LocalSportsJournal.com

The West Michigan Ironmen stunned the rest of the Champions Indoor Football league last week when they crushed unbeaten Sioux City by a 76-35 margin at the L.C. Walker Arena.

But the Bandits, who are currently atop the CIF, got revenge on the Ironmen on Saturday night, cruising to a 53-37 victory over West Michigan at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

The loss drops the Ironmen’s record to 3-5 on the season. They are in fifth place in the Northern Division, a half game behind idle Bismarck in the race for the final playoff spot.

West Michigan has four games remaining on the season, with the next two games at home, startingnext Saturday against the Bloomington Edge. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m.

The contest was tied 10-10 after the first quarter, the Ironmen trailed 27-20 at halftime, and were behind 33-27 heading into the final stanza.

The Ironmen cut their deficit to 40-37 with 5:08 left in regulation on a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Alex Carder.

But the Bandits outscored West Michigan by a 20-7 margin in the fourth quarter, which included a 39-yard touchdown run on the final play with the outcome already determined.

Carder threw for 208 yards on 17-for-32 passing for the Ironmen with one touchdown and one interception. He had one rushing touchdown.

West Michigan’s Korey Ringer rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns, while wide receiver Corey Johnson caught three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Donovan Campbell had a team-high five receptions for 77 yards.

The Ironmen defense, who force four turnovers in last week’s contest with Sioux City, failed to force a turnover in the game.

Malcolm Howard paced West Michigan’s defense with eight tackles, while Donte Hurst had seven and newcomer LaTreeze Marsha added six.