Brian Humphrey
Brian Humphrey has been at Damascus for 16 out of his 20 years as a high school-level basketball coach. With a coaching style that relies on trust, from the players to the coaching staff and vice versa, Humphrey makes sure his players trust what he’s saying. As a coach, he cares about what his players do, and he makes sure they know every move to make when they hit the court. As a coach, he prioritizes using sport as a vehicle for life lessons and allowing the boys to grow. He makes sure everyone learns from the good and the bad so they can apply the lessons to real-life scenarios, making them the best version of themselves. Going into the season, Humphrey hopes to continue to develop the players’ skills and allow everyone to fall into their roles on the team.
Looking back at last season, one of the highlights was the electric win against Northwest at home. With a hurting Hornets’ bench, players like EJ Simpson (‘27) stepped up and dominated early on. The game ended with an 18-point victory for Damascus, adding momentum to the season. Humphrey’s favorite moments, however, are often ones that happen out of the spotlight. He prefers the behind-the-scenes work at practice, team meals and the moments before they get on the bus for away games. Those moments where the team just gets to be together are some of the best, most authentic moments of the season. The first game is away at Churchill High School on Dec. 5 at 7:15. Come out and show your support.
Jim Lutz
The doors entering the main gym are a staple of the winter sports season. They’re designed and installed by Arena Graphics, owned by the new JV Boys Basketball Head Coach, Jim Lutz. The last name might sound familiar, as his son Joey Lutz was a star who led the team to a state championship a couple of years prior. Lutz has been around the basketball world for a while, playing at the Division One level through college before playing overseas in England for multiple years.
Although the winter sports season has just begun, the JV players have only positive things to say about Lutz. Freshman Nate Kellner says Lutz is “all about fundamentals and defense,” which is something he appreciates. Freshman Owen Hawkins says Lutz is ”big on positivity,” which helps build a positive team environment. When asked what they look forward to, Kellner wants to work on “building team chemistry,” and Hawkins is “looking forward to seeing how well the team works together throughout the season.” The boys have their first game away at Churchill High School on Dec. 5 at 5:30.
Daryl Keys
The Damascus Girls Varsity Basketball team is welcoming a new coach for their 2025 season. Daryl Keys started his coaching career as a high school varsity boys’ basketball coach in Salem, NY. After moving to Montgomery County, he spent ten years as the assistant varsity baseball coach at Sherwood High School. Now, in his 19th year working in Montgomery County, Keys serves as a health and PE teacher at Parkland Middle School and is bringing his experience and positivity to Damascus this year. Keys has set clear expectations for the Hornets this season. He emphasizes being fundamentally sound in every phase of the game while building both mental and physical toughness. His goal is for the team to be a tough, competitive unit every time they step on the court. To him, competing is the fun part, regardless of the numbers on the scoreboard, as long as the team is prepared for any situation they may face. His coaching style is energetic and detailed, centered around creating an environment where players gain confidence and understand the “why” behind their actions. Keys believes confident, loose players who understand the purpose of each decision are the ones who make the best plays. He plans to push the ball, force turnovers, and make opponents work all 94’ to keep the pace fast. Practices with Keys will focus heavily on fundamental principles, from individual skill work to team offensive and defensive strategies. Film study and game planning will also play a major role. To keep players motivated, Keys varies practice plans, adds competitive drills, and uses encouragement to reinforce the right habits. He makes sure effort is recognized and rewarded, reminding players that attitude and mentality matter just as much as results.
Jason Sprankle
Jason Sprankle has been a teacher at Damascus for two years. Apart from teaching, he has coached the Damascus Girls JV basketball team for the past six years. As a coach, he wants every one of his players to have fun, be passionate about playing and, in the end, he wants to see the best out of all his players. His main goal is to motivate and prepare them for Varsity while letting them have fun playing. He feels confident about this upcoming season. He’s also looking forward to the season and ready for the returning and new girls arriving to the team. Throughout the season, if the team loses a game, Sprankle will motivate the team and let them know that the poor feeling of losing should motivate them to have that strive and determination to win the next. He uses each game, win or loss, to learn and see what the team could improve on. But no matter what happens he will try his best to make sure the team has a fun and great season.
Michelle Mullenholz
Bocce is one of three allied sports at Damascus High School, which have both students of a general education, as well as students that are a part of the LFI (Learning for Independance) program. Michelle Mullenholz has coached the Bocce team for five years, as well as teaching at Damascus for the last 10 years. Her whole career, she has specialized in special education, teaching previously at Rockville with their autism program, and her experience makes her the perfect candidate for this role. Although appearing very easy to the casual viewer, Mullenholz says there is a lot of skill involved that requires precision or accuracy, however anybody that really tries will “have an opportunity to shine.” Last season, everybody on the team scored a point, and Mullenholz said she loved that every student on the team got a chance to feel the crowd cheering for them. Last year, the team went all the way to the County championship after winning their division championship for the second straight year. Mullenholz believes that this will be another great season with all the students in great spirits. The season begins in December, so make sure to show up for all the home games!
Lindsay Burns
Coach Lindsay Burns takes on a slightly different role with her winter cheer team. Instead of the season building up to competitions, the winter season is purely sideline cheering. “We cheer on the sideline at basketball, wrestling, and bocce,” Burns explained. While their season might seem easier with lower commitment, Burns assured that it is not as it seems. “While it is less practice in a week, I expect the same commitment from the girls,” Burns declared. “It will be harder to form the same connections with these girls [compared to fall cheer] since we see each other less.” Coach Burns is coming off of winning a state title and cannot wait to be able to spend more time with her girls over the winter, even if it’s not typical competition style.
Brianna Nelson
As covered in the fall sport coach preview, Brianna Nelson is not only a caring coach, but also someone engaged in the personal development of the athletes. She works to build a group that values perseverance and where all growth is celebrated. Senior, Caleigh Hoffman, says one of her favorite memories with Nelson was after a loss at Counties in 2024. Hoffman states Nelson, “validated our feelings instead of brushing us off, and let us know that this loss didn’t devalue us or our hard work.” This is just one example of Nelson’s investment in the people outside of the athletes as the season goes on. Hoffman also mentions that her time with Nelson has “helped [her] appreciate how much mindset impacts performance.” With a season spanning over both the fall and winter sport seasons, performances at football games and pep rallies, and then competition in the winter, the team has a lengthy and tiring calendar. Add school work and other contributions, making the girls stacked.
Nelson also fosters a strong sense of community, as another lesson Hoffman will take away is “supporting your teammates no matter what.” In such a coordinated sport where timing and teamwork are so important, Nelson creates an environment where everyone can be the best versions of themselves and the team can be successful. This year, the team will be in three regular-season competitions on January 10, 17 and 24. The championships will be hosted on February 7. Show the team some love this winter.
Kevin Beabout
Passion. A singular word that encapsulates Kevin Beabout, the Damascus Swim and Dive coach. He approaches his sport holistically, training his athletes to find a connection between their mind and body. He ensures that they know he values their overall well being, no matter what level you swim at. He strategically works with each athlete to improve their body positioning, mental focus, and full-body physical fitness. He thinks it is extremely important that, over the off-season, his athletes maintain physical wellness, “as a coach, I emphasize staying active in ANY sport, and a mix of recovery, individual skill development, physical conditioning, and mental preparation,” Beabout explains.
His approach has been extremely successful the past 13 years, as he has coached numerous winning seasons and produced multiple state champions for the Hornets. 13 years isn’t his only coaching experience, as he started his career with Rockville High School in 1999. Along with coaching, he has raised three amazing athletes, all of them swimming (along with playing many other sports) under his guidance. He carries the titles of ‘coach’ and ‘Dad’ with equal amounts of love, even taking a nine year hiatus from coaching at the local pool to enjoy watching his kids compete and have fun. One of his favorite memories from coaching happened during the 2021-2022 season where his kids, Owen Beabout, Drew Beabout, and Claire Beabout, were all on the team. This season also happened to be the first time Damascus won the 3A State Championship, making it even more special.
Beabout likes to learn who each of his athletes are as people to help successfully motivate and encourage them before races. “Everyone takes motivation differently, there is a thin line here; for some it takes a look, or a fist pump to let them know ‘I’m supporting you’; some needs a rah-rah! ‘Let’s get loud’ cheer to get them going, while some just prefer a kind word prior to their race for encouragement – the trick is knowing who needs what and at what time,” Beabout claimed.
While Beabout dislikes the minimal time and space available for practices, he is looking forward to this season. “I’m optimistic! We have a great team! The Boys were 3rd in the State Finals last season while the Girls were State Champions once again! Some great swimmers have graduated but we still have a lot of talent on this year’s squad,” Beabout said excitedly. While swim and dive meets can go on for what seems like forever, they can be truly exciting. This sport is more individual than most, each athlete competing under their name and not just the school. A matter of nanoseconds can determine if an athlete qualifies for Metros or not. Each race produces a new outcome and new opportunities for the team. If you’ve been swimming for ten years or for ten days, it doesn’t matter to Beabout, because at the end of the day you swam hard and gave it your all.
Ronald Fletcher
Ronald Fletcher has been a teacher at Damascus High School for five years, but a coach for six years and many more before his time at Damascus. Fletcher is a players coach, he wants to let his players play how they want to play, as long as they improve and work hard he’s fine with letting them choose. He is excited about this upcoming season, many old athletes are coming back for boys. Though the team lost some girls, the team and him are ready to compete. His goals for the team is for them to win the State Championship but also for them to focus on their grades and making honor rolls. For meets, if you don’t get the time you wanted, he is there to motivate you and help. He wants his players to know that as long as you keep putting in your hardest work, improve on what you want to improve on and no matter what place you get in you always will win.
John Furgeson
The Damascus Varsity Wrestling program continues to improve under head coach John Furgeson, who was recently inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Growing up, he was surrounded by mentors who believed in him, pushed him harder, and encouraged him daily; something that now guides the way he leads Damascus. Furgeson’s passion comes from watching his athletes grow into stronger, more confident versions of themselves, and his faith keeps him patient and grounded through every challenge that comes with a wrestling season. Heading into the upcoming season, Furgeson will keep Damascus building on the growth his program has shown. His coaching style is shaped by the people who once supported him; he focuses on encouraging his wrestlers and helping them see their own potential, just as his mentors did for him. Furgeson’s own wrestling journey began in his junior year at Gaithersburg High School, where he joined the sport with no prior experience. After high school, he continued climbing, volunteering at Gaithersburg before beginning his coaching career at Poolesville High School. He later returned to Gaithersburg, winning them their first season in 17 years, and earned back-to-back winning seasons at Watkins Mill. Widely known in the wrestling community as someone who can transform a program, it’s no surprise Damascus changed under his leadership. With Coach Furgeson, the Hornets have become a team to watch, earning eight straight Maryland State Dual Championships, three State Tournament Championships, and many consecutive wins. Even with all of his success, Furgeson always returns to one thing: the best wins show up years later, when his former wrestlers return as adults, using the skills he taught them on and off the mats.
Billy Krop
The Damascus JV Wrestling team is expanding this year. After a decent season last year with only about six people on the team, there’s a lot of incoming new people who Coach Billy Krop says are “eager to learn.” In terms of the coaching, this is Krop’s fourth year at Damascus and fourth year coaching our JV Wrestling team. Before Damascus, he coached wrestling at Urbana and Perry Hall. With fresh talent ready to learn and strong leadership both in terms of coaches and returning wrestlers, Krop says the goal this year is to go to states and win it all.
