MUSKEGON – Muskegon Risers head coach Ben Ritsema loves home games, for a lot of different reasons.

One very cool part for him is visiting with so many familiar fans after games at Mercy Health Arena.

Ritsema is now in his 24th year as a teacher at Fruitport Middle School, and a lot of his students are aware that he coaches the Risers men’s indoor team.

A lot of those kids have been bringing their parents to games over the years, and have become regular fans. A lot of them want to talk to Ritsema after games, shake his hand, and have their photos taken with him.

That tradition began in past seasons, when the Risers used to let fans come on the field after games. That’s no longer allowed, but youngsters and their parents still find their way down to the team bench after games, and Ritsema is there to greet them.

Muskegon Risers indoor team coach Ben Ritsema

It happens whether the Risers win or lose, and Ritsema loves it.

“It’s very humbling,” he said. “I’m not even on the field. The players are the ones who are out there battling and grinding. I feel very supported by my Fruitport community. There are a lot of students and former students and their parents that come to games, and it’s really special. They like to stop and say hi. We celebrate every win, and I usually get a pat on the back when we lose.

“We also have some fans that I didn’t know very well who want to talk after games. I’ll see them and say to myself, ‘I know that guy, I know that little girl or boy.’ It’s kind of cool to get to know new people because I’m the coach. I really do feel special after games when so many people want to talk to me and get a picture.”

Coaching the Risers’ indoor team is the latest chapter in a long soccer career for Ritsema, 46, who played the sport at Western Michigan Christian in high school.

He played for legendary WMC soccer coach Dave VerMerris, and played on the 1992 WMC basketball team that won a state championship. He said he started developing his coaching style in those years, playing for two Hall of Famers.

“VerMerris was a great example for me on how to plan a practice, manage a game, have relationships with players, just how to be a mentor to young people,” Ritsema said. “I also learned a ton from (former WMC basketball coach) Jim Goorman as well.  I learned how to coach with passion from him and how a motivational speech at practice or halftime can really make a difference with the work and focus of players.”

Ritsema poses after a recent game with Lily Borntreger, a former sixth-grade student of his at Fruitport Middle School.

Ritsema started coaching with a youth soccer team in his senior year of high school, to earn a necessary community service credit to graduate.  He later became a middle school coach at WMC while he was playing for the Muskegon Community College club team.

He transferred as a student from MCC to Western Michigan University, but did not play soccer due to an injury. After earning his degree, he came home and was recruited to Reeths-Puffer by the late head soccer coach Eric Marcil.

Ritsema coached at R-P from 1999-2011. He led the JV girls team for one season, and the varsity boys and girls teams the rest of those years.

His 2000 R-P girls varsity team won the first soccer district title in school history, and his 2004, 2005 and 2006 boys teams won conference championships. Risers owner Matt Schmitt was a player on the last of those two title teams.

He moved on to coach the Muskegon Community College men’s team from 2011-2016, and won a conference title with the Jayhawks in 2013.

Ritsema took over as coach of the Risers indoor team at its inception in 2015, and also coached the Risers summer outdoor team from 2016-18.

This Risers season has been special for Ritsema and the entire organization, because they were limited to only three non-league games last season due to COVID and the need to limit travel expenses.

This season they are back as full members of the Major Arena Soccer League 2, and a lot of the players that Ritsema coached in high school and college are on the current roster – Cody Loss, Michael Schmitt, Ryan Wagenmaker, Miguel Flores, Brandon Edwards and Kody Harrell.

Ritsema watches from the bench earlier this month during a home game. Photo/Jeremy Clark

The Risers started the season out in style with an exciting 9-7 win in Cincinnati after trailing by three goals, but the results have been mixed since then.

They are currently 2-4 at the midpoint of the 12-game regular season, and the last two weeks have been rough for the team.

They were on the road against Cleveland on Jan. 15 and lost 10-5 to the defending league champions. Last Saturday in Chicago they had their worst game of the season, falling 13-3 to the Mustangs.

“Defensively we just were not ready for their pressure,” Ritsema said about last week’s game. “We had a hard time possessing the ball and we let in some soft, easy goals. We just didn’t react to what they threw at us.

“The game was actually a little closer than the score indicated. It just got away from us in the fourth quarter.

“It’s hard to win in Chicago. There is non-stop noise. They have a supporter section with nonstop drums, music and people on microphones. Guys can’t hear me from the bench. They can’t hear each other on the field.”

With the two rough road games behind them, Ritsema and the Risers are excited to be coming home on Saturday night to host the Cincinnati Swerve, the team they beat in the season opener. They are more than ready for a dose of Muskegon fan noise, and they’ve proven they can play well at Mercy Health Arena.

The Risers have had only one home weekend so far. On Jan. 7 they played tough against powerhouse Cleveland but eventually lost 8-5. The next night they beat Chicago in an 11-10 thriller, with first-year forward Ryan Zietlow scoring the winning goal in the closing minutes.

Ritsema knows that Cincinnati, like Chicago last weekend, will be itching to avenge a previous loss to the Risers, so Saturday’s game is bound to be intense.

“We will see what we’re made of on Saturday,” the coach said. “We will see if we can come back from the loss last weekend and play well.

“We tend to play a little better at home. We will have the home crowd, and the players won’t have to travel three or four hours for a game.”