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NAIA Player of the Year Cavender Among Six Assigned

February 11, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league have announced OL/DL Stephen Bell, QB Chad Cavender, OL/DL's C.J. Niusulu (NIH-soo-loo), Humberto Padilla (PAH-dee-yah), WR/LB Carl Walker and WR/DB Takeshi Miyake (MEE-yah-kee) have been assigned to the Lightning by the af2 League Office.

LOCAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PRODUCT BELL RETURNS

Bell, 25, returns for his fourth season in a Lightning uniform and appeared in 11 af2 games last season, splitting time on the offensive/defensive line and tallied 7 catches for 78 yards. In 2007, Bell was a member of the offensive line that combined to tie for 7th in the af2 for sacks allowed.

The 6-foot-4, 335-pound native of Fremont, Calif. completed his college career at Temple University (NCAA) where he started every one of the Owls' 22 games from 2004-05. At Temple, Bell was used as a frontline piece that protected All-American quarterback and Big East Conference Player of the Year Walter Washington in 2004 (Temple's season leader in passing, rushing and total offense).

Prior to transferring to Temple, the 23-year old competed as a two-year starter on the offensive frontline at Sacramento City College and was a two-year starter at Fremont High (Calif.) under head coach Matthew Walker, where he participated in the 2000 Oakland/San Francisco All-Star Game.

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR, QB CAVENDER STRENGTHENS PASSING DEPTH

Cavender, winner of the 2007 Rawlings NAIA Football Player of the Year award, enters his af2 rookie season after previously playing final two years (2006-07) of his college football career at University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) (NAIA), headlining a decorated career where he guided the Cougars to a 14-0 record and a national championship as a 2006 junior.

The 22-year old posted a 27-1 record in two seasons for Sioux Falls, along with 64 career touchdown tosses and 7,083 passing yards, ranking third on the program's all-time passing yards list. Cavender threw for 3,674 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2006 and garnered back-to-back Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and Victory Sports Network NAIA Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Prior to transferring to Sioux Falls, the Redding, Calif. native played at Shasta (Calif.) Community College.

SOMETHING BRUIN' WITH ADDITION OF NIUSULU

Niusulu, 24, makes the Lightning his second af2 team in as many seasons after spending 2008 with the Boise Burn, ranking third on the team with 3.5 sacks while posting 18.5 tackles in 14 games.

A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Niusulu spent the first three years of his college football career at UCLA (NCAA), amassing 53 tackles, one interception and 3.0 sacks in 27 career games for the Bruins. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound lineman transferred to Portland State (Ore.) University (NCAA) as a 2005 senior and notched 28 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss.

Niusulu lettered for four seasons in football at Barstow (Calif.) High School and was a Cal Hi Sports second-team All-State honoree, posting 82 tackles and four sacks as a senior.

PADILLA ANOTHER FORCE ADDED TO LIGHTNING FRONTLINE

Padilla, 25, enters his af2 rookie season after splitting his college football career between the University of Texas-El Paso (NCAA) and City College of San Francisco, appearing in 17 total games while posting five tackles and one tackle for loss. Prior to his transfer to UTEP, Padilla was part of a top-ranked defense in junior college for San Francisco in 2003, where he registered seven sacks as a 2003 sophomore.

Padilla helped guide San Francisco to a national championship and an undefeated (12-0) record in 2003.

FAMILIAR FACE, all-af2 WALKER BACK FOR THIRD YEAR

Walker, 26, returns for his third season with the Lightning after garnering an All-af2 selection as a rookie in 2007. A product of national football power University of Miami (NCAA), Walker appeared in 10 games last year for the Lightning, posting one interception, 26 tackles and ranked tied for third on the team with six pass breakups.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound linebacker and receiver ranked third on the Lightning with 55 tackles and tied for third on the team with eight pass breakups, primarily serving the team in the "jack" linebacker position in 2007.

Walker was a part of the 2001 National Championship squad with Miami that overpowered Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl Game. Despite a battle with injuries throughout his four-year tenure, Walker managed to work his way into 30 games with the Hurricanes, garnering 16 tackles as a linebacker along with two forced fumbles.

His career-best numbers came as a 2000 freshman while playing for head coach Larry Coker, where he appeared in nine games while recording six tackles and two forced fumbles, helping guide the Hurricanes to a Nokia Sugar Bowl title.

A decorated athlete from Jackson (Fla.) High School, the 6-foot-3 208-pound native of Jacksonville, Florida was garnered a second-team USA Today All-American honors, and was a Parade All-American and SuperPrep All-American. Walker was listed as the seventh-ranked defense back in PrepStar's 1999 Top-100 Dream Team. In his senior year, Walker recorded a whopping 123 tackles, blocked seven punts and forced four fumbles. As a special teams performer, Walker blocked 12 kicks in his high school career.

Miyake, 25, dots the Lightning roster as "International Player" status from Japan and previously competed for the Obic Seagulls of Japan's "X League," Ritsumeikan University in Japan and was a participant for the National Football League's International Player Development Program in Barcelona, Spain.

The Lightning open the 2009 af2 regular season on Saturday, March 28 against the Central Valley Coyotes with a Week One road matchup at Selland Arena, starting at 7:30 p.m. Both teams face a Week Four rematch in the Lightning home opener on Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena.

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