3A Prep Football: Kelso hires Darin Gardner as head football coach

Familiar Face – Gardner takes the reins for Hilanders after 19 years as an assistant

Kelso offensive coordinator Darin Gardner goes over the game plan with senior quarterback Tucker Amrine during a game at Schroeder Field during the 2024 season. Former head coach Steve Amrine stepped down in January, and Gardner has been selected as the next head coach for the Hilanders. — Courtesy of Kelso High School Athletics

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

In a world run amok with instant gratification the Kelso Hilanders football team still believes in paying your dues. So when it was time to hire a new football coach, the Scots took a long look around the room at the applicants to fill the position and noticed one face that stood out because

That face, soon to be seen patrolling the sideline on Friday nights in the fall with a headset accenting his ears, belongs to Darin Gardner. On Monday, it was announced that Gardner was picked to be the next head coach for the Hilanders after 19 years serving as an assistant in the program.

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