SAN JOSE, Calif. – Former Hampton University football player Jason Thomas and the San Jose SaberCats will take on the Philadelphia Soul in Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII Sunday in New Orleans, La. The game will begin at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN on ABC and ABC HD.

The SaberCats, advancing to their second straight ArenaBowl, won the American Conference Championship on Saturday with a 81-55 win over the Grand Rapids Rampage. San Jose intercepted a franchise-record five passes, while quarterback Mark Grieb went 24-of-30 for 255 yards and eight touchdowns.

Thomas (Savannah, Ga.), in his second year in the AFL, played for the Chicago Rush last season, starting 14 regular-season and two playoff games. The SaberCats were 11-5 in the regular season, undefeated in the AFL’s American Western Division.

A seventh-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2000, Thomas played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2002 and 2003. Thomas blocked for the Pirates from 1997-99 after transferring from South Carolina, earning All-MEAC honors his final two years.

Thomas also was an NCAA Division I-AA All-American as a senior. He graduated from Hampton in December 1999 with a degree in sports management and has been pursuing a master’s in secondary education at Morgan State.

For more information on the AFL and the AFL playoffs, visit www.arenafootball.com.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811 or visit the official athletics website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

The original story was published here: http://www.hamptonpirates.com/News/football/2008/7/14/HAMFOT%20(7-14-08).asp?path=football

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