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Tuupo Returns, Four Newcomers Assigned

March 11, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league have been assigned veteran FB/LB Tupo Tuupo, OL/DL Roy Sims, OL/DL Daniel Almeida, WR/DB Donva Louder and WR/DB Domingo Holmes by the af2 league office. Per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

FAMILIAR FACE TUUPO BACK WITH LIGHTNING

Tuupo, 28, returns for his third season in a Lightning uniform, appearing in nine games last season while ranking third on the team with four sacks. A 6-foot-3, 260-pound product of Washington State University (NCAA), the multi-dimensional Tuupo made his af2 debut with the Lightning in 2006, garnering nine rushes for 22 yards, two rushing touchdowns and six receptions for 39 yards on the offensive end. Defensively, Tuupo ranked eighth on the Lightning with 25.5 tackles, recorded one sack and led the Lightning with four quarterback hurries.

Tuupo's garnered preseason experience in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers in 2002 and spent his 2005 indoor football campaign with the Everett Hawks after being selected by the Las Vegas Gladiators in the Arena Football League expansion draft.

The Menlo-Atherton, Calif. product spent four years in the football program at Washington State University (NCAA), (1998-01), garnering All Pac-10 team and All-Academic Team honors. Tuupo recorded a career-high 22 tackles (10 solo) in his 2001 senior campaign and helped guide the Cougars to a 2001 Sun Bowl Championship over Purdue.

MODESTO-PRODUCT ALMEIDA, HOLLISTER-NATIVE SIMS JOIN LIGHTNING

Almeida, 23, enters his rookie season after splitting his college career at local Modesto (Calif.) Junior College and Rocky Mountain College (NAIA). Prior to transferring to Rocky Mountain, the 6-foot-6, 313-pound lineman was named First Team All-Frontier in 2005 and was twice an all-state selection for Modesto J.C.

Sims, 26, is slated to make his arenafootball2 debut with the Lightning after a four-year college career split between Gavilan (Calif.) College and Washburn (Kan.) University (NCAA). The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman was named a California Junior College All-American by JuCal Magazine and was a third-team All-American honoree by JCGrid Wire Magazine while registering 19 sacks and 25 quarterback hurries during his sophomore year at Gavilan College.

Sims, a Hollister, Calif. native, registered 26 tackles, 7 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack and 1 blocked kick as a 2006 senior with Washburn.

HOLMES RETURNS TO STOCKTON, LOUDER ADDED TO RECEIVING CORPS

Holmes, 23, returns to his hometown roots after a high school career at local Stockton Franklin (Calif.) High where he was an all-league selection. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound receiver split his college football career between City College of San Francisco and San Jose State University (NCAA), appearing in 13 games for the Spartans in 2006 while registering 13 tackles, one sack and one pass breakup.

Louder, 21, enters his first professional season after a college football career split between Graceland (Iowa) University (NAIA) and East Los Angeles (Calif.) Community College. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound was a Don Hansen Football Gazette All-American honoree in 2006 with Graceland, where he tallied 45 receptions, 730 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions for the Yellowjackets, ranking eighth in the nation in receiving yards per game (81.1) and 12th in scoring per game (7.3).

The Lightning returns to play for the third season in Stockton beginning March 28, taking the road against the Tri-Cities Fever. The 2008 Lightning home opener is Saturday, April 12 against the Boise Burn, beginning at 7:00 p.m. from Stockton Arena.

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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