Area athletes who made a big splash over the weekend:
Joe Lefeged, Rutgers
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The main event in the Big East over the weekend was Cincinnati’s classic 45-44 win over Pittsburgh. But that wasn’t the only New Year’s Day bowl up for grabs in the conference. A Gator Bowl berth also was on the line between West Virginia and Rutgers, who entered Saturday’s game with identical 8-3 records. Lefeged — a star linebacker and 2006 All-Examiner selection at Northwest High in Germantown, Md. — made the biggest play of the afternoon for Rutgers. The junior returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown as the Scarlet Knights rallied from a 21-3 deficit. But it wasn’t quite enough in an agonizing 24-21 loss at home.
Tavon Wilson, Illinois
Lefeged wasn’t the only local player whose team suffered a painful defeat. Wilson and Illinois have had an awful season. But nothing prepared them for Saturday’s 53-52 home loss to Fresno State. Wilson, a sophomore defensive back from H.D. Woodson in the District, played a role in the game-winning play. Fresno scored a touchdown with two seconds left and decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win. On the final play, Wilson went up to bat away a desperate pass attempt by the Bulldogs. He did his job. Unfortunately the ball deflected right to 350-pound offensive lineman Devan Cunningham, who bulled his way into the end zone for the winning points.
