MUSKEGON – It has been more than two years since the West Michigan Ironmen suffered a loss at Mercy Health Arena.

That was back in March 2020 against the Music City Fire, before COVID put indoor football and the rest of the sports world on ice.

Since that game, the Ironmen are 7-0 at home (8-1 overall), with the latest win coming on Saturday night, 54-14 over the Carolina Predators.

“The guys just love playing here,” said Ironmen coach Nate Smith. “These guys love playing for these fans.”

The Ironmen have had an interesting season, scheduling games on the fly after a couple of teams, in what they hoped would be their new league, folded before they hit the field.

They split two games against the Charlotte Thunder, a team that was supposed to be in their league. They won the rest of their games against teams from other leagues that they managed to schedule – the Centrol Illinois Royals, the Kentuckiana Kurse, and the Predators on Saturday

Saturday’s game was largely about the Ironmen defense, particularly in the first half.

The defense scored on a safety on Carolina’s first possession, then forced a missed field goal and three different turnovers on downs.

Carolina did not score until there was just over seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Joshua Holley paced the defense with 6.5 tackles, while Derek Vandenbosch added four.

The Ironmen ended the game with a big defensive play, when Alje Buiter scored a touchdown on the final play with a 33-yard pick-six.

“Defense is a much more reactive side of the ball,” Smith said. “We play with a little more passion and reckless abandon. They love to get after the other teams’ players.”

Ironmen backup quarterback Tyler Fehler played the entire game, going 8-for-16 passing for 127 yards and four touchdowns.

Four different receivers found the end zone for the Ironmen – John Ross, Keyondre Banks-Craig, Sterling Alexander and Jerry Weston Jr.

“He (Fehler) knows the entire system with being the backup,” Smith said about his quarterback. “He knew who was going to be open and he found his spots tonight.”

The Ironmen also had two touchdowns on the ground from Ruby Colston, who scored from 10 and 19 yards out and led the team with 46 rushing yards.

“They were doing some things to try to shut down our guys in high motion,” Smith said. “Our line did a great job, and our backs did great finding the hole.”

The Ironmen led 15-0 after the first quarter, 28-0 at halftime and 41-7 through three quarters of play.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

WM 14:14 – Team safety (sacked by Joshua Holley)  WM-2  CAR-0
WM 10:30- John Ross 24-yard catch from Tyler Fehler (Jose Diaz kick)  WM-9 CAR-0
WM 4:46 – Tyler Fehler 2-yard run (kick failed)  WM-15 CAR-0

Second Quarter

WM 2:05 – Sterling Alexander 3-yard catch from Tyler Fehler (kick failed)  WM-21 CAR 0
WM 0:00 – Keyondre Banks-Craig 16-yard catch from Tyler Fehler (Jose Diaz kick)  WM-28 CAR-0

Third Quarter

WM 12:41 – Ruby Colston 10-yard run (kick failed)  WM-34 CAR-0
CAR 7:03 – Korae Reed 24-yard catch from Scott Brantley (Dontae Ensley kick)  WM-34 CAR-7
WM 3:28 – Ruby Colston 19-yard run (Jose Diaz kick)  WM-41 CAR-7

Fourth Quarter

CAR 11:00 – Scott Brantley 4-yard run (two-point failed)  WM-41 CAR-13
WM 3:02 – Jerry Weston Jr. 11-yard catch from Tyler Fehler (Jose Diaz kick)  WM-48 CAR-13
WM 0:00 – Alje Buiter 33-yard interception  WM-54 CAR- 13