Passion is something that an individual cares for and puts everything into. According to the Oxford dictionary, passion is “the intense desire or enthusiasm for something.” Sometimes, the passion comes after the hard work.

For Wilsonville High School senior Mark Wiepert, his passion for football didn’t start right away. Mark was introduced to football at a very young age, casually playing with friends and family. 

He first started playing competitively in 6th grade, but wasn’t fully committed to football as a core part of his life until his freshman year of high school: “I didn’t really realize how much I enjoyed [football] until my freshman year.”

Starting as the JV quarterback his freshman year, Wiepert joined varsity as a wide receiver his sophomore year. Wiepert “learned a lot of stuff fast and it was a lot of fun because I knew I had the guys around me to make it an easy and fun transition.” 

Mark Wiepert plays a big role at Wilsonville High School, both on and off the field. So what he is known for matters a lot to him. Wiepert stated, “I really try to be approachable with people but ultimately the relationships that I build and the people that I’m around, but overall, I don’t want anyone to ever feel like they couldn’t talk to me.”

A lot of athletes go through their sports careers thinking about themselves; however, that’s the exact opposite for Mark Wiepert. Wiepert’s faith plays a large role in his sports career, whether he’s playing baseball or football. 

Wiepert said, “The biggest thing that separates me [from others] and how I treat [sports] is I get to treat all my athletics as a blessing [from] the Lord, it’s ultimately an identity piece, so my identity is not in if I have a good game [or not]; my identity is in Jesus Christ and who I believe has given me all these opportunities.”

The main reason passion goes hand-in-hand with Mark Wiepert is that he believes that all his abundant talent comes from the Lord, who gives Wiepert the opportunity to play football.