MUSKEGON – When a successful team makes a coaching change, some always wonder if the new guy can do as good as the old guy.

That’s obviously not a concern for the West Michigan Ironmen. New head coach Terry Mitchell made his debut on Saturday night, replacing longtime coach Nate Smith, and the result remained the same.

The Ironmen, who have a long history of rolling over visiting opponents, handed Mitchell his first career victory in style, beating the Tri-State Bucks 82-6 in front of a big opening night crowd at Muskegon’s Trinity Health Arena.

The Ironmen poured it on right away, taking a 27-0 lead after one quarter, 57-8 at halftime and 70-6 after three quarters.

That was really no surprise, considering the Ironmen have a lot of solid veterans on the roster who are used to big wins, including Alex Carder, Sterling Alexander, Derek VandenBosch, John Ross, Willie Shanks and several others.

But it was still a nice first game for Mitchell, who previously served as offensive coordinator under Smith, who stepped aside over the winter to focus on his general manager duties.

“It feels great,” Mitchell said. “We put in a lot of work in the offseason to get these guys ready for tonight. We did a good job.

“I learned that no matter who we play, no matter how talented the team we play is, we’re going to come out and play hard. We’ll give the fans what they want to see, which is good football.”

Ross is one of the veterans who had a big night, catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carder on the first offensive play of the game, and a beautiful 40-yard bomb from Carder for another score on the last offensive play of the third quarter.

“It feels great to get that first win of the season,” Ross said. “I hadn’t touched paydirt in some months, so the first time on the first play felt great,” he said.

Ross noted that having a lot of veterans on offense, who have been playing with each other for several seasons, makes a big difference when it comes to piling up the points.

Carder, the longtime quarterback, threw six touchdown passes – three to Alexander, two to Ross and one to Tyler Bruce.

“Us being together for three or four years, we’ve built a bond,” Ross said. “That bond is hard to break and it’s why we come out here so strong.”

Coach Mitchell, who has been working with the offensive guys for a number of years, agreed with that assessment.

“It helps a lot,” the coach said about having veteran playmakers. “Especially with a veteran quarterback like Alex Carder and the receivers. The chemistry they have is a big plus for us.”

Mitchell was equally impressed with the Ironmen defense, which held Tri-State to a single touchdown and very few yards through the air or on the ground.

The Ironmen defense had six interceptions – two apiece from VandenBosch, Zach Watts and Kaden Nelson.

Nelson returned two interceptions for touchdowns while Watts did that once.

“I was very impressed with the defense,” Coach Mitchell said. “I knew they would step up because during training camp, when we had our tryouts, we had a bunch of guys on defense who were really good. I was like ‘Man.’ Then we added a couple more pieces and that was insane.”

Several other Ironmen contributed to the scoring in different ways, including DavVeon Taylor, who had two rushing touchdowns. Bruce added a 35-yard kickoff return for a touchdown while VandenBosch tackled a Tri-State player in the end zone for a safety.

The Ironmen will be off for a while before playing their next game on April 6.

The layoff won’t be a problem, according to Ross.

“Practice, practice, practice and stay focused,” he said about how the team will prepare. “Coach will have us running so we’ll be ready and well-conditioned for the next game. “

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

WM – 19-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to John Ross. Ben Townshend extra point. 7-0
WM – 15-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to Sterling Alexander. Extra point no good. 13-0.
WM – 5-yard touchdown run by DavVeon Taylor. Ben Townshend extra point good. 20-0.
WM – 15-yard interception return touchdown by Zach Watts. Ben Townshend extra point good. 27-0

Second Quarter

WM – 35-yard interception return touchdown by Kaden Nelson. Ben Townshend extra point good. 34-0.
WM – 5-yard touchdown run by DavVeon Taylor. Ben Townshend extra point good. 41-0.
WM – Ryan Armstrong tackled Tri State running back for a safety. 43-0.
WM – 10-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to Tyler Bruce. Ben Townshend extra point good 50-0.
TS – 25-yard touchdown pass from Clay Bownes to Dominque Parks. Two-point conversion attempt no good. 50-6.
WM – 35-yard kickoff return touchdown by Tyler Bruce. Ben Townshend extra point good. 57-6.

Third Quarter

WM – 10-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to Sterling Alexander. Extra point no good. 63-6.
WM – 40-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to John Ross. Ben Townshend extra point good. 70-6.

Fourth Quarter

WM – 3-yard touchdown pass from Alex Carder to Sterling Alexander. Extra point no good. 76-6
WM – 16-yard interception return touchdown by Kaden Nelson. Extra point no good. 82-6