GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — West Michigan Officials Association (WMOA) hosted their annual banquet on Monday at Watermark Country Club and they honored several student-athletes with scholarships and named their coaches of the year.
The student-athlete winners were as follows:
Girls Basketball: Bethany Behnke, Hamilton
Boys Basketball: Jason Whitaker, Reeths-Puffer
Football: Ryan Ahren, Rockford
"It means a lot to me. It shows that I've had a good attitude and show a lot of support to my teammates and I'm just an overall good athlete on the court and I love these officials for what they do," said Whitaker.
"There are so many phenomenal girls basketball athletes in West Michigan so to be able to be chosen for this award is just huge and I can't begin to put it into words," said Behnke.
All three student-athletes were also awarded a $1,500 scholarship to use for their plans after graduation.
They also award three coach of the year awards.
Girls Basketball: Brad VanTimmeren, GR Catholic Central
Boys Basketball: David Klyn, Zeeland West
Football: Ed Kaman, Coopersville
"Over the years I've had great relationships with the officials. We're working together (on the court), that's the great thing about sports. We may not always agree on a certain call and we may have points where we disagree on things but at the end of the day I have a lot of respect for the officials in our area and the work that they put in and just to have a great relationship with them," said VanTimmeren.
WMOA is made up of 435 members that officiate games across Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa counties. Click here to learn more about the organization and to learn about becoming an official.
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