With Fiedler and Elias in the NFL

Catch these promising stars When the words marquee player and Ivy football were mentioned last season, the two names which popped up everywhere were Jay Fiedler and Keith Elias. In any sports magazine, any newspaper, any program and atop any statistical chart, these were the names that always appeared. But now that the Dartmouth quarterback and Princeton running back have graduated to the NFL, the conference is left with a void. With these two outstanding athletes gone, just who will emerge as the preeminent players in the 1994 Ivy campaign remains to be seen. "Right now, I think everybody is searching," Penn coach Al Bagnoli said. "This is a funny league. I think there are going to be some kids who will emerge. I'm just not sure anybody is going to reach that level those other two kids did." While no player may reach those lofty heights, the search for the league's newest stars can be narrowed to an elite group of athletes. While there aren't any quarterbacks likely to achieve superstar status yet, there are several Ivy runners with tremendous potential. Penn's Terrance Stokes, Brown's Marquis Jessie and Yale's Keith Price should be among the premier runners in the league. Stokes is coming off an extraordinary junior year in which he was a major offensive contributor to the Quakers' undefeated championship season. The elusive tailback weaved his way through opposing defenses for over 1,200 yards, earning a spot next to Elias as a first team all-Ivy running back. Entering his senior season, Stokes is expected to pick up right where he left off. In last season's showdown of unbeatens, Stokes rose to the challenge. He dashed for 272 yards through the Princeton defense, the most yards in a single game in Quaker history. The experienced tailback will again be the workhorse for the Penn offense. While Stokes tips the scales at only 156 pounds, his great vision, speed and cutting ability provide him the opportunity to be the Ivy's best rusher. "Stokes is an emerging star-quality player," said Harvard coach Tim Murphy, who left Cincinnati to assume the Crimson helm. "He is probably the quickest player in the league. He's a great instinctive runner." While Stokes is a veteran of Ivy competition, Brown's Jesse is only entering his sophomore season. But this runner is by no means a newcomer to Ivy play. Jesse was the league's fourth leading rusher a year ago, and most see no reason why he shouldn't improve on his outstanding freshman year. The Bear tailback possesses great physical tools and is extremely quick to hit the holes. In last season's final game, he sliced through the Columbia defense for a school record 237 yards. In addition, the tailback was the only freshman to receive all-Ivy recognition, being named to the second team. "Jesse had an outstanding freshman year," Cornell coach Jim Hother said. "He's a real terrific player. He is a quick, darting type of player similar to Stokes." While Stokes and Jesse had tremendous 1993 campaigns, Price's season came to an abrupt halt when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. A second-team all-Ivy player in 1992, Price's injury was nearly catastrophic and his status entering this year is still a bit muddy. The questions still remain whether Price is healthy, and will he be able to produce like he did before he suffered the injury? If he is able to return to the form which enabled the talented runner to amass more than 1,100 yards as a sophomore, Price could be among the league's best. "He's a big if," Hother said. "If he's healthy, he's a dominant player. He was an outstanding and impact player before he got injured." While these three skilled runners may receive much of the attention, those who block for them often do not receive the recognition. Although an offensive lineman may not likely be perceived as a marquee player, Penn center Pete Giannakoulis and Princeton tackle Carl Teter are among the Ivy's best. A first-team all-Ivy center a year ago, Giannakoulis was a leader on the Quaker offensive line which opened up gaping holes. The hard-working center should continue to lead the way for Stokes and also provide protection for Penn's new signal caller. While Giannakoulis cleared the way for Stokes, it was another first-team all-Ivy lineman who paved the way for Elias. Teter uses his enormous size -- he stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 305 pounds -- to toss opponents out of his way. His tremendous physical stature may make him one of those players to continue to the next level. At wide receive, there isn't much question as to which one stands out from the crowd. The real question is just how good will Penn wideout Miles Macik be? As a rookie last season, Macik emerged as the league's most talented receiver. He hauled in 72 passes, the most in the league, and scored 13 touchdowns en route to one of the best rookie years in Ivy League history. In addition to being selected as the 1993 Rookie of the Year, Macik earned first team all-Ivy recognition, as well as being named an all-American. The lanky receiver has exceptional hands and athletic ability which gives him the total package. His 6-4 frame creates mismatches among defenders and no Ivy team has found a way to contain him. "Macik has all the tools," Murphy said. "He catches everything that's thrown his way. He has great hands and great physical ability." Turning to the defensive side of the football, the name that arises most frequently in terms of impact players is Penn senior linebacker Pat Goodwillie. Since being recognized as the Ivy rookie of the year two seasons ago, Goodwillie has become the anchor of the Quaker defense which ranked first in the league last year. The swarming linebacker tallied a team-high 106 tackles and was unanimously selected as a first team all-Ivy member. The senior's stock should continue to rise as the year goes on and as he takes on more responsibilities since Andy Berlin graduated. Joining Goodwillie among the defensive candidates with the greatest chance to achieve Ivy stardom are Yale linebacker Carl Ricci, Princeton linebacker Dave Patterson and Penn defensive end Michael Turner. Ricci carried the Eli defense a year ago, while the up-and-coming Patterson should be the focal point of the Princeton defense. As a sophomore, Turner notched 10 sacks using fierce determination to repeatedly get to the quarterback. Whether the next players to reach the status of Fiedler and Elias will come from offense or defense is still up in the air. However, judging the players purely on last season's statistics, the answer seems to be clear for some. "Macik and Stokes are the two kids that are outstanding physical athletes and probably front runners to fill the niche in the league," Murphy said. "They are the two that jump out from all the film that I've seen."