BLOOMINGTON - For a guy who didn't even starting playing football until his freshman year in high school and once considered baseball his main sport, Illinois Wesleyan junior wide receiver Martin Ceisel has caught on quickly.

Actually, Ceisel catches just about everything thrown his way.

"It's great playing with Martin," said IWU quarterback Kraig Ladd. "As a quarterback you have to find the open receiver, and with Martin he doesn't even have to be open. If he has one-on-one coverage he's going to come down with the ball.

"He's bailed me out many times. He's just in another world."

Ceisel isn't really out of this world, but the Deerfield native has definitely established himself as one of the premier pass catchers in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin while methodically climbing IWU's all-time receiving chart.

The soft-spoken but authoritative Cesiel would rather talk about how the Titans (5-2 overall, 4-0 CCIW) are tied for first in the league standings entering Saturday's 1 p.m. game at North Park, marking a major turnaround following three straight 3-7 campaigns.

"The main thing is now that we're starting to get attention we're still going 100 percent in the same direction we were going at the beginning of the season," Ceisel said. "We've believed within our team from the beginning that we can win the conference championship.

"Nobody came here to be 3-7. Probably the hardest thing was watching last year's seniors who were so passionate about the game graduate on a 3-7 note. It's just not the way you want to say goodbye to them."

Ceisel, a 6-foot-4, 205-pounder who is as big as many of IWU's linebackers, is on track to earn first-team all-CCIW honors for the third straight season. He leads the Titans with 46 catches for 522 yards and eight touchdowns despite facing double coverage most weeks.

"My attitude is if you want to take away me which is just one aspect of our offense, we have three other wide receivers who can all go up and get the ball and make plays," Ceisel said. "Not to mention we have an O line that is maturing and helping develop what's going to be a pretty solid running game for us.

"I'm used to getting some extra attention. That's just the nature of being a three-year starter as a junior and being up there in the conference (leaders) as a receiver. It's just something you adjust to at game time. You make plays when you can and you rely on your other teammates to make plays, too, and I know they can."

Using a combination of size, speed and precise routes, Ceisel has moved into fifth place all-time at IWU in receiving yards (1,974) and touchdown receptions (23) and 10th in career catches (128).

"Martin has a lot of attributes. I don't know if I can just single in on one of them," said IWU coach Norm Eash. "Because of his size there's an instant mismatch with a lot of defensive backs in our league. He's not just tall. He's thick and he has some strength to him. He's at his best when he has someone bumping him or leaning on him.

"His concentration is special. He seems to be able to make the tough catch and he seems to make the big catches. Everybody is aware of him. We try not to have too many tendencies as far as trying to get him the ball, but he's so talented you have to scheme him into your offense."

Ceisel, who is majoring in Russian-Eastern European studies, is also the only junior among IWU's four team captains.

"I haven't had too many junior captains," Eash said of his 21-year tenure at IWU. "Our players respect the way Martin leads. He's very unselfish. He wants to do what's best for the football team. If we win the game and he doesn't make a catch he'd be happy.

"We've had some great receivers here and he's right there. Other than Chris Bisaillon I don't know if anybody has the potential to be a four-time all-conference performer. To go four years in our league and be all-conference every year is pretty special."

Pantagraph/B MOSHER

Illinois Wesleyan junior wide receiver Martin Ceisel is bidding to earn first-team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin honors for the third straight season.

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IWU receiving leaders

Here's a list of the all-time career receiving yardage leaders for the Illinois Wesleyan football team:

1. Chris Bisaillon (1989-92) 3,798

2. Eric White (2001-04) 3,430

3. Ed Brady (1981-84) 2,907

4. Shawn Emerson (1997-00) 2,071

5. Martin Ceisel (2005-present) 1,974

6. Ed Winkle (1982-85) 1,929

7. Ryan Tusek (1993-96) 1,911

8. Zac Williams (1996-99) 1,765

9. Don Strohfus (1970-73) 1,758

10. Eric Larsen (1993-97) 1,754