Rush AFL home opener welcomes back Hohensee

He’ baaack.

The man who was the face of the Chicago Rush for a decade returns to the Allstate Arena Friday as Mike Hohensee and the Philadelphia Soul take on the Rush and new head coach Bob McMillen in their home opener.

McMillen became an All-AFL player under Hohensee and was his assistant head coach in 2010.

The Arena Football League clash will kick off at 7 p.m.

In his nine seasons with the Rush, Hohensee guided them to a 93-64 overall record, nine playoff appearances, four division titles, a conference championship and the ArenaBowl XX title.

It looks like he hasn’t missed a beat with the Soul (1-0), who defeated the Pittsburgh Power last week behind the performances of quarterback Justin Allgood (25 of 36 passing for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns) and receiver Donovan Morgan, who earned AFL Offensive Player of the Week honors by scoring 6 times, including 5 receiving and 1 rushing touchdown.

The Rush (1-0) opened the 2011 season with a 49-41 win on the road in Milwaukee behind the arm of veteran quarterback Russ Michna, who threw for 7 TDs.

The Rush will look to improve their record in home openers to 8-2, and they’ll do it while celebrating their 10th anniversary season, highlighted by a “Black-Out” event in which Rush fans are encouraged to join the players and coaches in wearing all black.

The Rush-Soul showdown will be televised nationally on the NFL Network with Tom Waddle providing analysis.

For more on the matchups, visit arenarush.com.