West Michigan Ironmen sign 3 new players, hightlighted by GVSU All-American Jamie Potts.

Muskegon, MI: The West Michigan Ironmen earned the biggest victory of their early season coming away with a thrilling 34-30 win against division rival Chicago Blitz. The win was big for the young organization beating the Blitz who made it to the AIF championship game a season ago.

While the high-powered Ironmen offense struggled at times, the defense and special teams came up with big plays when it counted most. The defense started the game off with a Rony Nelson sack and forced fumble recovered by Derek VandenBosch for an early Ironmen touchdown. Special teams added another 2 scores on kick returns from Erik Thompson, including a thrilling game winning kick return with :28 seconds remaining in the game. The defense didn’t stop there, Corey Edwards sealed the victory with an interception in the end zone.

The offense had to work with a few new faces on the offensive line after injuries and promotions left the Ironmen without 2 of their starting offensive lineman. The Ironmen have answered their questions on the offensive line with the signings of Oklahoma State University standout Deonte Cruse and UMASS graduate Malcolm Speller along with Amilio Flores of Fruitport (Northwood University).

The offensive line additions aren’t the only new additions to the Ironmen roster. The West Michigan Ironmen have signed all-around athlete Jamie Potts, who recently retired from Professional baseball. Potts, was a standout 3 sport athlete at Oakridge before going to Grand Valley where he was a 2 sport All-American in football and baseball. Potts was drafted in 2015 by the Texas Rangers and played one year in their single A system in Spokane, Washington. Potts retired from baseball and returned home to Muskegon earlier this spring. Head Coach Tyrece Lynk said, “Jamie is a guy that we will be able to use in a lot of different ways. He’s an athlete, and in this game it’s critical to have guys that can help you in a variety of positions, and that’s what Jamie will do.” Potts signed with the team this week and has started practicing. He hopes to be ready to play in the upcoming game against the River City Raiders this Saturday at the L.C. Walker Arena.

River City is currently in first place in the division and the only team this season to have beaten the Ironmen. The Ironmen lost to the Raiders in a thrilling 75-68 game in St. Louis, MO earlier this season. With a win the Ironmen will put themselves in the drivers seat to win the division and get home field advantage in the playoffs. The game will kick off Saturday at7:05 at the L.C. Walker Arena.

Season tickets,individual game tickets, or group packages to watch the Ironmen take on Chicago at the L.C. Walker arena are on sale now. Keep checking for the latest news and events from the Ironmen. For further information please visit our website at www.westmichiganironmen.com for the latest Ironmen news. Reserve your seat now by calling the L.C. box office at 231-726-2400. The Ironmen play all of their home games at the L.C. Walker Arena located at 955 4th St., Muskegon, MI 49440.