Highland names four new head coaches

by Melissa Martin

July 20 board of education meeting

The Highland Local School District Board of Education has approved the hiring of four new coaches for the 2026-2027 school year, including Mike Besu, boys soccer; Ty Damon, girls tennis; Chris Kestner, girls golf; and Andrew Spicher, boys lacrosse.

Besu has coached soccer across Northeast Ohio for four decades. The award-winning leader brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of the game. He is the owner of the West Side Stars Soccer Club and a former coach at Westlake High School, Berea-Midpark High School and Elyria Catholic High School.

“Highland represents a community built on pride, integrity and strong support for its students and I’m grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this program,” Besu said. “I look forward to developing our student-athletes both on and off the field, emphasizing character, accountability and teamwork and building a program that reflects the values of the community while continuing to grow and improve for years to come.”

Damon has coached high school boys and girls tennis for over three decades, but this will be his inaugural season as a head coach. He has served as assistant head coach of boys and girls tennis teams at Highland, Cloverleaf and Medina high schools. He has taught math at Highland High for over 20 years and taught math at Cloverleaf High for 10 years before that.

“Highland girls tennis has a rich history of teams and players that continue to excel in the game year after year,” Damon said. “This year, we will enter a new league with a new coach, and I am excited for the opportunity to step into this role at this pivotal time.”

With more than 25 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels, Kestner will begin this season as head coach of Highland girls golf. He has coached various athletics teams at Highland, Woodridge, Copley, Archbishop Hoban, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Norton high schools. He has been a social studies teacher at Highland High for over 25 years. Before teaching at Highland High, he taught social studies at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

“Highland High School has not only had a great golf program traditionally but a great group of girls who are both excellent students and extraordinary athletes,” Kestner said. “I am looking forward to working with them this fall, alongside returning coaches Arbour and Martin, to build upon the strong foundation of the program and the growth of the players.”

For the past nine years, Spicher has served as an assistant coach, the last three at Highland. Before coming to Highland, he coached for six years at Holy Name High School. He was named Region 5 Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022 and again in 2026. He coaches summer travel for the Northeast Ohio Ducks through Man Up Lacrosse.

When asked how he feels about being named head coach of Highland boys lacrosse, he said, “I am excited for the opportunity to lead this team and to continue to build this program.”