New Mary G. Montgomery coach Alex Page works with his players during spring practice. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
By JIMMY WIGFIELD
MONTGOMERY — After a marathon day of meetings, Mary G. Montgomery High School was set to receive a letter late Wednesday from Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Heath Harmon detailing the Central Board’s decision on the school’s appeal of a football playoff ban.
Mary G. Montgomery Principal David Diaz. (Call News file photo)
After emerging from a one-hour closed executive session to discuss the appeals by MGM and Pell City, Harmon said at about 5:15 p.m. that he was going to send a letter to both schools within the hour detailing the Central Board’s decision and that both schools could release it. As of Wednesday night, MGM Principal David Diaz had not returned several messages asking for the letter to be released and to offer comment, although it isn’t known if Diaz had received a letter.
“You are welcome to talk to the school,” Harmon said. “They’ll get a letter from me today.”
Harmon didn’t elaborate on Diaz’s 20-minute presentation to the Central Board about seven hours earlier in another executive session that lasted four hours. The Central Board also met separately with school officials from Pell City, Vestavia Hills, Oak Mountain and Selma.
“I just asked them to come in and present to the Central Board what had happened and what they’ve done to address it,” Harmon said.
The long day was punctuated by a Legislative Council meeting that drew Harmon and Central Board members away from their lengthy agenda.
In May, the AHSAA ruled that Mary G. Montgomery committed recruiting violations and punished it with the postseason ban and by suspending head coach Zach Golson for a year. Golson — who had built the Vikings into one of the state’s premier big-school programs — ultimately lost his job.
Golson was placed on paid administrative leave on May 4 and was escorted off the campus without being allowed to address his players and staff.
Golson had turned MGM into one of the state’s premier teams after inheriting the worst program in Class 7A history in 2022. He was 37-10 and won two region championships in four seasons, including 31-5 in the last three years and 23-3 in the region in the last four seasons.
(This story will be updated.)
