Piranhas Open Exhibition With a Bang in 55-30 Win

It took nearly a quarter for the smoke to clear from the pre-game fireworks show. When it finally lifted, the Piranhas showed their fans an explosive offense, a new offensive-minded head coach and an aggressive defense.

All this added up to a 55-30 victory over the Texas Terror in front of 9,107 subdued fans Saturday night at the Pond as the Piranhas began Arena Football League exhibition season.

“I was pretty pleased,” first-year Coach Mike Hohensee said. “We got to look at a lot of people and we won the game.”

Hohensee was most pleased with the play of his three quarterbacks. Starter Lee Williamson, a 6-foot-4 lefty from Presbyterian College in Texas who spent three seasons on the Houston Oilers roster, played the first half and led the Piranhas to a 21-10 lead by completing 10 of 16 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Williamson showed a strong arm, a quick release and the ability to take a hit.

Standing in the pocket waiting to throw his first Arena league pass, Williamson was blind-sided by Carlos Fowler, a 6-3, 265-pound lineman.

“It was a stop and go,” Williamson said. “I was looking for Bryan Reeves down the field. I didn’t see the guy. It woke me up. That’s for sure.”

Williamson got hammered as he threw his next pass but his floater was caught by Jai Hill for a 14-yard game. The completion seemed to settle Williamson down.

“I thought it went pretty well,” he said. “It’s such a faster game than I’m used to and the confines are much smaller.”

Mark Grieb, a rookie from UC Davis, played the third quarter and led the Piranhas to two touchdowns, completing four of six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown pass to fullback Darren Williams.

Ron Lopez, a 6-5, 215-pounder from Utah State, might have looked the best of the three in his quarter of play. Lopez completed six of nine passes for three touchdowns and 132 yards.

Reeves was the quarterbacks favorite target, catching six passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Obadiah Cooper caught four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.

There weren’t many members of the Piranhas’ offensive unit that didn’t look good, although it should be noted that the Piranhas were not facing one of the better teams in the AFL.

Texas won only one game last season and had the second worst record in the league.

The defense allowed only 10 points for the first three quarters but gave up 20 in the fourth as the Hohensee played a lot of new people.