From that long list, he made his decision in June to play in Normal with the Redbirds.
“It just felt like home the most,” Markowicz said. “I like being close to home. My mom (Kelly) went there. And I love all the coaches.”
Even though there were other more glamorous programs, Lokanc applauded that choice.
“He enjoyed his recruiting experience, that’s for sure,” Lokanc said. “You have to find a place where, if you can never play football again for some reason, it’s a school you want to go to.
“Kids don’t always think about that and you try to teach them. He had a great relationship with all of the coaches, but at the end of the day, he thought Illinois State was a great spot for him.”
Markowicz plans on majoring in business, with an eye on owning a business one day. The business at hand for Markowicz and the Warriors, though, is to put together a big season.
Last fall, Lincoln-Way West (7-4) scored 40 or more points six times as Markowicz had 14 catches for 270 yards and three touchdowns on offense, then 22 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass break-ups on defense. He added 200 yards on punt returns and a TD on special teams.
With 39 returning seniors — many players who were youth football teammates since they were age 6 — optimism is running high for the Warriors.
Markowicz, meanwhile, is trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, Jason, who was a two-way player and an all-American at St. Xavier, where he’s in the Hall of Fame.
“He coached me up all the way to high school,” Chase said of his dad. “He would give me the stuff I need. Cleats. Gloves. He always told me, ‘If the ball is 10 yards near you, you should catch it.'”
Quick hits
Team: Lincoln-Way West.
2024 record: 7-4.
Offensive leaders: Chase Markowicz, senior, wide receiver; Jahan Abubakar, senior, running back; Reilly Kliros, senior, offensive lineman; Zach Hermanson, senior, kicker.
Defensive leaders: Noah Wendt, senior, linebacker; Jackson Mansker, senior, safety; Brady Nelson, senior linebacker; Luke Gouty, senior, defensive back.
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X-factor: Grant Tustin, senior, quarterback.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.