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Tuialuuluu, Former Delta College Standout On Board

November 29, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league have been assigned quarterback Steven Wichman and fullback Peter Tuilaluuluu from the af2 League Office, Lightning head coach Doug Murray announced today.

Wichman, a native of local Tracy, Calif., attended Stockton's San Joaquin Delta College before transferring to the University of Idaho (NCAA), where he completed 381 passes for 4,904 yards and 23 career touchdowns for the Vandals. The 6-foot-3, 219 pound signal-caller had a solid senior season with Idaho in 2006, throwing for 2,158 yards (226-for-401) and eight touchdowns.

"We're counting on Steven to be as successful as he's been in his prior experiences in football," said Murray. "If he can properly adjust to the subtleties of the arena football game, he'll be on the fast track for advancement to higher levels."

The 23-year old ended his career at Idaho with two impressive seasons - his best came as a 2005 junior when he threw for 2,746 yards and 15 touchdowns. Under head coach Dennis Erickson, Wichman's best performance came during his senior season against Boise State, who was then ranked 18th in the country. Wichman threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns against a Boise State team that would go on to defeat the University of Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. .

Tuialuuluu returns for his second season in a Lightning uniform after leading the Lightning offense with 105 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in just 12 games as an af2 rookie. He had 42 rushing attempts for 105 total yards and 8 touchdowns. He averaged 2.5 yards per carry and had a career-long run of 33 yards in a 57-33 win against the Boise Burn on May 26, 2007.

Last season, Tuialuuluu filled a converted fullback role after playing on the defensive side during a college career that included stops at Southern Oregon University (NAIA) and Southern Utah (NCAA). During his junior season at Southern Utah, Tuialuuluu had 28 tackles. As a 2004 senior, he had 24 tackles, two pass break-ups and one forced fumble at Southern Oregon.

"Peter brings versatility back to our roster and has the potential of establishing himself as a premiere fullback in the af2," said Murray. "We moved him around last year to find a place where he could be successful and we think we've found that at fullback spot. He gives us a bonus for his ability to play on the offensive line and at nose tackle."

Details on the Lightning 2008 af2 schedule, the third season of arena football in the San Joaquin Valley, will be announced soon.

Season tickets for the 2008 Lightning regular season are on sale now. For more information on season tickets, merchandise, or other information, please call the Lightning at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonlightning.com.

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