Photo Gallery: Kelso football hits the ground running – as per usual

Golden Domes – Hilanders begin new era under direction of Darin Gardner

Aug 22, 2025

The Hilanders hold stead on both sides of the ball as the anticipate the snap during the first day of football camp on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Schroeder Field. Players spent the firs two afternoons of practice working through position drills under the summer sun at Schroeder Field. / Photo by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Images by Skyler Smith (Framed Photography) for Blast Zone Media

High School Football

The Hilanders have never been big believers in change. They like their K’s upper case and their yellow to be gold. They like one-school towns and they like to run the football.

But things are a little different in Kelso this season with a new head coach at the helm. Longtime assistant coach Darin Gardner was promoted last spring to replace former head coach Steve Amrine, who stepped down from the position after a dozen successful seasons calling the shots in K-Town.

— Kelso players work on tackling drills with dummy pads on the first day of preseason high school football camp, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Schroeder Field. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media —

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Based on early returns at the Scots’ first two days of preseason high school football camp, the dependable denizens of Kelso should be right back in their happy place at Laulainen Stadium once gain this fall.

“Fans can expect a tough, hard nose team,” Gardner promised.

Kelso will not only have to replace its head coach, but also its starting quarterback (Tucker Amrine) and a generational talent at running back (Aiden Mintonye) who both graduated in the offseason. But with right around 100 players in camp so far, the Scots are encouraged by the pieces they have to pick from.

— Kelso players rotate through drills on the first day of preseason prep football camp, Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Schroeder Field. Running backs and fullbacks worked on handoffs, wideouts ran routes, quarterbacks focused on accuracy, and the offensive line drilled plays against defenders. / Video by Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media —

And as for Gardner, he’s taking it all in stride and doing his best to follow the footsteps of successful Hilanders who came before him.

“I’ve seen a couple of really good guys in this position do it before me,” Gardner noted. “And I’ve always kept an eye on what they do and appreciated that from a little bit of a distance in the past… It’s been a lot to think about, but I’ve got a lot of great people around me and it’s been pretty smooth.”

The Hilanders will be hunting another postseason berth out of the 3A Greater St. Helens League this season. Kelso will kick things off for real on Sept. 5 in Longview, when they play Mark Morris at Memorial Stadium. Last season the Scots defeated the Monarchs 44-12 at home in Week 1.

Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in a series of preseason prep football coverage from Blast Zone Media. Be sure to check in at Blast Zone Media for the latest stories, photos, and videos, including in depth coverage on the Kelso Hilanders, and the rest of the teams in The Blast Zone.