MUSKEGON – Arena football is designed to favor the offense and produce a lot of points.

It’s played on a short 50-yard field, so when two good teams go head-to-head, touchdowns are frequent and scores get very high.

The defensive players are set up to be the goats.

Even a good arena defense can give up touchdowns on four or five straight possessions, but that doesn’t necessarily matter. The challenge is to keep fighting and remember than even an occasional stop can make all the difference.

That was the case last Saturday, when the West Michigan Ironmen defense kept the visiting Charotte Thunder offense from scoring touchdowns on two of five possessions in the first half and two of six in the second.

The Thunder put up a lot of points, but the ones they didn’t score allowed the Ironmen to escape with a thrilling 55-51 victory in their season opener at Mercy Health Arena.

Leading the defense, as usual, was veteran linebacker Derek VandenBosch, who registered 11 tackles and recovered a Charlotte fumble deep in the West Michigan zone in the early part of the game. He was named the Ironmen’s Defensive Player of the Game.

Ironmen Coach Nate Smith says VandenBosch has been the defensive player of just about every game he’s played since he joined the team in 2016, its first year of operation.

“He’s the heart of the team on the defensive side of the ball,” the coach said.

VandenBosch takes that kind of praise in stride. The 2008 Orchard View graduate just knows he’s happy to still be playing arena football at his age for a team he loves, and was thrilled to be part of a competitive and exciting game last weekend.

The Ironmen have won a lot of games in recent years, but they were in a league with inferior competition and often won by lobsided scores. Having the chance to play Charlotte, another quality team with a lot of good players, was a real treat for everyone on the team, according to VandenBosch.

“That was a fun one,” said VandenBosch, who is hoping for another exciting game on Saturday night when the Ironmen host the Central Illinois Royals. “The past few seasons there have been some blowouts. I was part of the team back when we were in the CIF (Champions Indoor Football) and it was great competition. Every game was like last Saturday was.

“It’s a lot more fun when the games are close and the fans can be engaged.”

The scary final play

It’s a good thing that VandenBosch and his fellow defenders remained engaged for the entire game on Saturday, because the stops they made were crucial.

The first came on the first Charlotte possession of the game, when VandenBosch recovered a fumble around the West Michigan 5. The second came on the last play of the first half, when the Ironmen tackled a Charlotte receiver at the West Michigan 1, preventing another score.

The third came on the first Charlotte possession of the second half, when the defense forced the Thunder to turn the ball over on downs at their own 2, leading to an Ironmen touchdown. The last stop came on the last play of the game, which preserved the victory.

That last stop was huge. The Ironmen were clinging to a four-point lead in the final seconds of the game. Charlotte had the ball and was able to get a snap off for one final play before the clock expired.

The game-ending horn went off just after the ball was snapped and several players on offense and defense looked confused and stopped, assuming that the contest was over. But the Charlotte quarterback knew better, and he rolled out and completed a pass to a receiver in Ironmen territory.

Ironmen safety Alje Butler and VandenBosch were two of the defensive players who understood what was happening and chased the receiver as he raced toward the end zone, trying to score the game-winning points.

Luckily Butler caught and tackled him at the 5-yard line, ending the game and preserving the Ironmen’s hard-earned victory in front of a big, excited crowd.

“I was right behind Alje,” said VandenBosch, a hulking 6-1, 220-pound athlete. “I don’t know if I could have caught him, but I was in hot pursuit. It’s a good thing Alje got him. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was almost like it was all happening in slow motion.”

VandenBosch said there’s been a lot of talk on the team this week about that play and understanding when a game has actually concluded.

“It was pretty disappointing, to say the least, when we had a few guys celebrating when their quarterback was about to throw the ball,” he said. “Apparently some guys said they heard the ref blow a whistle, and then the horn went off.”

The entire game demonstrated how important it is for arena football defenses to keep their heads in the action from start to finish, no matter how many times they get burned.

“I guess when you play this for a few years, you realize how few defensive stops there really are, and you know how big it is when you make one,” VandenBosch said. “You can fail to get a stop for most of a game, and then get one that’s huge. It’s just a different sort of mindset.”

“I’m going to keep putting those pads on’

Some fans might be surprised that VandenBosch is still playing with the Ironmen at 31, after all these seasons.

But his life has become centered around Mercy Health Arena in recent years, which keeps him in close proximity to the Muskegon sports scene and the Ironmen.

He’s been employed for several years as a strength and conditioning trainer at the PEAK Training Academy, a fitness facility located in the old arena annex. He’s been working with young athletes at PEAK for years, and a few months ago became the new strength and conditioning coach for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

“I took over in January, after the other guy went off to the police academy,” VandenBosch said. “I worked with the hockey players some in the past, but now that I’m back doing it, I’ve been getting a little more interested and involved. I was never into hockey before. I had never even ice skated before. Growing up I played a lot of basketball.

“I teach classes at PEAK, speed and agility classes, usually for middle school-aged kids. What I like about the Jacks, who are right before college, is that you can lay something in front of them and they will get it done. They are easier to train.”

Working at PEAK has also allowed VandenBosch to remain in top physical condition himself, which allows him to continue to play and dominate in arena football in his 30s.

“It makes it easier, being in the gym six days a week,” he said. “That’s been a blessing.”

VandenBosch said he’s never considered leaving the ironmen, despite the struggles the team has had finding a stable league and quality opponents. He admits he was disappointed when the team joined a new league for this season, but it fell apart over the last few months when several other teams failed to get off the ground.

Now the Ironmen are playing an independent schedule in 2022.

“That was one of my disappointments, because I really wanted to play for a championship this year, and have the games mean a little something more,” he said. “But when it comes down to it, I know I would p lay if we only had one game per year.”0

VandenBosch said he loves playing in front of the local fans, his family (including his girlfriend Kiersen and his two children, Azlan and Ezio) – and he simply loves football.

“I have a lot of things going for me,” he said. “I am blessed to work in the arena where we play, and I’ve been blessed with the health to still go out there as a 31-year-old. It makes me want to do it until I can’t anymore. I just love the game. It’s the funnest thing I can do.

“As long as I’m an asset to the team, and not a liability, I’m going to keep putting those pads on.”