HS Football: Elizabethtown HS names Gallagher as next head football coach

Blue Mountain head football coach Tom Gallagher speaks during his team's annual banquet at the Community Fire Company, Landingville (Photo by Brook Koch-Guers).

ELIZABETHTOWN — Former Blue Mountain football coach Tom Gallagher was officially appointed as the next head football coach at Elizabethtown Area High School during the district’s board of directors meeting Tuesday night.

Gallagher, 29, resigned from his post at Blue Mountain on Jan. 15 after compiling a 25-18 overall record over four seasons that included three straight District 11 Class 4A playoff appearances. The Eagles were 7-4 overall this past season, falling in the District 11 Class 4A quarterfinals 29-28 to Lehighton.

Since then, Gallagher has been named as an assistant coach for the East squad in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Big School East/West Game in May.

Gallagher succeeds Keith Stokes, who stepped down after guiding the Bears to a 12-19 record, with one playoff trip, over the past three seasons.

Elizabethtown went 2-8 in 2024 with victories over Muhlenberg and Class 6A Lebanon. The Bears, who are Class 5A in enrollment, compete in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League along with Ephrata, Muhlenberg, Lebanon, Conestoga Valley, Governor Mifflin and Exeter Township.

Gallagher inherits a program that played last season on a new artificial turf field as part of a massive athletic facility renovation project that also included a new field house, track and weight room.

You can read the full Elizabethtown Area School District announcement about Gallagher here:

https://www.etownschools.org/defualt-post-display-page/~board/slideshow-board-2024-2025/post/elizabethtown-area-high-school-names-tom-gallagher-as-head-football-coach