ghayim
07-12-2007, 04:02 PM
MIKE HOHENSEE AND THE CHICAGO RUSH KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT TOUGHNESS
Mike Hohensee and the Chicago Rush travel to San Jose to take on the SaberCats in the American Conference Championship on Saturday July 14, 4:00 PM ET on ESPN
It’s been said that teams often mimic the personality of their coach. If this is the case, the Chicago Rush are tough. Real tough.
Back in late April, Chicago Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee was blind-sided by a car in a Chicago shopping center. Two days later Hohensee coached his team to a 54-43 come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Soul. ''He's one tough guy,'' part owner of the Rush, Mike Ditka, was quoted as saying. Indeed, tough seems to be a fitting adjective. An adjective that seems to have rubbed off on his team.
In a league marked by explosive offense and high-scores, the Chicago Rush defense has emerged as a bonafide threat. An actual presence whose grit and tenacity, much like that of their coach, is relied on to lift the team. “You expect them to show up every time," Hohensee said the Chicago Tribune. "They haven't let us down yet." Indeed, they have showed up and they have done so in fine fashion by allowing, on average, a mere 44.9 points per game including two consecutive second half shutouts.
The Rush will take their hard-nosed style of play on the road this weekend, traveling to San Jose with the right to play for their second straight ArenaBowl Championship on the line. This marks the team’s fourth consecutive Conference Championship appearance. Hohensee will look to his stout defense, along with arguably the most explosive player in the league in Bobby Sippio, to lead the way.
Standing in the way of their trip to New Orleans is a team they know all too well, the San Jose SaberCats. The match-up will mark the third time in four years that the two teams meet in Conference Championship play. On an identical stage, one year ago, the two played a Conference Championship game for the ages. An epic contest that saw Hohensee’s Rush edge out a 59-56 victory. Two weeks later they were crowned Arena Football League Champions.
The SaberCats have won 11 straight and sport the league’s second best offense. For the Rush, the road to a second straight ArenaBowl championship runs through San Jose and no one ever said it would be easy. Something tells me Mike Hohensee’s bunch likes it that way.
Mike Hohensee and the Chicago Rush travel to San Jose to take on the SaberCats in the American Conference Championship on Saturday July 14, 4:00 PM ET on ESPN
It’s been said that teams often mimic the personality of their coach. If this is the case, the Chicago Rush are tough. Real tough.
Back in late April, Chicago Rush Head Coach Mike Hohensee was blind-sided by a car in a Chicago shopping center. Two days later Hohensee coached his team to a 54-43 come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Soul. ''He's one tough guy,'' part owner of the Rush, Mike Ditka, was quoted as saying. Indeed, tough seems to be a fitting adjective. An adjective that seems to have rubbed off on his team.
In a league marked by explosive offense and high-scores, the Chicago Rush defense has emerged as a bonafide threat. An actual presence whose grit and tenacity, much like that of their coach, is relied on to lift the team. “You expect them to show up every time," Hohensee said the Chicago Tribune. "They haven't let us down yet." Indeed, they have showed up and they have done so in fine fashion by allowing, on average, a mere 44.9 points per game including two consecutive second half shutouts.
The Rush will take their hard-nosed style of play on the road this weekend, traveling to San Jose with the right to play for their second straight ArenaBowl Championship on the line. This marks the team’s fourth consecutive Conference Championship appearance. Hohensee will look to his stout defense, along with arguably the most explosive player in the league in Bobby Sippio, to lead the way.
Standing in the way of their trip to New Orleans is a team they know all too well, the San Jose SaberCats. The match-up will mark the third time in four years that the two teams meet in Conference Championship play. On an identical stage, one year ago, the two played a Conference Championship game for the ages. An epic contest that saw Hohensee’s Rush edge out a 59-56 victory. Two weeks later they were crowned Arena Football League Champions.
The SaberCats have won 11 straight and sport the league’s second best offense. For the Rush, the road to a second straight ArenaBowl championship runs through San Jose and no one ever said it would be easy. Something tells me Mike Hohensee’s bunch likes it that way.