COACH ABEL

Coach Tom Abel is the Head football coach at Northern High School in Owings, Maryland. In his first season at Northern, the Patriots amassed a 9-5 record while capturing a regional championship and a 2A state championship appearance. 

Before Northern, Abel was the Head Football Coach at Dundalk High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Over his three-year tenure, he led the team to an impressive 27-6 regular season record and a 6-3 playoff record, making one state semifinal appearance and reaching the state quarterfinals twice. Under his leadership, Dundalk’s defense ranked #1 in the state in points allowed in 2022 and remained in the top 10 in both 2023 and 2024. Offensively, the team also excelled, ranking among Maryland’s top 10 in points scored.

Abel’s success earned him multiple coaching accolades, including Baltimore Ravens Coach of the Week (2023) and Baltimore Touchdown Club Coach of the Week (2022). From 2020 to 2024, his program produced nine Division one athletes and 58 total student-athletes who went on to compete at the next level. In 2022, he guided Dundalk to a Baltimore County Division 1 Championship.

Prior to serving as head coach, Abel was associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Dundalk High School for two seasons, during which the defense ranked #2 and #1 in back-to-back years in points allowed. In 2021, he helped lead the team to a state championship appearance, as well as county and regional titles. Before Dundalk, he held the same role at Severn School (MIAA) in Severna Park, Maryland and spent five years at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, where he served as JV head coach.

In addition to his high school coaching success, Abel has been actively involved in multiple state all-star games. He was Team Maryland Big 33 winning Head Coach in 2025. Abel is one of three Team Maryland Head coaches to win the classic. Additionally, He served as a Maryland Big 33 assistant coach in 2022 and 2024, coached in the Maryland Crab Bowl for Team Baltimore in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and was head coach of the Baltimore Touchdown Club Team Baltimore in 2023, after previously serving as an assistant in multiple years. Abel is currently the Co-Director of Team Maryland Big 33 and Maryland Football Coaches Association Vice President.

As a player, Abel was a four-year letterman at Ohio Wesleyan University and Shenandoah University. He was selected to participate in the inaugural Dream Bowl Collegiate All-Star Game, featuring players from FBS to Division III programs. A graduate of Huntingtown High School, he played under Maryland High School Football Hall of Fame coach Jerry Franks.

Career Record: 36-10

Playoff Record: 10-4

State Championship Appearances: 2 

All-Star Games Head Coach: 4-0