Fund Helps Love for Comstock Live On

By Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com

August 21, 2018

COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP — Several years ago, Josh Whitfield and his sister, Mandy Hanson, were sitting around a bonfire just chatting when they touched on a subject that fired up the normally easy-going Comstock High School graduate.

Whitfield had started helping coach the girls soccer team and realized that to be involved in sports, Comstock athletes had to “pay to play.”

“It takes a lot to get him riled up, to get him angry or upset,” Hanson said. “He was talking about, ‘Can you believe it? You have to pay to play sports at Comstock.’

“I was like, that’s crazy. He was getting so upset talking about it. Some of these girls paid to play but then couldn’t afford the right equipment.”

Whitfield, a 2000 grad and four-year multi-sport athlete at Comstock, said he wished he had enough money to help out.

That opportunity would come out of the saddest of circumstances. But as his loved ones continue to heal from Whitfield’s untimely death in 2015, they’ve created an opportunity for his memory to impact the Comstock athletic community for years to come.

That May, while playing golf with friends, including Hanson’s husband Mike, Whitfield said he did not feel well and left the group on the second hole.

“Of course, the guys razzed him about it because it wasn’t like Josh to leave in the middle of a round of golf,” his sister said.

When Whitfield’s mother, Becky, called him at home later, he told her he was having trouble breathing. He called 9-1-1 and his dad, Vic, drove to his son’s house just as the EMTs arrived.

Whitfield did not survive, dying from a double lung collapse. He was just 33 years old.

Two of his buddies, Eric Stewart and Chad Howard, wanted to do something to keep Whitfield’s memory alive.

“We were all struggling a lot,” Stewart said. “Josh had an extremely tight-knit group of friends. It was really hard for a lot of us. We were talking about ways to spin positive out of grief.

“We were like, ‘What can we do to honor his memory, to keep his name alive?’

We thought it would mean something to his family. We knew it would mean something to Comstock, because Comstock is in a tough place right now.”

The buddies had the idea for a fundraiser to help a few Comstock athletes pay to play. They were hoping to raise at least $1,500 through an alumni soccer game.

They were stunned to raise $5,000.

‘Spinning positive out of grief’

Over three years, the group – which has gone from the two friends to a committee of 14 – has raised more than $52,000 and so far donated more than $27,000 of it to various athletic causes in Comstock.

“It started with Eric and Chad, who asked how they could help and wanted to set up an alumni soccer game to help offset the pay-to-play fees,” Comstock athletic director Justin Ansel said. “Initially, I wasn’t sure how big this would be or how sustainable this would be.

“Unfortunately, this entire thing was started by a tragedy. It’s a testament how, at Josh’s young age, how people rallied around him for this. It’s just special how the community comes together to remember Josh. We are thankful for what this organization does for our student-athletes.”

The fund has supplied about $5,000 for pay-to-play scholarships, helping more than 350 middle and high school athletes with activity fees and physical exam fees. But those have not been the group’s only focus.

“For example, someone might say I can’t pay the $75 for Rocket Football,” Stewart said. “We will approve that and send the check in to Rocket Football.

“We also do grants to teams and organizations focused on Comstock. We did Eastwood Little League through a $5,000 grant last year. We’re really excited to sponsor the First Day Shoe Fund. We bought all the kids in Comstock shoes. We know that a healthy lifestyle, teamwork, all are bred through athletics.”

This year, the group will have extra money available.

“As it happens, Comstock has a new superintendent this year in Jeff Thoenes,” Ansel said. “One of his first actions as superintendent was to remove our activity fee barrier so we no longer have this fee for the start of the 2018-19 school year. 

“They still plan to fund things like athlete equipment, needs like shoes or shin guards along with a variety of other things.”

Without the pay-to-play expenditures, Stewart said, “Our goal now is to really push toward those youth athletic programs: AYSO, Little League, youth football, youth golf camps, soccer camps. We’re creating feeders to the high school that otherwise don’t really exist at Comstock.”

With Comstock’s entry a few years ago into the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference, teams travel more than 40 miles to many games. At first, the school transported athletes to the games, but parents took them home.

“Now the fund pays to bring kids home,” Stewart said. “Parents in poverty can’t drive that far to pick up their kids. That’s not OK, and we wanted to fix that.”

Continuing to grow

Once the original fund hit $5,000, Stewart and Howard did not want the sole responsibility of doling out the money.

“We said we need to vet this through a group of people,” Stewart said.

So they formed the non-profit Josh Whitfield Memorial Athletic Fund.

The board of directors is made up of Josh’s friends and family, and funds are distributed through the Comstock Community Center.

The committee sponsors three fundraisers each year: a golf outing, an alumni soccer game and a holiday party in December. It also accepts donations through its website (www.jwmaf.org).

The golf outing in June includes about “a quarter of the field with Whitfields,” Stewart said. “It’s always bittersweet when we get together for that reason, but I think it’s a good avenue to go through some of those things. Oftentimes it’s like a support group.”

The soccer tournament is set for Sept. 21 at the school.

“It started out as an alumni soccer game, and then we had people who weren’t alumni that wanted to play,” Hanson said. “We said of course.

“It’s just getting out there and having fun. Last year, the oldest was mid-40s and the youngest just graduated.”

Said Stewart: “We usually get about 50 who sign up. It’s a hoot. It’s a good time. Everybody’s getting older, but it’s fun to relive the glory days.”

The holiday party last December was held at Kalamazoo’s Tibbs Brewing Company, which donated a portion of the sales to the fund.

Hanson and brother Matt Whitfield are members of the committee, which meets once a month to review applications.

“A couple committee members work in Comstock schools, so they see what’s going on and they see a need,” Hanson said. “The committee generally takes a vote. If the applicant meets what we’ve set forth in the guidelines, then we do grant them the money.”

Applicants also can apply through the website, but must be connected to Comstock athletics.

All committee members are volunteers, with 100 percent of any money raised going into the fund.

Besides Stewart, Howard, Hanson and Matt Whitfield, board members are 

Sara Howard, Alyssa Stewart, Rolly Taylor, Travis and Marie Law, Tyler and Shannon Howard, Loreen Hospodar, Katy Seward and Mason Everett.

“It is amazing,” Hanson said. “It’s truly an honor. I think to myself, my gosh, Josh would be so humbled to know that this is happening because of him.

“I think secretly he’s laughin’ and lovin’ it up there.”

Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Josh Whitfield in 2015, shortly before his death. (Top middle) Friend Eric Stewart, left, and Comstock athletic director Justin Ansel. (Middle) From top, Josh Whitfield playing wiffle ball, Josh and brother Matt Whitfield, and Josh and Stewart. (Below) Mandy Hanson, right, with daughter Madi. (Hanson photo by Pam Shebest; other photos submitted by Eric Stewart or Mandy Hanson.)

Competitive Fire Always Burning as Wayland's Ritz Climbs All-Time Coaching Wins List

By Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com

May 9, 2025

WAYLAND – Cheri Ritz will never have to be nudged out of coaching.

After more than 40 extraordinary years as a high school softball coach, when the moment to step aside finally comes, Ritz will recognize it's time to move along.

All she'll have to do is check the progress of her latest Wayland softball team.

That's the yardstick Ritz has for herself in determining how much longer she'll coach. When the program's phenomenal success starts to wane, Ritz said she will know it's time to retire.

Ritz entered this season 10th on the MHSAA's all-time wins list with a 1,037-275 record. But when numbers like 23 Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold titles, 34 District and Regional championships, five Semifinals appearances and Division 2 Finals titles in 2006 and 2015 become a distant memory, Ritz said she'll know it's time to hang up her green and white jersey.

"It means I don't think I'll be doing my job," she said. "It means I'm out and it's time for someone else to take over. If I ever get there, it means I'm not doing my job. It's like when I can't pitch batting practice, I'm done."

That time, however, seems a faint light on the horizon. Wayland has won 41 of its last 52 games over the last two seasons, four straight conference titles and 14 over the last 17 years.

Those type of numbers – and Ritz's desire to continue coaching – fall in line with what makes her tick as a coach: competition. Whether it’s a weekly pickleball game in Hudsonville or throwing a frisbee or playing ping pong at family gatherings, Ritz is in it to win. Period.

Ritz shows off her first Division 2 title team.It's non-negotiable with her. If a score is kept, Ritz said there's only one side of the ledger to be on.

Still, when she's pressed, Ritz – who took over at Wayland after serving as head coach at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg from 1987-94 and also coached at East Grand Rapids – will admit she has probably changed from her first two years at Wayland when the team managed just a combined 29-34 record with fourth and fifth-place conference finishes. It wasn't until the third season when the team went 31-6, and 14-1 in the conference, that Ritz first tasted success.

While the competitive drive hasn't waned, Ritz does believe her coaching philosophy has been, well ... altered. Whether it's a love of teaching, growing relationships with other coaches, attending national and local conferences, running summer softball leagues and three annual clinics, offering optional Sunday hitting practices or trying to win games, Ritz still has a fire for all.

Winning is still priority No. 1, but her appreciation of what else softball means to her has only deepened over the years.

"As a coach I wanted to be successful, but I'm probably more transformational now," she said. "Do I say this will be my last year? Maybe. But I still like being a part of it all. I like molding players into a great team and better people."

The success at Wayland is no accident. Only three coaches ahead of her on the statewide all-time wins list have a higher winning percentage (.790) than Ritz. That comes from her not only having a pulse on what's happening in softball in the Wayland area, but also in the surrounding communities.

As director of middle school athletics, Ritz has a handle on upcoming talent. She also runs an offseason league in Moline, holds four-person workouts in the winter and conducts clinics in the spring, summer and fall. Combine that with a program that teaches fundamentals and it's no wonder only Hudsonville's Tom Vruggink (1,197) has won more games among West Michigan softball coaches.

"We work hard on fundamentals," said Ritz, who played softball at Michigan State from 1978-81. "(Teaching) is still fun for me, and being around like-minded people. I want the best for our program and the kids."

Like many successful coaches, it's tough to pin down Ritz on her favorite moments at Wayland. Her teams have won at least 30 games 20 times, including a trio of 40-win campaigns. There was her winningest season with a 42-2 mark in 2014. Then there are the 43 collegians she's coached, including five who went on to play at Michigan, Michigan State and Central Michigan.

But probably topping the list are the two championship teams – the 2006 team finished 41-3, and the 2015 title winner featured five future college ballplayers. Not only did both teams feature superior talent, both had to overcome substantial off-field difficulties. Ritz said it's a credit to the players that they played up to lofty expectations amid problems that could have wrecked many clubs.

Ritz presents the championship trophy to her 2015 Finals winner. Whether it's those two teams or others she's coached, Ritz, whose ambition includes writing a book on why coaches are successful, said the goal for Wayland players is clearly spelled out during her annual three-hour postseason banquet. Ritz said what constitutes the program's philosophy is clear to any prospective player or coach who has attended:

Any player on the roster can be expected to be pushed – and if that's not possible, they should consider alternative activities.

While that may be harder for parents to accept in today's society, Ritz said it's still the cornerstone of the Wildcats program.

"They know my philosophy and what I put in and what I expect from the kids," she said. "It is probably a lazier society today, so you have to push a little harder. But winning is fun."

Ritz said her philosophy of teaching fundamentals combined with her competitive drive and trying to do what's best for players was tested years ago when she was coaching tennis in the fall. She glanced at the nearby football field where a coach was screaming at a player over an apparent lack of effort. Ritz went home, researched how that program had recently fared, and saw less-than-mediocre numbers. The scene made Ritz reevaluate how she ran her own program.

"I see other coaches and talk like that isn't going to get it done," she said. "I am a coach watcher, and I didn't like what I saw."

Ritz said while high school athletics have changed over the years, her love of the game hasn't faltered. She's still flattered when an opposing coach praises her team not necessarily for how well it plays, but for the classy way players handle themselves. Ritz loves hearing stories about how former players have succeeded and what playing softball at Wayland meant to them.

Another reason why Ritz’ coaching conclusion doesn't seem close is how she approaches games versus practice. Ritz said she still gets the same thrill in talking about one of her past 40-win seasons versus a 2025 club that features nine of 11 players clubbing the ball over a 227-foot fence on the first day of outdoor practice.

"My love of the game is still the same," she said. "I still get excited about practices. I tell the girls I like to win practices and they like to win games."

PHOTOS (Top) Wayland softball coach Cheri Ritz works with Laney Wolf – also an all-state swimmer – on bunting during practice this spring. (Middle) Ritz shows off her first Division 2 title team. (Below) Ritz presents the championship trophy to her 2015 Finals winner. (Top and middle photos by Steve Vedder.)