Coach Hohensee Trying to Put Bite Back Into Piranhas

Piranha Coach Mike Hohensee must be wondering if there’s something to the “you can never go home again” line.

Last winter, Hohensee left an Albany (N.Y.) team he built into one of the Arena Football League’s top franchises for the chance to coach a team that played its home games an hour from his hometown of Rowland Heights. But Hohensee’s happy homecoming has turned into one disaster after another.

Consider:

--Three days before the regular season-opener, Lee Williamson--his most talented quarterback--walks out of camp.

--He loses his Piranha debut, 33-32, to expansion New Jersey on a 56-yard field goal with no time left. The Piranhas play an error-filled game and have two touchdowns called back because of penalties.

--In Week 2, injuries force All-Arena defensive backs Carlton Johnson and Rodney Mazion out of the game during a 47-27 loss at San Jose.

--The Piranhas lose their third consecutive game, 58-26, to Arizona and lose their offensive line and special teams coach, Jim Walsh, who decides to dedicate more time to his family and his business.

--Injuries cause eight starters to miss the Piranhas’ first victory of the season, a 62-45 win at home over Florida.

--The Piranhas drop to 1-4 after a 63-42 loss at Iowa as receiver/defensive back Kerry Hayes takes a hit that causes internal bleeding in his pancreas. Hayes, whom Hohensee called “the most consistent player we had,” is still in an Iowa hospital with 30 staples in his abdomen after surgery Sunday morning. He will probably miss the rest of the season, along with Johnson (knee) and possibly Milburn (ankle).

“I’ve never been through anything like this in my life,” Hohensee said. “The type of injuries, how many and who the injuries have happened to are incredible. I think we’re doing a decent job. It’s not showing up in wins and losses and the outside world can’t see it, but we are.”

As the injuries and the losses mount, the frustration builds for Hohensee, who was 30-14 in three seasons in Albany.

“A lot of work has gone into this season, but it’s tough to make something out of something that’s not there,” Hohensee said. “You get eight players hurt on a 20-man roster, it’s tough to do much. I think the greatest thing we’ve accomplished is putting 20 players on the field each week. I’ve gotten to know our trainer [Dave Chaffin] a lot more intimately than I wanted to.”

Hohensee gets starting receiver/linebacker Jai Hill back for tonight’s game at Milwaukee but 10 players will miss the game because of injuries. Hohensee’s Albany teams led the league in offense three years in a row, averaging 62 points last year. But after five games, the Piranhas are averaging just under 38 points.

“We’ve put together some great offensive game plans, we just haven’t had the manpower to execute them,” he said. “I’m probably doing a better coaching job than I’ve ever done. This is challenging, but it’s also frustrating.”

So far, the fans haven’t been very sympathetic. The first two home games have drawn announced crowds of 10,582 and 8,102, lower figures than any games last season.

Hohensee said he hasn’t spoken with anyone in the front office since the season began. He’s not making excuses, but he hopes they understand what he’s going through.

“I can’t worry about our fan base or the owners, I have to worry about my team,” Hohensee said.

Surprisingly, Hohensee said his players have remained upbeat.

“If you came out to practice, you’d think we’re 4-1,” he said. “We felt we should have beat Iowa [last year’s ArenaBowl runner-up]. We felt we did beat them physically.”

Hohensee is doing his best to keep things interesting. Williamson, who rejoined the team two weeks ago, will be the fifth starting quarterback for the Piranhas in six games. He replaces Mark Grieb, who started the last two games.

“It’s not that Mark isn’t getting better--he is,” Hohensee said. “We just don’t have time to wait. If we were 4-1, we might have time. We need to keep these guys alive and motivated, and we think this will do that. If we can get some of these guys healthy, maybe we can get back into the playoffs.”

The Piranhas are three games behind first-place Arizona in the Western Division. Last year, Anaheim went 9-5 and barely qualified for a wild-card berth.