The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Senior inspires ‘Wildcat’ spirit
Wildcat also recognized as top mascot in area poll
Friday nights are a big deal for high schools as players and coaches take the field under bright lights. But games are also an exciting time for others and this story is one in a series profiling them.
Last week, Ashleigh Kazeka wore the Mayfield Wildcat mascot suit during the school’s last regular season game against Riverside.
However, the senior will be able to don the costume at least one more time Nov. 2 when the football team, the Wildcats, take on Archbishop Hoban (Akron) in the playoffs.
Technically a member of The PRIDE of Mayfield Wildcat Marching Band, under the direction of Brad Trieber, Kazeka has embodied “Wildcat” since the beginning of the academic year. She said she always thought the idea was cool, but at the time was a member of the flags team.
In a casual conversation, later, with Trieber, and Mayfield Middle School Director of Bands Michael Palermo, Kazeka “joked” she sought to become Wildcat, asking if tryouts existed.
Trieber joked, in turn, saying three consecutive front handsprings were required.
In truth, interest and commitment were all the qualifications needed, though Kazeka would be unable to remain a member of the flags team, a reality that suited her, no pun intended, just fine.
“I figured it would be a great time for my senior year to be the mascot because it sounded pretty fun and exciting, and my favorite thing is seeing all the little kids yelling and getting exciting themselves at the games,” she said.
Kazeka is the third female to take on the role of Wildcat in as many years. Typically, Wildcat is played by seniors, Trieber confirmed.
“I thought it was going to be fun and cool, and my mom went with me and encouraged me to go all out and be a goof on TV.” — Ashleigh Kazeka, Mayfield High School senior who serves as ‘Wildcat’ mascot
Wildcat, in the second iteration, has been a tradition at Mayfield for over 25 years, and the suit is sent out once a year to be touched up.
During pregame warmups, Kazeka said she does a combination of things, dancing along with the routines of the auxiliary team and “doing her own thing” during halftime performances.
“I march around silly, having fun, and I’ve attempted to do a cartwheel, but the head would fall off,” she said, smiling.
During the Columbus Day Parade in Little Italy earlier this month, Kazeka was right in line with the PRIDE, marching down Mayfield Road to the cheers and waves of the crowd.
So, how hot is the costume?
“Very,” Kazeka said, laughing. “At times, I was able to lift up the head a bit to get some air that day, though. But I never let anyone, especially kids, see Wildcat coming apart.”
And her stint as the mascot has been all the more special for Kazeka, and the district, as Wildcat won the No. 1 spot in the Fox 8 Mascot Mania poll held in August at the beginning of the school year.
Receiving 265 votes of a total 1,078, for 24.58 percent of the vote, Wildcat beat out 10 other entrants, including the Euclid Panther, the Lake Catholic Cougar and the Mentor Fighting Cardinal.
“I thought it was going to be fun and cool, and my mom went with me and encouraged me to go all out and be a goof on TV,” Kazeka said. “My favorite part was blending in with the green screen where they normally do the weather, because I’m green.
“My mom didn’t know it was a poll, so we just mentioned it to some of our friends. But I was surprised to win — I wasn’t expecting to get first place. It was pretty cool. I was excited, jumping all around.”
Whenever Mayfield High’s football season does end, Kazeka doesn’t particularly harbor any future mascot aspirations, but she did point out she’d consider an opportunity to dress up again if the right scenario presented itself.
“I don’t even know if there is anything to pursue, maybe one day,” she said, adding, as it stands, there’s no singular Wildcat heir apparent. “But there are a few seniors in the band now, though, that have asked if they could take over for one time, and the answer was, ‘No.’”