Former Mary G. Montgomery coach Zach Golson lost his job as a result of what the AHSAA called recruiting violations. On Wednesday, the local District I board rejected MGM’s appeal of a one-year playoff ban and restrictive probation. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
By JIMMY WIGFIELD
Mary G. Montgomery’s appeal to have its restrictive probation and one-year football playoff ban overturned by its local district board was rejected on Wednesday, multiple sources with knowledge of the decision told the Call News.
It is not clear if MGM will exercise its right to appeal to the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board for a final verdict.
Pell City’s nearly identical appeal to the District 6 board was also rejected 3-1 on Wednesday but Athletic Director Harley Ramey told ABC 33/40 Sports that the school will appeal to the Central Board. Panthers coach Jake Ganus was suspended for a year by the AHSAA but kept his job, unlike Vikings coach Zach Golson.
The playoff ban remained in place last week when the Central Board took no action on July 29 after hearing MGM Principal David Diaz’s action plan to avoid future violations.
The local District I board — consisting of Blount Principal Jerome Woods, Alma Bryant coach Bart Sessions, former Foley coach Deric Scott and Fairhope coach Caleb Ross — heard MGM’s appeal. However, Sessions and Ross coach teams that are in the Vikings’ region, Scott is the brother of Baker coach Eric Scott, which is also in that region, and Woods is the principal of a school that has overlapping attendance zones with MGM.
Several eighth graders who had attended an annual freshman welcoming ceremony had not yet moved into MGM’s school zone, multiple sources told the Call News, and those students were ruled permanently ineligible for athletics at the school.
In May, the AHSAA ruled that Mary G. Montgomery committed recruiting violations and punished it with the postseason ban and by suspending 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.
