Four Rutgers players set for postseason action

PISCATAWAY, N.J.  – Four members of the 2011 Rutgers football team – DE Manny Abreu (Union City, N.,J.), DL Justin Francis (Opa-Locka, Fla.), FB Joe Martinek (Hopatcong, N.J.) and OL Desmond Wynn (Bear, Del.) will participate in postseason all-star games in January and February.

Abreu will play for the “Stars” squad in the Casino Del Sol All-Star game on Monday, January 16 at 9 p.m. from Kino Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Arizona and FSN affiliates across the nation. This marks the first year of the Casino Del Sol All-Star game.

Francis and Wynn are the 14th and 15th Scarlet Knights to play in the East-West Shrine game Saturday, January 21 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The NFL Network has live coverage of the East-West Shrine game beginning at 4 p.m. on January 21. The two players are the first from RU to appear in the game since Jacksonville Jaguars’ OL Kevin Haslam played in the 2010 contest.

Martinek is participating in the Players All-Star Classic February 4 in at War Memorial Field in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on both Comcast /Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST) for the first-year game.

All four players were key contributors to Rutgers’ 9-4 record in 2011 and the program’s fifth consecutive bowl victory with a 27-13 win over Iowa State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights are tied with Auburn and Mississippi State for the longest active bowl winning streak nationally.

Scarlet Knights in Postseason All-Star Games
Player                          Game                                                   Date
Manny Abreu, DE        Casino Del Sol All-Star game               Monday, January 16
Justin Francis, DL        East-West Shrine game                      Saturday, January 21
Desmond Wynn, OL     East-West Shrine game                      Saturday, January 21
Joe Martinek, RB         Players All-Star Classic